Early Childhood

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.

Hidden in an Ellicott City office building is a haven for young kids and the adults who work with them. The room must be the only office in Morgan Stanley's U.S. 40 building that has party streamers and bright paper fish hanging from the ceiling. While children play in a cozy corner with toys and books, adults - whether they are teachers, child care providers or parents - can browse through curriculum ideas and videos on learning styles, or make die cuts and laminate artwork. But the Howard County Child Care Resource Center is more than an appealing resource room.

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.

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.

At 8:45 in the morning, parents drop off their children in front of Hammond High School. A group of students waits at the door for them. Without embarrassment, the kids kiss their parents goodbye and take the hands of their teen-age teachers. For these 3- and 4-year-olds, Hammond High is nursery school. At five high schools in Howard County, a nursery school or day care center doubles as a "lab" for Early Childhood Development (ECD) students. The program addresses the statewide teacher shortage by allowing students to take education credits with them to Howard Community College.

PRESTON - The reading lessons start early at this Caroline County elementary school. When Preston Elementary's staff learns of births in this rural community, parent liaisons visit right away to drop off a book or two. Each year, another book follows. And before most children have reached kindergarten, they're regulars at Preston's twice-monthly morning and evening story times. "I think of all of the kids in this community as my kids, not just the ones who are enrolled here in kindergarten through fifth grade," says Preston's principal, Susan Frank.

James Abbott, 33, the Baltimore Museum of Art's recently appointed curator of decorative arts, has been interested in the decorative arts since he was a child."