• Public policy information
• Family Night events
• Statewide issues
• Statistics and demographics
• Grant information
• Community collaborations

Joy is celebrating her 10th anniversary as Director at AEYC.  After being inspired by the professional development goals of so many early childhood folks all around her, she just completed her Masters degree in Organizational Management.  Joy and her husband of 25 years are getting ready for “empty nesting” with their two teenagers and a young adult in Juneau, and meanwhile are raising a flock of nine nesting chickens.  

Ever since she was little, Joy’s favorite thing to do was to put on “play clothes,”  grab a book, and head outside to the nearest pond, creek, lake, or stream.  These days she has been known to read while floating along with the tide in her kayak.

Lori Brotherton -Business Manager
lbrotherton@aeyc-sea.org
Lori can help with questions about:

• Training reimbursements
• Travel grants
• Lost checks

Lori Brotherton is the newest staff member at AEYC but has been involved with the organization for many years as a board member and representative for southeast to the state AEYC board.  In her professional life, Lori has worked as an accountant for many of Juneau’s non profit organizations including Catholic Community Service, SERRC, CoastAlaska, & KTOO FM & TV.  Her family includes her husband Walter, an older son Matthew who is in college, younger son, Jesse who is a sophomore at JDHS, her niece Sarah who is here attending UAS and two large black cats.

Her favorite “play date” is with the wonderful women in her monthly book group.

Amber King -Child Care Food Program Manager
aking@aeyc-sea.org
Amber can help providers with questions regarding:

• USDA Childcare Food Program  
  -Guidelines
  -Regulations
  -Provider Responsibilities
  -Nutritional Information
• Fun Nutritional/ Physical Activity home visits
• On site mentoring

Welcome to AEYC’s new Child Care Food Program manager! Amber has previously worked for University of Alaska - School of Career Education, Catholic Community Services - Child Care Assistance Program, the Juneau Public Health Center and the Petersburg Children’s Center, and various hospitality/food service establishments, fishing boats and watering holes along the way. Amber holds an Associate of Arts degree obtained from the Art Institute of Seattle where she inspired her creative passions of the culinary variety but also a greater understanding and intrigue of business, marketing, nutrition and design aspects. As a lifelong Southeast Alaskan resident, Amber spent her youth commercial fishing Alaskan waters. She is an avid skier, hiker and loves outdoor adventure with her family, playing softball, picking berries and fly fishing. She is passionate about nature, children, nutrition, responsible food production and child safety and takes a natural and holistic approach to life. She seeks to further the economic diversity and early-education opportunities in Southeast, promote independent travel and responsible economic development and sustainability in the region she loves. Her goals for the future include furthering her education and continuing to volunteer in various non-profit organizations and community activism and the eventual addition of chickens and goats to her family.

First Dish cooked as a child: French toast at 6am for a week straight when she was five
Favorite cookbook: The Family Home Cookbook, published in 1956 by the Culinary Institute of America, it’s very campy, classic and a great inspiration
Favorite kitchen possession: stovetop pressure cooker
Favorite Food personality: Mario Batali
Food Weakness: cheese… the stranger the better
Best nutrition secret: add minced organic kale and ground flax seed to EVERYTHING!
Kitchen Pet Peeve: leaving the sponge in the sink
She could not cook without: onions
What do you cook when home alone: Indian food, usually a one pot meal
Least favorite vegetable: green peppers (unless it’s Cajun food)
What her family doesn’t know they eat: her cheesecake is made with ½ silken tofu and ½ cream cheese
Favorite dish as a child: French Onion Soup with lots of cheese and bread

Nikki Morris -Family Services Coordinator
nmorris@aeyc-sea.org
Nikki helps providers and parents with questions about:

• Child Care Referrals
• Provider updates
• Alaska In! Program
• Childcare trends & statistics

Nikki has worked at AEYC for 9 years. She has a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts with an emphasis in Visual Arts. Her background and work experiences have always found her working with people and art, and her present job blends both nicely. Nikki splits her time at AEYC between Child Care Referrals and Publications projects. Each year Nikki assists over 600 families throughout SE Alaska to find quality child care. Her publications projects keep her busy with this web site, and working on special art-related projects including art activity visits, and art workshops.
When not busy helping families and children, Nikki spends time with her daughter, works in her ceramic studio, and redecorates her house. Since childhood, Nikki has admired Harold and his purple crayon.

• Policies and contracts
• Behavior and development
• Activities and programming
• CDA credentialing
• Activity home visits
• On site mentoring

Robin Bergey -Program Associate
info@aeyc-sea.org
Robin can help with requests for:

• Copies of forms, resources, lending library
• Whenever you are not sure who to ask
• Dolly Parton Imagination Library
• Signing up for workshops
• SEED Registry
• AEYC membership status
• General information about what is going on with anything at AEYC!
• Alaska AEYC Board of Directors Administrative Assistant -main contact for all board communications
  

Born and raised in Sitka Alaska Robin now makes her home in Juneau with her husband and daughter. Robin also has two grown sons.

Working in varied professional environments including being a licensed provider, the school district, state audiology program, and construction management has prepared her for the role she plays at AEYC.

In her spare time she enjoys gardening, fishing, and is a closet interior decorator. She would love to be a mermaid when she grows up.

Emily Coate -Special Projects Coordinator
ecoate@aeyc-sea.org
Emily handles:

• Conference Concerns, Questions and Comments
• Alaska In! Program
• All things E-Learning
• Family Nights in the Juneau area
• Parenting classes and support
  
• And all other “Special Projects” that might come up.

Emily joined the AEYC team in November of 2007 and handles "Special Projects" which include the annual conference, E Learning and various other exciting projects. She has a Bachelor o in Early Childhood Education from Southern IL University of Carbondale and is a certified 0-3 year Montessori Teacher. Experiences in the field include, but are not limited to running an in-home child care, leading an infant room and cultivating a sense of playfulness in all areas of life. She currently resides in Juneau and enjoys long hikes, chocolate and Fridays. (Especially long hikes on Friday while consuming chocolate).