DOVER — Delaware State University has named longtime state leader in early-childhood education Dr. Kimberly Krzanowski as executive director of its Early Childhood Innovation Center.

Along with more than 20 years’ experience as an early-childhood teacher, higher-education faculty member, center director and policymaker, Dr. Krzanowski, who currently serves as executive director of the Delaware Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning, brings a passion for early instruction and for assisting those who teach pre-K.

“I’m very proud of the work we were able to do in the Office of Early Learning,” she said. “That has always been my passion — working with people, helping the workforce, and that has never gone away. This opportunity will not only allow me to bring new and innovative policies and programs to the workforce but also allow me to have a deeper connection to the people who are doing the work. That is very exciting to me.”

DSU is partnering with several state agencies on the center, including the DOE, the Department of Health and Social Services and the governor’s office, to support and expand the workforce in several ways.

Working with these entities and colleges/universities around the state, DSU will develop pathways for people seeking careers in the early child care industry and redesign and expand scholarship opportunities for working professionals seeking more education.

ECIC will provide additional professional credentials — a nationally recognized early-childhood certificate — for those employed in the caring and education of pre-K children who would like to further their education.

To construct and establish the center on the Dover campus, the university received a record-breaking $31.6 million grant, part of Gov. John Carney’s plan to use $120 million in federal COVID-19-relief funds to support the child care industry and its professionals.

DSU leaders were pleased to welcome Dr. Krzanowski.

“I am excited about Delaware State University’s selection of Dr. Kimberly Krzanowski as the executive director of the ECIC,” said Dr. Saundra DeLauder, provost and chief academic officer. “Dr. Krzanowski has more than 20 years of experience in early learning and will be integral to meeting the goals of the ECIC.”

The opportunity for such a center can be considered once in a generation, said Dr. Krzanowski. “The stars aligned,” she said. “This idea has been on the top of minds for several years, and the federal COVID funds that the state received helped bring it to reality. This was an opportunity to build from the ground up a center that was focused and targeted on the early-childhood population as they build their career.”

As ECIC grows and develops its mission, it can provide research and advocacy for families with young children who would benefit from quality early-learning experiences and educators, she added.

“The center will break down barriers to care and some of the misconceptions about early childhood,” she said. “The science has changed. We know more about what happens in the first five years than we ever have, but knowing that means that we have to be able to prepare our future educators for what that really means.

“The pendulum is finally shifting for people to recognize the importance of early childhood and its long-term investments in our society.”

Dr. Shelley Rouser, chair of DSU’s Education Department, added that the center can work statewide to drive home the importance of early-childhood education.

“We have work to do, to ensure there is a deep understanding of the impact of this issue, this crisis of not having a deep and universal understanding of the importance of what happens before age 6, impacting K-12 and beyond learning,” she said.

“Once people understand and elevate the need, they understand why we have urgent work to do to address inadequate pay (and) support with additional credentials, and otherwise to elevate the early-learning profession as doing the most important work — working with our littlest people — as a giant part of their brains are forming before age 6 and setting the course for their success in K-12 and beyond.”

Dr. Krzanowski holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, concentrating on education, human services and public policy; a master’s degree in education from Wilmington University, with an emphasis on teaching and learning; and a doctorate in educational leadership from Wilmington University, with a concentration in innovation and leadership in the context of the early-childhood workforce.

She has served on numerous advisory boards and statewide committees to implement policy changes designed to improve early-childhood education, including the National Black Child Development Institute, T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood Washington, D.C., and the National Association of State Leaders in Early Education.

For Dr. Krzanowski, it all comes back to remaining excited about the “magic” that happens when a child grasps a new concept.

“It’s a magical moment, when working with a child and, suddenly, it clicks,” she said. “I have always been drawn to that connection and have spent 20 years teaching and creating supports for those who want to teach.

“Throughout my teaching experiences, I found a deep passion working and uplifting people who teach young children, to help them understand and see that magical moment.”