Heidi Hagel Braid is the Chief Program Officer at First Children’s Finance, a nonprofit organization focused on increasing the sustainability and supply of high quality child care businesses. Hagel Braid leads efforts to create, implement and communicate early care and education business strategies that lead to a well-paid workforce, more sustainable and accessible high quality care, and improved outcomes for children. She specializes in increasing states’ capacity to address early care and education business needs and opportunities for alignment of resources.
Hagel Braid joined First Children’s Finance as the Regional Director, Minnesota and the Dakotas, in 2012, bringing over 15 years of nonprofit experience and a strong history working on the behalf of children and families. In 2013, Heidi launched the Rural Child Care Innovation Program, an innovative effort linking rural economic development and child care. She has also led the development of national child care business analysis tools that assess the financial operations of family child care businesses.
