Meet the Blogging Team




CynDee Zandes


C4K is grateful to have CynDee's expertise, leadership and support. She frequently lends her time to the development of new products, her voice to meetings and discussions and occasionally, lunch. Read more about her below. 

I am blessed to have had a wide variety of experiences which have brought me to this time and place in my life. I began teaching when I was 20 years old. My first classroom was 3rd grade at Jefferson Elementary School in Bakersfield City School District. After two years at Jefferson I was hired by Greenfield School District where I spend the remainder of my 39 year career as a teacher, Visual and Performing Arts Resource, Program Coordinator, Principal, and finally the Director of the Foundation for SUCCESS Afterschool Program. During my final years in Greenfield I also worked with an AmeriCorps program, Community Policing Projects, and a demonstration program in Elementary Counseling. I had the opportunity to share information at Yale University School of the 21st Century Summer Institute and the national 21st Century Community learning center conference in Washington D.C. I also served as an Afterschool Ambassador with the Afterschool Alliance.

I retired in 2005 and began consulting across California, working with afterschool programs in all of California's eleven regions. I was able to work with key afterschool thought leaders and did my doctoral dissertation on the future of afterschool programs in the United States. I enjoyed training, writing, coaching, facilitating, and providing support to many afterschool professionals doing great work with kids.

Currently in my professional life I have two hats: Chief Program Officer for THINK Together and a Senior Consultant for Consult 4 Kids. I have been privileged to provide pro-bono support to C4K, recording lessons and classes, proofing Program Made E-Z Lesson Plans, writing narratives and being a utility player. I believe C4K has created a staff development system that is second to none. Currently I am writing this blog and have found it most rewarding. 

Personally I have three adult sons, three wonderful daughters-in-law, and two terrific grandsons. I have been to all 50 states, visited China, most of Canada, Mexico, and have been to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Estonia and Russia. (I suppose I could say that I've been to England but I never left the airport, so I don't think it really counts). I am looking forward to visiting more of Europe, Australia and New Zealand. I enjoy reading and listening to books on tape (probably have listened to well over 1,500 of them). I enjoy being active and have no plans to slow down. Well, maybe just a little.