Early Childhood Education

Starting this fall, students at Anne Arundel Community College interested in early childhood education will be able to get an associate's degree that will qualify them for jobs in the child care field.The Maryland Higher Education Commission has approved the 60-credit career program, college officials said."The idea is to get the students to know the stages of child development, both physically and emotionally," said Rosemary Wolfe, chairwoman of the college's education department.After their course work is completed, students will receive an associate's degree in early childhood education that will qualify them for jobs such as director of a child care center, junior teacher in prekindergarten classes, preschool teacher and instructional aide in nursery, kindergarten or at the elementary level.

Before Lauren Preston opened the cover of the book "Spring" to read to her pre-kindergarten class at Mary Ann Winterling Elementary School, her students excitedly told her why, and showed her how, the season was underway. Daffodils - not just "yellow flowers" - were appearing from beneath the soil, they said. Hyacinths were blooming, they demonstrated with the slow unfolding of their tiny fists. And butterflies were emerging, the students showed by flapping their curled arms. In pre-K classrooms around Baltimore's school system, subtle changes like interactive reading are having a substantial effect in helping prepare 4-year-olds for elementary school - addressing an achievement gap that city schools have faced for years.

Phyllis Teather-Burke, a longtime Baltimore County public school educator whose specialty was early-childhood education, died Wednesday of cancer at her Glen Arm home. She was 77. "She was an outstanding educator who had a deep commitment to children," said former state Superintendent Nancy L. Grasmick, who retired in 2011. "She was a highly respected and an amazing educator. " The daughter of a businessman and an educator, the former Phyllis Burke was born in Valhalla, N.Y., and settled with her family in Reisterstown in 1942.

Scientists have long known that the human mind develops most rapidly during the first five years of life, a point President Barack Obama underscored in his State of the Union address when he urged states to provide universal access to high-quality pre-kindergarten programs. Investment in early childhood education is an investment in the nation's future, and Maryland is well-positioned to heed the president's call. Children who attend high-quality, public pre-K arrive at school better equipped with the cognitive and social skills needed for learning, and there is a large body of evidence suggesting that they retain that advantage throughout their school careers and beyond.

Judith Elaine Hoyer, a Prince George's County school official and wife of Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, died of cancer yesterday morning at her home in Mechanicsville, St. Mary's County. She was 57.Mrs. Hoyer was coordinating supervisor of early childhood education for the public schools in Prince George's, whose former county executive, Gov. Parris N. Glendening, issued a written statement remembering her efforts."We are, of course, well aware of the many contributions ofCongressman Hoyer to this State," Mr. Glendening said of the 5th District Democrat.

Wallace Hamilton Kuralt, 86, retired social worker and father of TV newsman Charles Kuralt, died Thursday of cancer and respiratory failure in Elizabeth City, N.C. The Outer Banks resident was a strong advocate of early childhood education, and he instituted family planning services long before such programs won national acceptance.

Arnold teacher named as TSU department chairJoan Hildebrand of Arnold has been appointed chairwoman of Towson State University's early childhood education department for 1993-1994.Dr. Hildebrand, an assistant professor of early childhood education, has served as the department's interim chairwoman since September.She earned her bachelor's degree from Shippensburg State College in Pennsylvania, and her master's and doctorate in education from the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Hildebrand joined the Towson faculty in 1989.

THE MARYLAND STATE Board of Education recently announced that it will seek to institute all-day kindergarten statewide. Though this worthwhile initiative will provide an important boost for many children and families, we should, at the same time, seize an even greater opportunity to help children succeed in school. Because of the recent convergence of two fields of research, we now know that one of the greatest influences on educational achievement is the quality of a child's experiences from birth to age 5, before he or she enters school.

President-elect Barack Obama's pledge last week to spend $10 billion on early childhood education could have a huge impact on schools in Baltimore. A new infusion of federal education dollars, the largest since the Head Start program was established in 1965, could allow the city to significantly expand its prekindergarten and Head Start programs and make a huge difference in the lives of city schoolchildren. At present, only about 4,200 of the city's 6,500 4-year-olds are enrolled in pre-K programs, where eligibility is determined by family income.

