Team of Experts

Jerilyn Cole Burke, Educator and Early Childhood Advisor

Jerilyn Cole Burke is an early childhood educator, writer, and advisor with more than two decades of experience working with children, families, and educators. Having lived and worked internationally, Jerilyn brings a broad perspective on learning and deep respect for the role of language and communication in human development and connection. She regularly advises educational organizations, facilitates teacher-trainings, webinars, and workshops, and writes for professional and family audiences. Jerilyn is completing a Masters of Education in Mental Health Counseling, adding a nuanced understanding of emotional development and the relational foundations of learning to her work.

OOPA’s World of Words offers a calm, engaging approach to language learning that grows out of curiosity, movement, story, and conversation, rather than pressure or performance.

OOPA understands that words are not just learned, but lived, and it creates space for children to build language through connection, embodiment, and joy. At the same time, it models for educators and families what meaningful early learning can look and feel like.

Eric Friedman, Education Consultant

Eric is an education innovator and consultant in Washington, DC. He previously led the Digital Learning and Education Operations & Outreach teams at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, overseeing the production of arts-based lesson plans, multimedia content, and activities for educators as well as learning guides that accompanied all performances for young audiences. Eric designed and launched the center’s first augmented reality app featuring Mo Willems’ infamous Pigeon, managed the center’s online professional development course development process, was responsible for media production services, and supervised operations and outreach for the entire Education division. Prior to relocating to DC, Eric was the Executive Director of the Office of Distance Education at Boston University. His career includes an emphasis on working with neuro-diverse populations and spans 30 years during which he has worked within a wide variety of classroom and administrative settings in education, technology, and the arts. Eric has presented at numerous conferences (including ISTE, ASCD, NSTA, the Online Learning Consortium, and NAEYC), is a certified special education teacher, and has taught and been an administrator in several charter schools, focusing on technology, special education, and support services.

OOPA and the NaliniKIDS team have the potential to change the world in much the same way that Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood did in its day.

Each episode of OOPA’s World of Words is a gift, like being tucked into bed under the coziest and softest of blankets, that envelops us in warmth and love and the delight of imagination and discovery. Each featured guest and theme is ordinary and extraordinary in all the right ways, allowing us to relate and connect comfortably while also being inspired to expand ourselves in new directions.

JoDee Scissors, Founder & CEO, PaperPlanes ED

JoDee Scissors is an education print and media producer advancing high-quality, arts-based learning in K–12 classrooms. After a successful career in the classroom, JoDee shifted to producing content for organizations such as the Kennedy Center, S’Cool Sounds, and the Preservation Hall Foundation. She collaborates with globally recognized artists, Grammy-winning and nominated musicians—such as Craig Klein, Weedie Braimah, Kyle Roussel, and Roderick Paulin—and educators to bring authentic creative practices to life through story, art, and human connection. Her work spans a widely loved Jazz Funeral media series, a playful Latin rhythms puppetry unit, and curriculum adaptations of the Cannes-winning film Rise Up and Fight and the documentary A Tuba to Cuba. JoDee holds a Masters of Education in Instructional Technology and frequently volunteers in schools, producing musicals, leading community arts projects, and teaching photography to stay deeply connected to the heart of education.

"OOPA’s World of Words is more than a learning experience, it is a place to belong.

OOPA’s radiant voice feels like sunlight entering a quiet room, immediately inviting trust, joy, and curiosity. Learners are not just welcomed, they are seen. Through words and playful movement, OOPA shows how powerful learning often begins with the smallest acts—breathing, connecting, moving, wondering. As these moments unfold, learners begin to recognize how their own internal metronomes shape the way they understand the world. This kind of programming lives beyond the screen: it is embodied, emotional, and shared, creating lasting impact rather than fleeting engagement."