Frances M. Carlson is a former early childhood education program administrator. For over 20 years, she worked in this role at a variety of agencies, companies, and institutions, including the US Department of the Army, the Internal Revenue Service, Wachovia (succeeded by Wells Fargo), Sheltering Arms, Turner Broadcasting System (via Bright Horizons Family Solutions), and Chattahoochee Technical College. She successfully led four programs through the NAEYC Early Learning Program Quality Assessment and Accreditation process.

In 2002, she began teaching early childhood care and education to students pursuing associate degrees at Chattahoochee Technical College. In that position, Frances also successfully led the college's associate degree program through the NAEYC Higher Education Accreditation process, making it the first accredited associate degree program in Georgia. After teaching adults for 14 years, she returned to administration as associate dean of professional services and design, a role she held until her retirement in January 2024.

In addition to the first edition of this book (NAEYC, 2011), Frances authored the book Essential Touch: Meeting the Needs of Young Children (NAEYC, 2006) as well as numerous articles in a variety of early childhood education publications, including Child Care Bridges, Exchange Press, Interaction, Teaching Young Children, and Young Children.She also directed and produced two videos,Expect Male Involvement: Recruiting and Retaining Men in Early Childhood Education (Chattahoochee Technical College, 2009) and An Afternoon with the Experts: Dan Gartrell on Guidance (Chattahoochee Technical College, 2014).

She has presented keynotes, trainings, and sessions across the country and the world, including at association conferences hosted by NAEYC, the Professional Development Institute, the Southern Early Childhood Association, and the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children.

Frances loves to spend time with her family, and she especially loves to camp, hike, paddle, bake, garden, and listen to her vinyl collection with her husband, Clay, and their 14-year-old Norwegian elkhound, Freya. Frances and Clay have three adult children, twin sons Adam and Sam and daughter Catherine (Caty); a daughter-in-love, Morgan; a son-in-love, Daniel; and one truly grand grandson, Lucas.

For more, visit her website at www.bigbodyplay.com.