Our Story
"We would like to serve more children but don't have enough staff...It's hard to find help when needed." When you hear the same story repeatedly, you begin to ask yourself, “What can I do to change things? Where do I start?” So, we started with what we knew - education and children - and created a business.
Nelson Early Learning Services is a Black-woman-owned company that keeps children and education at the heart of everything we do. Nelson was intentionally designed by our founder Shauna Goldman to be a support system for educational settings and institutions to ensure every program has high-quality and effective staff to work with our most vulnerable and underrepresented children.
Fun Fact: The name of the company is derived from the childhood storybook Ms. Nelson Is Missing by James Marshall.
Since our inception in 2017, we have expanded our support to match the ever-growing need for more equitable services and resources to best support young children and the community.
MISSION AND VISION
STATEMENTS
Nelson Early Learning Services strives to be a change agent and empower educators and families with the tools necessary to support our youngest learners. We bring comprehensive services and professional development to early childhood programs, educators, and families.
About the Founder
Shauna Goldman is the Founder and Director of Nelson Early Learning Services. Her passion for education and early care inspired her to start this company to support the growing need for quality educators and programs that serve our youngest learners.
Shauna has a track record of advocating for all children ensuring they get the most adequate education they deserve. She began her career as an Applied Behavior Analyst (ABA) Therapist working in Fairfax County Public Schools. Upon earning her BA in Psychology and M.Ed in Instruction and Curriculum Development, she continued to champion for our youngest learners as an Instructional Specialist for District of Columbia Public Schools, and Early Learning Specialist supporting infants and toddlers in Child Development homes across the District of Columbia. She is currently an Adjunct Professor teaching special education to current and future early childhood educators. She is a Certified Trainer in Washington, DC, a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Coalition of Adult Basic Education.
In her leisure time, she enjoys organizing, gardening, and traveling with her husband, two toddler sons, and marketing manager/daughter.
Meet the Team
Jasmine Smith
Administrative Assistant
Jasmine Smith was born and raised in Landover, MD. She began her early childhood career path in high school when she volunteered at a family home-based center. As years passed, Jasmine continued to explore her passion for educating children by going into the military and teaching children from ages 6 weeks to 12 years old. Through her years of experience, Jasmine continues to show her love and knowledge for the field of early childhood education through mentorships and taking on a leadership role in a Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) Program to create a meaningful environment for the staff and families in which she supports. Additionally, Jasmine is a freelance makeup artist, loves to travel, and spend her time on “self care” by taking a walk, writing in her journal, and going out to eat.
Maria Jose (MJ) Ceballos
Staffing Associate
MJ Ceballos graduated as a Designer and has a background in Production Management, Campaign Creations and Team Management. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and hopes to support Spanish speaking educators get better work opportunities. MJ is a wife and a mother of two young children and hopes she can help ensure other children with the support in education they need. She is an animal lover, enjoys team work, baking and traveling with her family.
Se graduó como Diseñadora y tiene experiencia en Gestión de Producción, Creación de Campañas y Gestión de Equipos. Ella es bilingüe en inglés y español y espera ayudar a los educadores de habla hispana a obtener mejores oportunidades laborales. MJ es esposa y madre de dos niños pequeños y espera poder ayudar a garantizar que otros niños reciban el apoyo educativo que necesitan. Es amante de los animales, disfruta trabajar en equipo, la pastelería y viajar con su familia.
Simone Williams
Recruitment Chair
Simone E. Williams was born and raised in Washington, D.C. Simone utilized her childhood experiences to influence how she navigates her career and how to best support families within her community. During her undergraduate years at Clark Atlanta University, Simone immersed herself in working with different programs within Atlanta that specialized in helping families with children from 1 month to 6 years old. Through personal childhood experiences and courses aimed at child growth and development, she developed a passion for supporting children and families within an educational setting. In May 2019, Simone graduated from Clark Atlanta University, in Atlanta, Georgia, with a B.A. in Psychology. Simone is currently pursuing her Doctor of Philosophy degree in School Psychology at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Sierra Davey
Brand Manager
Sierra Davey is a 2019 graduate of Longwood University where she studied Mathematics and she recently received her Masters in Education from Penn State. Sierra is passionate about working with student leaders and young professionals to improve their professional skills and support their career journey. Sierra currently works as a meeting planner, managing events and projects for different associations across the country. Through leadership principles and refined life skills Sierra helps organizations and future leaders implement best practices, improve efficiency, and foster an environment to reach their highest potential.
In her free time Sierra likes to express her creativity through poetry, music, travel, food, and fashion.
Bianca Londres
Project Coordinator
Bianca Londres is a graduate of Christopher Newport University with a BA in Philosophy and Leadership with a minor in Legal Philosophy. She is passionate about equal education opportunities, especially for underprivileged minority communities and the LGBTQ+ community. With Bianca’s educational background in leadership, she continuously advocates for the visibility of educators and role models with unique perspectives and from diverse backgrounds. As Nelson’s Project Coordinator, Bianca oversees the production and development of the company’s major projects with its internal team, staff members, clients, and partners. Outside of work, Bianca loves to travel, bake, crochet, and kickbox.
