Dr. Wendy Grove is the director of the Office of Early Learning and School Readiness at the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, where she helps develop and implement policies for preschool special education and early childhood education. She oversees a team who is responsible for licensing Ohio’s public preschool programs and other early childhood special education programs. Wendy is dedicated to strengthening the systems that support Ohio’s youngest citizens. She works closely with colleagues across state government, advocates, and associations whose programs benefit early learners. As an advocate for young children, she works to increase knowledge about the importance of early experiences for all children. Recent work includes overseeing the creation and adoption of Ohio’s kindergarten to grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning standards and resources to support implementation and stakeholder engagement efforts to improve the educational experiences and outcomes for Ohio students with disabilities. Daily efforts include creating resources for early childhood professionals, working to align Ohio’s mixed-delivery early care and education system, and ensuring the ethical and responsible use of data for informing policy.
Wendy earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from Gonzaga University, a master of sociology from Portland State University, and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Akron. Before coming to the Department in 2014, Wendy spent eight years overseeing Ohio’s Help Me Grow Home Visiting, Early Hearing and Detection Intervention, and Early Intervention programs. She also has experience teaching students of all ages as a preschool teacher, tutor to middle school students and professor for undergraduate and medical students.
