Bosses for Babies

How This Boss Makes an Impact for Children in Florida

Isabel and the University of Miami are committed to facilitating a healthy work-life balance, which boosts employee morale, loyalty, and overall well-being. In that spirit, it is the policy of the UM Linda Ray Intervention Center to allow the children and grandchildren of center staff to participate in and utilize the center’s early learning programs at no cost to the employee. This practice not only helps ease the stress and challenge of finding a child care center to enroll their children in, but also promotes support and inclusion through interaction with the center’s diverse group of learners. By supporting families in this way, they believe they can create a more compassionate, flexible, and family-friendly workplace that values the diverse needs of their staff. 
 

Bio

Isabel S. Chica is the Executive Director of the University of Miami’s (UM) Linda Ray Intervention Center, a leading research facility and flagship program of the UM Department of Psychology. In 2021, Ms. Chica joined the center with the vision of expanding programs for children with diverse abilities, those prenatally exposed to drugs, and victims of abuse and neglect, including those who are homeless and part of the child welfare system. With twenty-five years of experience in the early childhood field, she brings a family-centered approach to early learning that recognizes education doesn’t happen in isolation — it is influenced by the environment in which a child learns and grows, including their family, home life, and community. Ms. Chica holds a master’s degree in education and is pursuing her Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning Special Education at the University of Miami.