Amy Hood Hooten, EdD
Infant-Toddler Specialist

Amy Hood Hooten is the Infant/Toddler & Early Childhood Specialist for Training and Technical Assistance Services at Western Kentucky University. Amy has worked with Head Start and child care for 15 years. She has an extensive educational background in early childhood development, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development from Murray State University, a Master's degree in Early Childhood from Western Kentucky University, and her doctorate in Child and Youth Studies from NOVA Southeastern University in 2003.

Amy began her career at WKU Child Care Consortium as a pre-school Head Start teacher and later became the Education Coordinator for the Head Start and child care program. She began her work with infants and toddlers when she implemented child care for children birth to three within the WKU Child Care Consortium. In 1996, when Early Head Start was first funded, Amy assumed the responsibilities of Early Head Start Coordinator of the Wave I program and worked to incorporate the Head Start Performance Standards into the infant and toddler program.

Leaving her position as Education/Early Head Start Coordinator with the program, Amy became the Infant/Toddler Specialist at T/TAS in 1998 and provided training and technical assistance to many Early Head Start programs and their child care partners in the eight states of Region IV.

In July 2003, Amy added to her T/TA duties service as the Professional Development Specialist for the Child Care Resource and Referral where she oversees the KIDS NOW scholarship opportunities in a ten-county area, as well as supervises the training events sponsored by the CCR&R. Amy also provides training sessions on the national level for Early Head Start and for national conferences such as NAEYC and NHSA. She has written articles in several child care publications as well as local newspapers.

Amy holds a Level 5 Kentucky Trainer Credential, is certified in all four of the Program for Infant and Toddler Caregiver (PITC) Training Modules, is pursuing re-certification with the National Parks and Recreation to renew her Playground Safety Certification, and with the National Association for the Education for Young Children (NAEYC) to renew her validator certification. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member at WKU teaching early childhood education courses and classes, required for the Kentucky Director's Credential.