Champion Profile: Karen Hill-Scott, Child Development Expert

Champion Profile features individuals who exemplify First 5 LA's tagline: "Champions for Our Children."

Karen Hill-Scott is a nationally-recognized child development expert who specializes in early education and children's TV programming. She heads a consulting firm, is co-founder of Crystal Stairs, Inc., and a former professor at UCLA.

Hill-Scott led First 5 LA's year-long effort to develop a 10-year master plan for universal preschool, which is expected to be a national model for early education.

Hill-Scott has produced 1,000 episodes of commercial and educational TV programming for children, including many award-winning shows. She has served a several non-profit boards, and was co-chair of the State of California Universal Preschool Task Force.

Hill-Scott earned her EdD at UCLA.

What book has influenced your life the most?
The Bible.

What makes you happy?
Knowing my children can take care of themselves.

What makes you angry?
The triplets of ego, arrogance, and narcissism.

What kind of music/art moves you and why?
R&B slow jams, to remind me of the passion of falling in love.

Which historical figure do you admire most and why?
Frederick Douglass, for putting his freedom on the line in the defense of abolition and suffrage.

Which living person do you most admire and why?
Oprah Winfrey, for becoming the amazing personification of dreams fulfilled.

What is your motto?
Do the best you can with what you've got.