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Child Care Center Director Mary Palmer and early education teachers implement new practices to help students learn

By Victoria Brown 

Child Care Center Director Mary Palmer and early education teachers implement new practices to help students learnTeachers play a pivotal role in the lives of children and their development. In a recent article in the Winter Edition of Teaching Young Children (Vol. 17, No. 2), Shelly Counsell, Mary Palmer, and Felicia Peat analyze how early childhood educators can help children learn new skills while also capitalizing on their lived experiences. 

The three educators share several creative methods that can be used to help children learn letters and sounds in their article, “Spotlighting Children’s Lived Experience to Learn Letters and Sounds.” These methods range from creating “ABC Books” to implementing a “Letter of the Week” practice, among others. 

According to the authors, “Above all, teachers should use culturally relevant and responsive strategies to help children increase their understanding of the alphabetic principle. By involving children and their families in the literacy curriculum, educators ensure that each and every child sees themselves represented in the learning community.”

Dr. Palmer, director of the child care centers at Southwest, notes that many early childhood educators began implementing new literacy practices after several discussions were had among parents and teachers about the best ways to help children learn the alphabet.

“As early childhood educators, our jobs are vitally important,” said Palmer. “We have little seeds; we plant them, and they grow and grow. Teachers have a great impact on the children they work with. Real life experiences are how we learn.”

To learn more about how to work with children to help them develop their literacy skills, read their article in its entirety on pages 28-30. 

For information about Southwest’s Child Care Centers, visit Southwest Child Care.