Cara Ciminillo

Cara Ciminillo is the executive director at Trying Together (formerly the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children), the voice for early childhood in southwest Pennsylvania.  Cara works to ensure early care and education providers are their best for our youngest and that the system providers operate through supports their ability to focus on what matters to children’s optimal development—meaningful relationships, creativity, discovery and play.

Cara’s had a lifelong interest in bringing diverse individuals around a common goal. As a founding partner of the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative, Cara has helped to establish an avenue where various stakeholders work together to ensure play is valued as a critical element in the lives of all people at all ages.  Prior to her tenure at Trying Together, Cara was the project director for an evaluation and assessment collaborative at the University of Pittsburgh.  Cara also spent thirteen years directing an international service program in native communities in Australia, the Caribbean and North America.

Cara is a member of the Remake Learning Council.