Casey Peeks is the senior director of Early Childhood Policy at American Progress. Prior to joining American Progress, Peeks was the director of federal policy and policy advisor at the Children’s Defense Fund. She previously served as a professional staff member focused on early childhood and child welfare for the House Committee on Education and Labor under Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), where she drafted legislation related to affordable child care and universal preschool. She also served as a federal policy analyst at Child Care Aware of America and as an education policy fellow on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions under Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).
Before working in policy, Peeks taught kindergarten for four years, first as a Teach for America corps member in St. Louis and later in her hometown of Oakland, California. Peeks holds a master’s degree in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she was awarded a Saul Zaentz Fellowship in early education. She received her bachelor’s degree in communication and political science from the University of Pennsylvania.