Early Education Work
Dr. Gonzalez has spent over 25 years working in early childhood education.
2001-2010
Daniel began his journey at Newton North High School in Newton, MA. He was accidently given a child development course and remained in the child studies program for two years, being the first male to successfully complete the program. He worked as an assistant teacher for Plowshares Childcare while working towards his associate degree in early childhood education and bachelor degree in human development. In 2007, he began working as a toddler teacher at Bright Horizons, moving to TSC Childcare in Cambridge, MA as an toddler teacher.
2010-2012
Daniel spent two years in Wilmington, NC where he took on the roles of toddler teacher and lead pre-k teacher. His experiences working in North Carolina, which as drastically different licensing requirements would go on to define how he approached early education going forward.
2012-2019
Daniel returned from North Carolina to Massachusetts to continue his education, receiving his master's degree in educational studies, a certificate in organizational leadership, and his doctorate in curriculum, teaching, learning, and leadership. You can read his dissertation here. He worked as an administrator for Bright Horizons and KinderCare, gaining critical administration skills during his time.
2020-2023
In 2020, Daniel began to work for Dean College as an adjunct professor of early childhood education while also serving on the MAAEYC board. He moved over to Quincy College as the program coordinator of early childhood education, re-writing and updating every early education course in two years to match current standards in early education and care. In 2022, Dr. Gonzalez presented at the NAEYC Annual Conference in Washington, DC. In 2022, Daniel started the first Quincy College Week of the Young Child summit with both Quincy High School early education programs, providing 40 high school students the opportunity to learn from partner programs and explore a career in early education and care.
2024-Present
Presently, Daniel works at Neighborhood Villages, an early education think tank in Boston, MA. His work load includes contracts with MA DESE's Playful Learning Institute, Boston Public Schools, as well as general coaching and developing professional development for both early education and K-12 schools. He received an infant mental health endorsement from MA-AIMH in 2024 and was selected to pilot MA EEC's new Mentoring Training, alongside Holyoke Community College, in 2025. He wrote all of the brain development posters on how play connects with development for Neighborhood Villages' conference "Playtopia."
