It all started with a bit of curiosity and a willingness to dive into the unknown. I signed up for some AI tools course, not really knowing where it would lead me. At first, I was just learning, exploring what these tools could do and how they might fit into my everyday work. Honestly, I had no idea how to apply it all at first.

Then came a moment with my nonprofit and coalition work. We needed a way to help our community see the bigger picture in early childhood education policies — to make decisions that balanced all these different priorities. Each person had their own perspective, and I wanted to create something as objective and inclusive as possible — something that could serve providers, policymakers, and nonprofits all in one place. That’s how the spark for this dashboard was born — like a little “SimCity” for ECE policy, where each decision shows its ripple effects.

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. I had to tweak and refine the idea after chatting with some amazing advocacy folks — Sara Hicks-Kilday, Ericka O. Erickson, Ed.D., M.P.A., and others — who helped me see new angles. I started with a tool like Claude.ai to build the first version and kept iterating until it became this more contextual, meaningful tool.

And now, here it is. A real, working ECE policy simulator that I’m proud to share. It feels like I’ve just opened a door to a new version of myself — the version that’s not just dreaming about solutions, but actually building them.

Here’s to the journey, the learning, and the next steps ahead. Thanks to everyone who nudged me along the way. Let’s keep creating!