Kate Steed Hoffman

Kate Steed Hoffman, M.Ed. is committed to developing policies and practices that support the creation of safe, resilience-promoting, and equitable spaces in early care and education for young children, families, educators, and communities. This dedication has been shaped by her lived experiences working with children in emergency settings in South East Asia; directing an afterschool program in Boston; earning her teaching license and completing coursework in child development, and serving as a lead preschool classroom teacher at a charter elementary school in Washington, D.C.

Before joining Peggy and the Lift Each Other Up team, Kate completed her BA in Social Studies with a focus in Human Rights and International Development in South East Asia from Harvard College (’17) and her MA in International Education Policy Analysis at the Stanford Graduate School of Education ('20). In fulfillment of both of her degrees, Kate conducted original field research centered around qualitative methods and in-depth interviewing. As an undergraduate, she studied women’s political participation in Myanmar and for her master’s thesis, Kate then explored how early childhood educators across diverse settings in California understand physical and emotional safety with respect to their students and themselves. In addition to her academic research experience, Kate has completed several internships and consulting projects in the education policy field, including for San Francisco Unified School District, and has served as a policy team member for both a congressional (2018) and presidential (2020) campaign.
As Kate reflects on all of her international and domestic experiences, as different as they may seem -- developing human rights curriculum in rural Myanmar, singing the ABCs in a classroom, or drafting policy memos for a political campaign-- what she feels unites them all is her belief that education is the most fundamental human right. She deeply recognizes how education can be empowering and when carried out in a compassionate, caring, and responsible way can positively change the trajectory of individuals' and families’ lives forever. In particular, Kate views early care and education as the most powerful tool for eliminating systemic disparities and achieving meaningful change.
In her free time, Kate enjoys watching British mystery tv shows, traveling abroad, and listening to spoken word poetry.

After April 2021, Kate will no longer be a full-time team member at Lift Each Other Up, yet she will continue in her new capacity to remain a passionate advocate for early care and education throughout the U.S. and around the world.