I’m Dr. Neffitina Thompson, known as Dr. T the Pre-K Guru—an early childhood leader, scholar-practitioner, and advocate committed to transforming the childcare workforce through belonging-centered leadership and reflective professional development. With over 15 years of experience across education, human resources, and organizational leadership, I work at the intersection of research, policy, and practice to elevate educator voice and reimagine quality as a culture of trust, empathy, and relational accountability.

I am the creator of the FoK-EWB (Funds of Knowledge–Educator Well-Being) framework, an empirically grounded approach that centers educators’ lived experiences, cultural knowledge, and emotional labor as essential assets in building healthy organizational climates. My work challenges deficit-based workforce models and instead positions educator well-being as critical infrastructure for sustainable quality, strong family engagement, and meaningful learning environments for children.

My research and teaching focus on trauma-informed leadership, educator relational practice, and systems-level strategies that nurture both people and practice—advancing early childhood education as a human-centered profession rooted in dignity, reflection, and shared responsibility.