Every child has a story. My work is to listen to it first.
I’m Karla Proaño, a bilingual early childhood development specialist and educator with a background in educational neuropsychology. For more than 20 years, in Ecuador and the United States, I’ve worked alongside children, families and teachers to understand how young children play, connect and learn.
Connection before cognition.
Children learn best from adults who make them feel safe, seen and understood. That belief guides everything I do, from coaching families to creating the REPAL™ Framework.
MY JOURNEY
From Ecuador to New Jersey
My path began in Ecuador, working with children, families, and teachers — and seeing again and again how much a child changes when the adults around them feel confident and connected. Today I live in Maywood, New Jersey, where I supervise a DIRFloortime® clinical center and support families as a child development specialist in early intervention.
Over the years, I kept meeting the same worried parents: a child who isn’t talking yet, a comment from someone about autism, a family afraid to ask for help. Many of those children didn’t need a label first: they needed adults who understood them, connected with them, and followed their interests.
That is why I created Proaño Development and the REPAL™ Framework: to offer families and educators clear, warm, bilingual guidance grounded in how young brains actually grow.
MY PHILOSOPHY
Connection before cognition
Connection comes first
Children learn best from adults who make them feel safe, seen, and understood.
Play creates possibilities
Play is how young children think, practice, and grow, so it’s where our work happens.
Science informs practice
Neuroscience and developmental research guide every activity and recommendation.
Know before you label
Not every difference is a diagnosis. Understanding the child always comes first.
Education & credentials
- Ed.D. candidate, Educational Technology Leadership — Kean University (expected 2027)
- Master of Science (M.Ed.), Educational Neuropsychology
- Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Early Childhood Education
- DIRFloortime® Clinical Supervisor
- IMH-E® Infant Mental Health Endorsement
- CDA Professional Development Specialist
- Member, Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education
Current roles
- Clinical Center Supervisor — DIRFloortime® center, New Jersey
- Child Development Specialist — early intervention, New Jersey
- Founder — Proaño Development & the REPAL™ Framework
- Author — From Connection to Cognition and the Luna children’s book collection (in progress)
- Author — My Magic Guide to Conflict Resolution for Children, Mi Guía Mágica De Resolución De Conflictos Para Niños