Cortaiga Collins is the founder and Executive Director of Good Shepherd Early Learning Center, located in North St. Louis, Missouri. Cortaiga earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, a Bachelor of Science in Child Development with a teaching certificate from Central Methodist University, and an MBA in Business Administration and Management from Webster University—all while raising her children. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Missouri–Columbia.

Her own experiences with low-quality childcare facilities and providers fueled her academic and entrepreneurial passion for early childhood education. In 2009, she opened the doors of Good Shepherd and grew the business into a million-dollar enterprise. In 2014, she expanded her mission with the launch of the Foundation for Strengthening Families, a nonprofit organization designed to support families and caregivers beyond the classroom.

In 2023, she launched the Show Me Family Zone, a five-block development designed to empower families through education, resources, and economic development. The initiative includes the region’s first all-male preschool, created to meet the unique academic and social needs of young boys living in poverty. Cortaiga continues to address early childhood education holistically—both inside and outside of the classroom—with a particular focus on the historically disinvested communities of Wells-Goodfellow, West End, and Hamilton Heights.

Cortaiga also serves as the senior pastor of Good Shepherd Community Outreach Church, a non-denominational, culturally diverse congregation in St. Louis. She and her husband live in west St. Louis County and are proud parents of five children—four sons and one daughter.