Director – Chicago, IL 

Specializes in Funding Policy and Cost Analysis

Kayla supports early childhood systems leaders to advance equitable funding strategies by translating complex cost structures and policy into opportunities to strengthen funding for early learning programs.  

Prior to her role at Afton, Kayla worked as a Senior Policy Manager with Start Early to advocate for improvements to early childhood and maternal and child health systems in Illinois. Kayla supported legislative and administrative advocacy and coalition-building strategies in Illinois to expand Medicaid access for doula and home visiting services, establish an authorizing framework for universal postpartum home visits, and fund capacity building for school districts and community-based programs to improve access and services for young children with disabilities. She also facilitated a community of practice for 150+ state early childhood home visiting advocates to engage in peer-to-peer learning and connection and deepen capacity in federal advocacy for early childhood and maternal-child health services.

Kayla also worked to strengthen two-generational programs and policies at the Connecticut Association of Human Services, where she produced the state’s annual Kids Count report to monitor key trends on child and family well-being and supported a network of early childhood providers to participate in budget advocacy for critical investments in child care funding. Her passion for human-centered policy began in her early work as a legal assistant supporting humanitarian immigration cases in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Kayla received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota. In her free time, Kayla spends time running along Lake Michigan’s lakeshore path and getting messy in her local pottery studio.