Bianca Lavey is an expert in early childhood teaching and learning. She spent seven years as a Staff Developer for The Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, co-authoring reading and writing curriculum, presenting at institutes and working directly with schools to implement and support a balanced literacy framework. Bianca has also been a classroom teacher and a literacy coach in both suburban and Title 1 urban schools. She specializes in working with struggling readers and writers, children learning English as a new language and helping teachers implement Words Their Way word study curriculum. She is particularly passionate about play-based development and learning and is heavily influenced by the work from Reggio Emilia and Montessori classrooms.