Amy Schaltegger Escoto
Collaborative on Global Children's Issues
Amy Schaltegger Escoto serves as director of reintegration programs at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), where she leads cross-border child protection initiatives and family-centered reintegration programming for children affected by migration and separation. She is also a 2026 global fellow at the Georgetown University Collaborative on Global Children’s Issues. With nearly 30 years of professional experience in child welfare and children’s issues—primarily in Honduras—she brings a grounded optimism to building and leading practical, effective programs that strengthen families and create safer, brighter futures for children.
- Leads the development and oversight of international reintegration programs supporting unaccompanied children and their caregivers.
- Grounds her work with trauma-informed, rights-based approaches to permanency planning that put each child’s interests and safety first.
- Led the transformation of a residential care organization to center trauma-informed whole-child development, healthy organizational culture, long-term planning, and meaningful community and educational integration.
- Partners with government agencies, civil society organizations, and community actors to advocate for and provide services to vulnerable children and families in low-resource environments.
- Brings significant experience engaging, supporting, and structuring roles and training for local and international volunteers serving in both short- and long-term capacities.
- Holds a Master of Social Work from the University of New Hampshire and a bachelor’s degree in sociology with minors in Spanish and Latin American studies from Saint Anselm College.