Heather M. Waterfield appears on Fox 4 News bi-monthly to give parenting strategies and practical tips.

Her background is well-suited to the task.  Heather has worked with children, from birth to age 12, in several child care settings and has also served as an administrator of a child care program. She holds a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Bachelors of Science in Child and Family Studies, a 2 year Child Care Administration Certificate and a Missouri K-6 Teaching Certificate. 

She currently serves as Early Education and Professional Development Specialist at The Family Conservancy, a non-profit agency that serves children and families across the Kansas City Metro Area.  In her 8 years with the agency, she has worked with parents and families, child care providers and other early education specialists on improving the quality of child care for children in Kansas and Missouri. 

A strong believer in ongoing education, Heather has received recent professional training through: the Kansas City Brain Child, Parents and Teachers, ACT Against Violence program, Partnering With Parents Zero to Three, and the West Ed Program for Infant and Toddler Caregivers. She is a Certified National Playground Safety Inspector through the National Recreation and Parks Association.  She has also presented at several state and national conferences, including: The Kansas Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, The National Association for Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and The National Association for Family Child Care Providers. 

Heather has provided more than 500 hours of professional training to area child care providers.