Linda Kraft, the Director of Hand-in-Hand Learning Land, has over twenty years of experience working with young children and their families. She is the recipient of the Kohl McCormick Early Education Teaching Award in 2004 and is an active member the Kohl McCormick Outstanding Educators Academy.
Additionally, Linda is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and its local chapters, and holds active membership in the National Association of Family Child Care. She has taught and mentored other professionals and new providers in the early childhood field by teaching classes at Jane Adams Hull House in Chicago, Children’s Home and Aid in Arlington Heights, and at Truman College. Currently, she is a mentor for Kohl Children's Museum Early Childhood Connections (ECC) program. She mentors teachers on using Project Based Learning in their schools and classrooms.
Linda earned a B.A. degree in Family Studies from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Her continuing college education has included early childhood classes at Loyola University Chicago, National-Louis University, and Oakton Community College. In addition to college class work, Linda has completed many professional development workshops taught by Bev Bos, Lillian Katz, Judy Harris Helms, Sylvia Chard, all international renown educators on play-based learning and project approach based learning.
Linda and her staff have recently been
awarded Accreditation with National Association for Family Child Care
(NAFCC). The program has also received a three star rating in the
Quality Counts Program, one of the highest ratings a program can earn.
