Dr. Patty Merk, Ph.D. develops and manages early childhood development programs in Maricopa County. She is the creator and administrator of the University of Arizona-Roosevelt Early Childhood Family Resource Center in South Phoenix offering a rich parent-child interactive environment, parent education and a community of support for parents with young children. Other programs include Brain Builders for Life, 16 hours of professional development for early childhood professionals m Training. Dr. Merk also provides early childhood teacher education in STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math through nature exploration.