Nina is an Early Childhood National Campaign Director and Florida Director at MomsRising/MamásConPoder where she has been organizing moms and families across the nation for over a decade on family economic security issues. Nina has been interviewed in numerous local and national news outlets, including PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and The Guardian. On child care policy, Nina has testified in front of Congress for the Ways and Means Committee as an expert in her field. Nina's career has focused on ending the oppression and exploitation of women and girls. She was previously a Program Manager at Community Family Life Services supporting direct services and leadership with low-income communities in Washington, DC. Nina was also a founding member and Program Coordinator for the Young Women Leaders Program at the University of Central Florida. and lives in Jax, FL with her loving partner, inquisitive child, spunky cats, and books.
Blog Post List
August 30, 2018
It’s been twenty years since the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and at thirty-two I’m ecstatic that J.K Rowling's amazing magical world is still alive and well for our kids with the re-release of all Harry Potter movies this Friday on August 31st (time to pull out my Gryffindor scarf!) and the new Fantastic Beasts movie being released this November . I grew up reading these amazing books and twenty years later I still find myself wishing I lived in the Wizarding World, but now as soon to be mom, it’s less about charms and battling dragons and a lot more about wanting to...
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Sign the thank you card!
August 1, 2018
Thanks to community advocates, educators, and DC families (like YOU!) who submitted their childcare stories, decorated bibs with messages to Councilmembers, sent emails to the Council, and testified in front of the DC Committee on Education – the Birth-to-Three for All DC Act (which incorporates pieces of the BEGIn Act) was passed unanimously by DC Council!!! Celebrate with us by keeping up the momentum for early childhood in DC! As parents, we know positive reinforcement can go a long way! Click here to sign our thank you card and urge the DC Council to continue to remain strong on early...
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June 27, 2018
I had my 20-week ultrasound last week for our first baby and my partner have never been more over the moon...and terrified all at the same time. Nothing could make the fact that we are going to be parents more real than seeing our sweet baby girl sucking her thumb on the screen (I mean could she be any cuter already!?!). But in our rollercoaster of emotions, one reality came up front and center for us quickly - how the heck are we going to afford childcare in our state - where, as is the case with most states, childcare costs are higher than college tuition?!?! For our young family, these...
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January 11, 2018
A first time drop off to childcare or preschool can be rough on kids, parents, caregivers, and educators. Let’s talk about it! Get the latest tips on surviving childcare drop off with early childhood mental health specialist and founder of Stop Parenting Alone , Lina Acosta Sandaal, live on the MomsRising.org Facebook page Tuesday 1/23, 8:30pET/5:30pPT. We’ll be answering questions and sharing resources live, so RSVP here and invite your friends and family to join, too: https://www.facebook.com/events/1812776642128324/
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September 22, 2017
Congratulations to our friends at CommuniKids for the opening of their new free Spanish immersion Pre-k seats the District of Columbia! For more information on this new program, see the full press release below or visit CommuniKids main free pre-k website with information on details on how to apply: http://communikids.com/free-dc-pre-k/ ** For resources on raising multilingual children, check out MomsRising’s parent resource site: http://action.momsrising.org/survey/bilingual_baby/ ----------------- DC Mayor and Council Representatives to attend CommuniKids Preschool’s September 14 Ribbon...
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September 5, 2017
Como hija de inmigrantes cubanos, puedo decir con confianza que pocas cosas me han ayudado más en mi desarrollo profesional y personal que ser bilingüe. La capacidad de hablar inglés y español fortaleció mis lazos familiares porque me permitió hablar con mis abuelos, me ayudó a ser más sociable al traducir para mis compañeros monolingües, me abrió insuperables oportunidades académicas, y me hizo ser significativamente más competitiva en la fuerza laboral desde el primer día. Pero no fue fácil. Nuestra comunidad (incluyendo maestros que tuve en la escuela) le decían a mi madre que no era bueno...
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September 5, 2017
*** Want more information on raising multilingual children? Visit MomsRising's bilingual parenting resource site: http://action.momsrising.org/survey/bilingual_baby/?source=blog As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, I can say with confidence that few things have helped my professional and personal growth more than being bilingual. The ability to speak both English and Spanish strengthened my family ties by allowing me to talk to my grandparents, helped me become more social by acting as a translator for my monolingual peers, opened up unique academic opportunities, and made me significantly...
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Facebook Live Event
July 20, 2017
For many of us, our language is intimately tied to our culture, how we connect with our loved ones, and how we navigate our communities. But what does it mean to parent multilingual kids? Whether you’re trying to navigate the ins and outs of raising a bilingual kid, aren’t sure if you should be speaking more than one language at home, or are just curious about the brain science behind being bilingual - we’ve got you covered! Join MomsRising.org on Wednesday, 7/26 at 8:30pm ET/ 5:30pm PT for a Facebook Live Event with author and bilingual parenting guru Maritere Rodriguez Bellas and early...
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RSVP
April 28, 2017
“Preschool helped all three of my children to sit, listen and learn in kindergarten! They learned about the joy of learning and were hungry for more! These programs helped them in their social skills which is another important part of learning! Because of these programs they are and were not afraid to speak with teachers and professors as they grew! They had the confidence and strength to go after what is important!” ~ Judy Moms are speaking up loud and clear -- affordable, high-quality early learning programs, like preschool and childcare, are critical to overall health and development of...
