Meet the Team
Erin Arango-Escalante, Founder & Principal
After 20 years leading local, state, and national cross-sector early childhood systems, Erin Arango-Escalante started All Children Thrive. Erin’s dream is for all communities to offer children and their families the services and supports they need to be connected, safe, and healthy; economically secure; and equipped for lifelong learning and success. At the core of All Children Thrive, and in her work as a 2022 Ascend Fellow at the Aspen Institute, Erin co-designs state level early childhood systems with a focus on children, families, and the workforce in collaboration with policymakers, funders, advocates, and community leaders.
Erin advises and guides senior leaders at the Illinois Department of Early Childhood, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, Wisconsin Philanthropy Network, Forward Arkansas, Invest Early NC, and multiple state-level initiatives funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Pritzker Children’s Initiative, W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Heising-Simons Foundation.
Previously, Erin was an appointee at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) overseeing childhood policies, systems, funding, and supports. In her role, Erin was responsible for leading all aspects of the child care system as well as related programs and initiatives.
Prior to joining DCF, Erin focused on developing, implementing, and overseeing programs for culturally and linguistically diverse children, families, educators, and leaders. Erin was a senior leader at WIDA, a national education consortium of 41 states and territories focused on multilingual learners. She oversaw early childhood special education for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, was an Executive Director for early childhood programs in Wisconsin and New York, and was an educator for children, students, and adults in various settings.
Erin is married, has two children, lives on a hobby farm, and is involved in the Latino and Veteran communities. In centering her dream for communities to offer families the supports they need to be connected, safe, and healthy, Erin and her family provide the community access to their animals and land with a focus on multigenerational, nature-based programming for children and families.