Nancy Jost

As the Director of Early Childhood at West Central Initiative for the past 17 years, Nancy Jost is a champion for advocating the best possible start for children toward a healthy life of learning, achieving, and succeeding. Through those Early Childhood Initiative efforts, Nancy helps lead 10 advocates, one from each county of West Central Initiative’s service area and the White Earth Nation. She leads regional and statewide advocacy efforts, including supervision of the Early Childhood Dental Network and the Early Childhood Mental Health Network. When the legislature is in session, Nancy testifies behalf of the state’s early childhood education and child care efforts. Nancy has a sociology degree and licensure in Parent/Child Education and has been a licensed family child care provider and a child care center teacher, worked in early childhood special education, early childhood family education, school readiness and Child Care Aware. For more than 40 years, this has been her work, her life, and her passion. She has been active on many early childhood boards, committees, and regional and state work groups. She was appointed by former Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to be the Chairperson for his Early Learning Council. Nancy is married with two children and eight grandchildren. She is an avid reader of novels and anything to do with early childhood, brain development, and equity. She loves to bake, garden, and hunt for treasures at garage sales and thrift stores.