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January 20, 2017
The Women’s March on Washington and hundreds of sister marches are TOMORROW ! We are excited, fired up, and ready to GO GO GO! Tomorrow , MomsRising will be standing up with our families, children, neighbors, and hundreds of partnering organizations to protect our rights, our safety, our families, and our democracy, and to say NO to hate. Look for our banners! To make sure we’re all ready for the big day, we’ve put together some must-have resources below to make sure marchers (whether you’re marching in-person or cheering on from home) have everything they need: Women’s March on Washington, D...
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Join Us!
January 12, 2017
On January 21, MomsRising is standing in solidarity with our families, children, neighbors, and hundreds of partnering women's organizations at the upcoming historic Women's March on Washington -- to protect our rights, our safety, our families, and our democracy, and to say NO to hate. How about you? Whether you're marching in the district, attending an event in your local hometown, or showing your solidarity online - we want know! Sign up by following this link and we'll keep you updated and send you details on how you can connect with MomsRising virtually during the march.
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Dayton RSVP
October 7, 2016
I’m flying into Dayton on October 19th to join local parents and residents at Dayton City Hall to thank Mayor Nan Whaley and the Dayton City Commissioners for being early learning champions! Can you meet us there and bring your kids, friends, and family? Click here to join me and other MomsRising volunteers on October 19th, 5:45pm at the Dayton City Commissioner's meeting to thank Mayor Nan Whaley and Dayton City Commissioners Matt Joseph, Jeffrey J. Mims, Chris Shaw, and Joey Williams for working to make Dayton a City of Learners! We have a GIANT thank you card for Mayor Nan Whaley and...
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Fun FREE Event!
October 7, 2016
Have your kids or grandkids been trying to sneak into their Halloween costumes early? They aren’t alone! On October 24th at 10am I’ll be dressing up for Halloween early with candy in hand to visit the Burlington Mayor’s Office. Why? To send one strong message: Let’s give Burlington kids the treat of quality, affordable early learning programs like childcare and pre-k! Meet me there with the kids, friends, and maybe even your neighborhood vampire! Together we can show local leaders that early education and care is a priority for Burlington families. Earlier this year, city leaders piloted the...
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October 7, 2016
Cuando era niña, mi papá siempre me dijo que era una niña “café con leche”. Una mezcla de dos culturas distintas que, al unirse, se transforman en su propia y única creación. Parte de esa mezcla especial también incluye el haber aprendido dos idiomas en mis primeros años. Al crecer, aprendí español en casa y aprendí inglés en la escuela. Aunque esto resultó en una vida llena de maravillosas habilidades bilingües (sin mencionar el “espanglés”), también significó que el desarrollo de mi habilidad para leer en inglés se desarrolló a un paso distinto que el de mis compañeros debido a las demandas...
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September 28, 2016
We are getting geared up to deliver a GIANT thank you card to local Dayton, OH leaders for being early learning champions on October 19th! Yes – you heard that right! Mayor Nan Whaley and Dayton City Commissioners Matt Joseph, Jeffrey J. Mims,Chris Shaw, and Joey Williams have been leading the way on the early education of our littlest residents by working to make Dayton a “City of Learners.” Under the leadership of Mayor Nan Whaley, the City of Learners Committee met with almost 450 parents, educators, community leaders, and early childhood specialists in 11 listening sessions to learn what...
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September 27, 2016
My dad always called me a Café con Milk kid when I was growing up. A mixture of two different cultures that, when joined together, turns into it’s own unique creation. Part of that special brew also included being a dual language learner during my earliest years.
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Updated!
July 5, 2016
Whoa. Childcare costs more than college in most states right now. That’s a national emergency in my book. But you can do something to help address this challenge and fix it. You can educate city leaders about how they can strengthen early learning programs, like pre-k and childcare, in your community while making them more affordable! Can you lend a hand in your city? The lack of access to high quality, affordable childcare is a big problem that we can help solve together. How? Well, last week, we released the Strong Start for Strong Cities guide with our partners at the National League of...
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Meet up!
June 2, 2016
Right now, 1 in 4 employed mothers in the United States are back at work just TWO WEEKS after giving birth because they don’t have access to paid family leave. This puts parents in an impossible and unfair bind. But the good news is that paid family leave is being discussed more than ever by major businesses (like Netflix and Facebook), policy makers, and even presidential candidates. So this is a critical time to have this conversation and make an impact! Join MomsRising volunteer and mom, Monica, on Saturday, June 11th in Austin, TX to talk about how together we can move paid family leave...
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April 5, 2016
I know there’s a whole lot of yuck happening in national politics right now, but we have good news! In spite of all the yuck, local leaders are doing GREAT things on early learning across the country. Leaders like Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, who is piloting an evidence-based 4-year universal pre-k program that plans to serve 2,000 children in 100 classrooms by 2018. Best of all, the Seattle Preschool Program will be affordable to local families. And in Texas, Mayor Adler and the City of Austin increased the percentage of children who entered kindergarten “school ready” by 5%, from 49% in 2011 to...
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Childcare & Early Education Family Economic Security Food! Gun Safety Health Care MomsRising Near You Paid Family Leave Politics & Policy
January 6, 2016
It’s the New Year and we've got a new experiment we'd like to do with you (yes, you!). We've had a ton of requests recently to have a way for our members to gather together in-person, offline, in a regular way to talk about important current topics and hang out with other cool, secret superhero moms. Well… we're now ready to give it a go. (In a no pressure way!) What's The Big Idea: Are you interested in signing up to get together regularly with other MomsRising members and friends at a time & location of your choice? We're plotting out starting more local gatherings, Moms MeetUps: Rising...
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