Luz M. Rivera, Ph.D. is a Program Manager for the CT Office of Early Childhood (OEC) Family Support Services (FSS) Division. She leads the CT Help Me Grow and Sparkler statewide efforts and activities on developmental and social-emotional promotion, monitoring, screenings, and linkages to essential services to ensure the early identification of children. A key part of that work is supporting the early childhood workforce. She also leads the Doula Project for incarcerated women to increase access to needed prenatal and post-natal services.
She also has experience overseeing and monitoring prevention programs across the state: Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs and the Prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) implementing the Period of Purple (POP) Crying Parent Education program. One of her passions is to facilitate professional development trainings across various evidence-based curricula and effective approaches to ensure a well-equipped early childhood workforce. Another passion is systems building to ensure no child is left behind. Luz earned a Ph.D. in Multidisciplinary Human Services and worked 20+ years in the early childhood field across various state or non-profit organizations in different capacities.