Local early childhood program hosts Cornell undergraduate
A new workshop series for local daycare programs teaches state-of-the-art theory and methods and gives back to community partners who provide Cornell undergraduates with experiential learning opportunities.
Elizabeth Stilwell, Lecturer in the Department of Human Development, was awarded a grant from the Cornell Public Service Center to train early childhood teachers and administrators in Tompkins County. The program targets the many dedicated daycare providers who take on additional responsibility and spend countless hours supervising Cornell student field placements.
The new course is based on the full semester course at Cornell, The Role and Meaning of Play. Stilwell adapted it to address the unique role that early childhood teachers and administrators have in fostering play in children’s lives. The course covers the developmental importance of play, how it shapes the mind, opens the imagination and supports life-long learning.
“Many teachers have asked about auditing a course in child development at Cornell.” said Stilwell. “They are interested in knowing more about what the students they host are learning. The grant allowed me to provide the course and books at no cost to the participants. I planned to limit the course to 15 but in the first two days, 18 registered! This is a way to acknowledge and appreciate their role in continuing to support service learning for Cornell undergraduate students. These field experiences are what bring student learning to life, as they apply theory to practice.”
Student intern leading activity with children
“I am really enjoying the class on play!” said Ellen Garcia, a teacher at the University Cooperative Nursery School. “First of all, I love getting new ideas and strategies to use in the classroom. I also like to have the research-based information to make me confident in what I'm doing and to understand what Cornell students are learning so I can make their experience better. And finally, teaching young children can be isolating. I love getting to know other teachers so that I can use them as resources as well.”
In addition to support from the Faculty Fellows in Service grant from the Cornell Public Service Center, the project collaborates with the Ithaca City School District and the Child Development Council of Ithaca.
