Leah Fernandez-Dato

Leah Fernandez-Dato has over 20 years of experience in the field of education, with a focus on special education. Leah currently serves as the Special Education Director at King-Chavez Neighborhood of Schools. In their role, they are responsible for overseeing special education programs and ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.

Prior to their current position, Leah worked as an Education Specialist in Special Education at Urban Discovery Academy from 2015 to 2018. In this role, they conducted assessments and observations to determine students' learning needs and created customized lesson plans to enhance their success. Leah demonstrated a strong understanding of the developmental needs of young children.

From 2009 to 2015, Leah held multiple roles at Education Service Center, Region 20, including Coordinator of Community and Family and Education Specialist for School Readiness Integration. In these positions, they coordinated professional development opportunities, provided support to school districts, Head Start programs, and childcare providers, and ensured the effective implementation of instructional strategies for early childhood settings.

Leah also worked at Somerset ISD from 2007 to 2009 as a District Facilitator in Special Education. In this role, they supported teachers and ensured compliance with special education policies and procedures.

Earlier in their career, Leah served as Acting Head and Assistant Head of Early Childhood Services at Cooke Center for Learning & Development. Leah also held the position of Special Education Itinerant Teacher. In these roles, they conducted assessments, created lesson plans, and coordinated evaluations and individualized educational plans.

Overall, Leah Fernandez-Dato has a wealth of experience in special education and has consistently demonstrated their commitment to supporting students with diverse learning needs.

Leah Fernandez-Dato has an extensive education history in the field of special education and communication disorders. Leah obtained their Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the University at Buffalo in 1998. Following this, they pursued a Master's degree in Special Education Mild to Moderate Disabilities N-12 at New York University, graduating in 2000.

In 2003, Leah enrolled in Hunter College and obtained a Master's degree in Special Education Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Moreover, they acquired additional certifications such as the New York State Permanent Teacher Certification in Deaf and Hard of Hearing from the New York State Education Department in August 2003, and the New York State Permanent Teacher Certification in Special Education N-12 in August 2000.

Leah also pursued further professional development opportunities and obtained various certifications. Leah attended training programs such as the Affect-Based Language Curriculum Two-day training by Diane Lewis, M.A., CCC/SLP-Instructor in September 2003, and the Social Stories 2-day training led by Carol Gray in January 2003. Furthermore, they completed the DIR Institute in 2005 and 2006 through DIR Floortime and became a certified CIRCLE Trainer by the Children's Learning Institute in July 2009.

In recent years, Leah has expanded their expertise by obtaining the Education Specialist Instruction Credential from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing in June 2015 and the Texas Educator Certificate in Special Education EC-12 from the Texas Education Agency in July 2013. Leah also acquired certifications in the Linda Mood Bell Learning Process, including "Seeing Stars for Phonemic Awareness, Reading & Spelling," and "Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking" in January 2016. Additionally, Leah obtained the Family Service Credential Trainer certification from The Portage Project Family Service Credential in August 2014.

Overall, Leah Fernandez-Dato has consistently pursued educational opportunities and certifications to enhance their knowledge and skill set in the field of special education and communication disorders.