Diane Toups Goyette

As owner of Early Childhood Specialties (ECS), Diane helps early childhood educators thrive by providing conference keynotes & breakout sessions, child care training & consulting, and children's presentation & products. Our exclusive "eepworm" books and toys provide comfort to young children, especially those with mental health special needs including autism (ASD), ADHD and sensory processing disorder (SPD). 

As a child development specialist and the parent of a child with mental health special needs, she is especially passionate about social-emotional development. Diane shares the knowledge and skills that she wishes she had known to support her own child when she was young. As a supporter of early childhood education, Diane and her husband Henry dedicated $5 million dollars to the LSU Early Childhood Education Institute to fund needed research projects in the birth-3 realm. 

The Goyettes’ gift, blended over time to provide immediate support and long-term support through their estate plans, will establish the Diane Toups Goyette Research & Engagement Fund in Early Childhood Education, the Diane Toups Goyette Professorship in Early Childhood Development, and the Diane Toups Goyette Graduate Student Scholarship.

“The Goyettes’ pace-setting generosity is exactly the type of collaborative partnership we envisioned in launching the LSU Early Childhood Education Institute last year,” said Roland Mitchell, Dean of the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education. “As an alumna and an expert in early childhood education, Diane recognizes the importance of investing in Louisiana’s children and in the teachers who commit their careers to changing lives through education. Her confidence in the ECE Institute affirms the importance of our impact in this crucial aspect of shaping Louisiana’s future.”

The purpose of the Goyette Fund is to increase understanding and dissemination of evidence-based strategies that enhance early childhood social-emotional development. It will include funding for, among other initiatives, research programs, community outreach and engagement to advance the research-to-practice pipeline, as well as support for faculty and students to participate in professional development opportunities as both attendees and subject matter experts.

Diane Goyette is the founder and owner of Early Childhood Specialties, which provides teacher training, as well as tools and toys that build teaching and caregiving skills, expand knowledge of child development and early childhood education, and boost emotional intelligence and social skills of both adults and children.

“My mission through Early Childhood Specialties to support young children, their teachers, and their families coincides with the work and mission of the LSU Early Childhood Education Institute,” Diane said. “It was serendipitous timing that Henry and I were looking for ways to support LSU just after the launching of the institute. Making a financial contribution to the institute is the perfect complement to my professional efforts to further the field of early childhood education, as it will help to ensure that Louisiana’s youngest children have a strong foundation for their future development. Their healthy start in life is vital to the future of our communities!”