Allison Muhlendorf brings two decades of experience in early childhood policy to Longleaf Strategies. Since joining Longleaf Strategies in 2023, Allison has supported top thought leaders, including NAEYC, NIEER, ZERO TO THREE, and Project Say Something with audience engagement strategies. She has also led child care policy research initiatives for NAEYC, Advocacy & Communications Solutions, the City of Birmingham, and the East Alabama Early Care Education Workforce Alliance.

 

As Executive Director of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance from 2012 to 2023, Allison led the advocacy campaign that helped grow state investments in Alabama’s First Class Pre-K program from $19 million to $182 million. As a result, the percentage of children enrolled has grown from six percent to nearly half of Alabama’s four-year-olds. Allison was also instrumental in securing Alabama’s first state investment in child care. Allison has advanced policy initiatives to support early education at the national level and across several states in roles with The Pew Charitable Trusts, Pre-K Now, the Oregon State Senate, Children’s Institute, and Longleaf Strategies. Allison began her career as a preschool teacher.