Alexandra Aker

Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist

University of Minnesota

What I love most about my role at Kinderberry Hill is the opportunity to support our school leaders, teachers, children, and families! Kinderberry Hill’s Reggio Emilia approach puts the child and the child’s relationships at the center, which is the foundation of infant and early childhood mental health. The most rewarding part of the work is collaborating with teachers and leadership to come up with strategies to best support children and seeing the children and teachers flourish in the early childhood environment.

I began working in early childhood education in high school and have experience working with infants through school age! I have always known I wanted to work with kids and my interest in attachment, behavior as communication, and early childhood development drives my consultation and professional practice. Outside of my role here, I am working towards my master’s at the Institute of Child Development at the University of Minnesota in Applied Child and Adolescent Development with a concentration in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, towards my LPCC licensure. I am also a certified parent coach in Attachment and Biobehavioral Catchup, which is an evidence-based intervention done with families in the home setting.

Outside of work and school, I love spending time with my family and friends. I especially love being outside. My family lives on a river, which is one of my favorite places to be!