The first inaugural Advocacy Champion Award was presented to Shanna Kukla at AzAEYC’s Annual Meeting on September 29, 2018. Shanna answered five questions about her career, her work in the field, and reflected on the value of the pursuit of diversity and equity in early childhood education. Learn more.
The Rhian Evans Allvin and Joshua J. Allen Scholarship 2018 was presented to Martha Esmeralda Carrillo of Paradise Valley Community College at AzAEYC’s Annual Meeting on September 29, 2018. Learn more about Esmeralda.
The first inaugural Diversity and Equity Champion Award was presented to Dr. Claire Schonaerts, Professor Emeritus of Northern Arizona University College of Education at AzAEYC's Annual Meeting on September 29, 2018. Learn more.
Meet an #EarlyEdPro! First in our video series: Eric Bucher, Child Development and Education Manager and Board President-Elect of Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children and Bonnie Williams, of Arizona Department of Health Services talk about why they work in the field of early childhood education, how a solid foundation in early learning pays off for the future, and why everyone should care about our youngest learners. Watch the video.
AzAEYC Board Member Jonathon Gonzales talks about growing up in Arizona as a dual language learner in a large family, what he’s learned about supporting military families, and how enrolling his own children in Head Start changed everything. Read more.
Early educators have long understood the power of play. A new study released by the American Academy of Pediatrics concurs, adding support for value of play as an essential part of brain building and healthy child development for young children. Learn more.
Continuing the equity and diversity conversation can be tough. AzAEYC strives to be an inclusive and affirming organization where every member feels welcomed and supported; where we celebrate our diversity and learn from each other. AzAEYC Executive Director Dawn Wilkinson on equity and diversity. Read more.
Thinking of studying early childhood education? What are the benefits of choosing Arizona NAEYC accredited early childhood degree programs? As a faculty member at Northern Arizona University, Martha Muñoz was deeply involved in the accreditation process for undergraduate and advanced early childhood degree programs in NAU's College of Education. She shares information about the process from her recent presentation at NAEYC's Professional Learning Institute 2018 in Austin, Texas. Learn more.
What if we saw children and their families not “at risk” or as “needy” but rather as bearers of rich cultural contributions? What if we considered their strengths rather than weaknesses? AzAEYC Board President-Elect Eric Bucher writes about emergent bilingual learners and the image of the child. Learn more.
Arizona State University graduate Natalee Huguez, AzAEYC's 2017 Rhian Evans Allvin and Joshua J. Allen Scholarship awardee, talks about her ASU student teaching placement, her career plans post graduation, and coping with an enormously difficult personal challenge midway through the academic year. Read more.