Early Childhood

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.

I was gratified by The Sun's recent coverage of the National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores showing Maryland students among the most proficient in the nation ("Md. students score higher on Nation's Report Card," Nov. 2). After 20 years at the helm of the Maryland State Department of Education, I know that parents, teachers and administrators across the state - not to mention the students themselves - worked hard to achieve these academic gains. Readers should know that one other sector contributed to Maryland's educational success: Early care and education.

When Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent Eric J. Smith this week proposed building an early childhood education center on the site of crumbling Ferndale Elementary School, he was thinking creatively - something state officials say every school system will have to do to meet new education standards in five years. The new center - if approved by the school board - would be one of the few public educational institutions in Maryland devoted to 4- and 5-year-olds, according to state education officials.

The Anne Arundel County school system is exploring options to avoid installing more than 100 portable classrooms to house all the children who will attend county schools by 2007 because of all-day kindergarten and other early childhood programs. To meet state mandates, the school system planned to add 35 portable classrooms this year at 18 schools. But school officials now estimate they will need 74 additional classrooms at 26 schools over the next two years. Four schools are expected to have enough space without additions or other rooms.

When Anne Arundel County Schools Superintendent Eric J. Smith proposed this week building an early childhood education center on the site of crumbling Ferndale Elementary School, he was thinking creatively - something state officials say every school system will have to do to meet new education standards in five years. The new center - if approved by the school board - would be one of the few public educational institutions in Maryland devoted to 4- and 5-year-olds, according to state education officials.

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.

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.

It is a preschooler's dream: a ball pit, bikes and an indoor playground. The Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) at Bollman Bridge Elementary looks like a typical nursery classroom in many ways. The Jessup preschool has bulletin boards with calendars, vocabulary words and children's artwork. But equipment such as the swing hanging from the ceiling is there for more than just fun -- it is meant to help pupils work on their motor skills. RECC centers at 15 Howard County elementary schools are part of the Office of Early Intervention Services, a program of the county's public school system.

Mary E. Robinson, a Head Start teacher and administrator who later served on the Baltimore City school board, died Thursday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Sinai Hospital. The Ashburton resident was 76. Born Mary Elizabeth Coleman in Memphis, Tenn., she earned a bachelor's degree in music at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Ind., an education degree from what is now Coppin State University and a master's degree from Morgan State University. She also had a deep soprano voice and served as director of a Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church choir for 13 years, family members said.

The longstanding assumption that "if you're playing, you're not learning" no longer applies in Baltimore City public schools. More than 4,500 of the Baltimore's youngest students will descend on downtown Thursday, transforming city landmarks into their playgrounds and cultural institutions into classrooms during the first-ever "Pre-K at Play" event, part of a new emphasis on connecting students' success in school to their experiences. More than 50 of the city's educational, cultural, athletic and historic institutions will open their doors and attractions for free from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and students, equipped with their natural curiosity and a "passport to summer learning," will be able to document visits to museums, performing arts centers and city attractions.