CCC appoints faculty memberCarroll Community College recently announced the appointment of Gwen Myers to the faculty. She will teach courses in growth and development in early childhood education and general psychology and human development.A native of Lottie, Ala., she received a bachelor's degree in child development and a master's degree in early childhood education from Auburn University. She earned her doctorate at the University of Texas.She lives in Catonsville with her husband, Scott, and two children, Nicholas, 9, and Olivia, 6.Teachers honored for drug abuse classSome 115 public school teachers, counselors and health assistants participated in Carroll Community College's 30-hour training program at the Institute for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Education over the summer.

Two Baltimore city lawmakers have proposed legislation that would draw funding from the state's lottery revenue to support expanding early childhood education programs. The legislation would create a program called "Race to the Tots," -- named after the federal "Race to the Top" program- - and allow local districts to compete for grants that would "stimulate innovation for and expand access to high-quality early childhood education in Maryland," according to a release sent jointly by the bill's sponsors Sen. Bill Ferguson and Del. Sandy Rosenberg.

Over the past decade many studies have reached the conclusion that investing in high-quality early childhood education is a successful hedge against poverty. Students who attend Head Start, America's comprehensive early childhood education and development program for poor children, are far better prepared to learn when they enter kindergarten. They are referred for special education services less frequently and they are also more likely to graduate high school. As adults they are less likely to be incarcerated and more likely to be successful, contributing members of society than those who do not attend such programs.

Cascelia S. "Cici" Burgess, the Baltimore school system's director of early intervention programs and services, who was an educator in the city for 38 years, died Sept. 20 of a heart attack at her Northeast Baltimore home. She was 61. "The one thing that everybody knows is that she had an undying love for children. And as a special early ed teacher, Cici did all she could to help with resources and whatever else was needed," said Sandra A. "Sam" Means, an administrator at Maritime Industries Academy High School.

Phyllis Teather-Burke, a longtime Baltimore County public school educator whose specialty was early-childhood education, died Wednesday of cancer at her Glen Arm home. She was 77. "She was an outstanding educator who had a deep commitment to children," said former state Superintendent Nancy L. Grasmick, who retired in 2011. "She was a highly respected and an amazing educator. " The daughter of a businessman and an educator, the former Phyllis Burke was born in Valhalla, N.Y., and settled with her family in Reisterstown in 1942.

Dr. Gloria Lea Bledsoe, a retired Baltimore County guidance counselor who established an Oldfields School early-childhood education program, died of cancer May 30 at Glen Meadows Assisted Living. She was 85 and lived in Towson for many years. Born Gloria Lea Whittle in Baltimore and raised on LaPaix Lane, she was a 1945 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School. After raising her family, she began teaching at Oldfields School in 1979. She established a nursery school along with an early-childhood education program, family members said.

Odds are, there's no better bet Maryland can make than funding high-quality public pre-kindergarten programs. It's a winning hand for the state because pre-K has been shown to pay for itself many times over in the form of higher tax revenues, reduced social service costs and lower rates of incarceration. Yet, it's unclear how many takers there will be for a proposal to fund expanded access to public pre-K by legalizing table games at Maryland's slots sites. The idea is included in a package of bills expected to be taken up by the General Assembly this year that would give every child in the state access to high-quality, public pre-K programs.

Sister Barbara Tucker, who taught kindergarten in an Arbutus parochial school, died of a stroke Jan. 30 at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Huntingdon Valley, Pa. She was 66. Born in Philadelphia, she entered her Roman Catholic religious order, Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, in 1958 in Elkins Park, Pa. She earned a bachelor's degree in education from D'Youville College in Buffalo, N.Y., and a master's degree in early childhood education from the University of...

Dr. Gloria Lea Bledsoe, a retired Baltimore County guidance counselor who established an Oldfields School early-childhood education program, died of cancer May 30 at Glen Meadows Assisted Living. She was 85 and lived in Towson for many years. Born Gloria Lea Whittle in Baltimore and raised on LaPaix Lane, she was a 1945 graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School. After raising her family, she began teaching at Oldfields School in 1979. She established a nursery school along with an early-childhood education program, family members said.

Mabel Hilda Young, a retired Baltimore City public schools administrator who was present at the desegregation of Gwynn Oak Amusement Park, died of surgical complications Nov. 19 at Sinai Hospital. The Northwest Baltimore resident was 84. Born Mabel Hilda Hines in Baltimore and raised in Glen Burnie, she was the youngest child of Herbert Hines, who owned a dry cleaner and was a cemetery manager, and Pauline Hines. She studied music with Adah Jenkins, music critic for the Afro-American newspapers, and was a 1943 graduate of Benjamin Banneker High School.