The Child Care Director Credential Training Program Staff

Jill Dent, M.Ed., CD
Jill is the current Program Coordinator, and has conducted parent education and child care trainings for five years.  She is a certified Practical Parenting Partnerships trainer and a Parents as Teachers Advanced Supervision trainer. She was previously employed by the City of Jackson as the Manager of the Early Childhood Development Division, consulted with child care centers, and worked in child care positions 15 years previously.  She earned a B.S. in Early Childhood Education, and holds a masters degree in Educational Leadership.  She is currently working on a dissertation to complete a Ph.D. program in Education Administration.

Stephanie Stuart, BS
Stephanie has been with the Forum on Children and Families since 1999 when she served as an instructor on the Child Care Connections mobile training unit.  During 2001, she served as program coordinator for the AmeriCorps Partners in Readiness prior to moving to the Director Credential program for three years.  She has been a full-time trainer for both the Director Credential Training Program and the teacher-caregiver classes offered for child care staff members.  Stephanie recently resumed role as project coordinator.  A graduate of Delta State University, Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with an emphasis in Child Development and a minor in Special Education.

Jayme Jones, AA, CD
Jayme has been with the Forum on Children & Families since 2003 when she served as a caregiver at the Forum Child Care Center.  Jayme served as the resource center specialist in the Peavey Parent Resource Center from 2004 to 2005.  She has recently joined the Director Credential Training Program as the training specialist and will be responsible for scheduling participants for classes, fielding questions about Credentialing and managing computer related information.  Jayme has an associate degree in Child Development from Hinds Community College. 

Felicia Taylor
Felicia, former assistant coordinator for the Child Care Director Credential Training Program, has been with the Forum on Children and Families since September 1999.  Now serving as registrar, she will be responsible for maintaining the practitioner training registry.  She attended Hinds Community College, Alcorn State University and Belhaven College.

Terri Walls, BS, CD
Currently the senior trainer for Director’s Credentialing, Terri became an instructor on the Child Care Connections training unit in 2000 and moved into one of the training positions for the Director’s Credential later that year. She continued as a trainer for both the Director’s Credential and the advance courses for Credentialed Directors. She has also co-authored several of the advanced courses in the Director’s Credential Training Program. As a former child care licensing officer for the Department of Health, she is experienced in providing training on regulatory standards, safety issues, and developmentally appropriate practice. Terri has a bachelor’s degree in Child Development with an emphasis in Corporate Child care and Administration from Mississippi State University.

Pearl Bailey, AA, CD
Pearl has taught teacher-caregiver courses for child care staff members under the Director Credential Program since 2002.  In 2006, she joined Terri Walls as a full-time trainer for the Director Credential.  She has given presentations at Jackson State University in their Early Child Development classes, spoke at the Governor’s Early Childhood Conference in  2004 as well presented in legislative committee meetings.  Pearl has been director of Pied Piper Playhouse in Jackson for 13 years.  She holds an associate degree from Hinds Community College in Child Development. 

Beulah Russell, MS, CD
Beulah has served as a part-time trainer for Director’s Credentialing since 1999. She received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Xavier University and her master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Florida. She taught in the public school system for ten years. She retired from the City of Jackson after 25 years of service as manager of the Early Childhood Development Division.

Julia Bishop, BS, CD
Julia has served as a part-time trainer for the Director Credential Training Program since 1998.  Until her retirement in 2002, she had been the director of the Weekday Preschool Program at Christ United Methodist Church in Jackson for 21 years. Julia also organized and directed the Mother’s Morning Out program for the church.   In 1978, under her direction, the Preschool became the first in the State accredited by NAEYC.  She has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Education at Millsaps College.  Julia earned her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Millsaps College and continued with post-graduate work in early childhood education and child development at both Mississippi College and the University of Southern Mississippi.