Education

Ph.D. Special Education, University of South Carolina

M.Ed. Special Education, University of Texas at Austin

B.S. Special Education, Winthrop University

Expertise

Early childhood special education, professional development in early care and education settings

Biography

Heather Smith Googe is a Research Associate at the Yvonne & Schuyler Moore Child Development Research Center at the University of South Carolina and the Director for the South Carolina Child Care Inclusion Collaborative. She has over 15 years of experience in the field of early childhood special education and holds a Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of South Carolina.  Googe has experience as an early interventionist working with infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families, as a preschool teacher in an inclusive preschool, and as a trainer and technical assistance provider supporting child care providers to increase their use of inclusive practices. She has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in early childhood special education, early childhood education, and assessment. Her research and professional interests include professional development to support inclusive practices among early childhood teachers, developmental screening practices of early childhood teachers, and the development and implementation of cross sector professional development systems in early childhood.

Selected publications

Brown, W. H., Googe, H. S., McIver, K. L., & Rathel, J. M. (2009). Effects of teacher-encouraged physical activity on preschool playgrounds. Journal of Early Intervention, 31(2), 126-145.

Brown, W. H., Knopf, H., Conroy, M. A., Googe, H. S., & Greer, F. (2013). Preschool inclusion and response to intervention (RTI) for children with disabilities. In V. Buysse & E. Peisner-Feinberg. Handbook of response to intervention (RTI) in early childhood. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.

Greer, F., Googe, H. S., Brown, W. H. (2007). Analysis of individual child assessment for a sample of children who are receiving child development education pilot program (CDEPP) services. Retrieved from the South Carolina Education Oversight Committee website.

Selected presentations

Googe, H. S., & Brown, W. H. (2008, March). The Effects of Teacher-Implemented Activities on the Physical Activity Levels of Preschoolers. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Childhood Education International, Atlanta, GA.

Googe, H. S., Brown, W. H., D’Amico, L., & Rao, V. (2012, November). Preparing early childhood educators by enhancing pre-service curriculum in early childhood special education. Presented at the Annual Conference and Expo of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Atlanta, GA.

Googe, H. S., Knopf, H. T. Grace-Williams, M. (2014, February). Preparing Child Care Providers to Conduct Valid and Reliable Developmental Screening. Poster Session presented at Ninth Biennial Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention (CRIEI), San Diego, California.

Knopf, H. T., Googe, H. S., & Brown, W. H. (2008, February). Statewide Technical Assistance: Establishing and Nurturing a Community of Practice. Poster Session presented at Sixth Biennial Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention (CRIEI), San Diego, California.

Knopf, H. T., Googe, H. S., & Rao, V. (2014, July). Ongoing partnerships of child care providers and guardians to identify children at-risk for developmental delay. Poster Session presented at Head Start’s 12^th National Research Conference on Early Childhood.

Rao, V., Knopf, H. T., Googe, H. S., & Brown, W. H. (2014, February) Are multiple scales in CLASS© delivering the same information? Poster Session presented at Ninth Biennial Conference on Research Innovations in Early Intervention (CRIEI), San Diego, California.

Selected awards

2014: Master Certified Trainer-SC Center for Child Care Career Development

2011: Program for Future Faculty Credential

2006-2010: United States Department of Education-Office of Special Education Doctoral Leadership Trainee