Remembering Winifred Wellington, Executive Director

I firmly believe that my 30+ years in the field of early childhood education has well prepared me for the task of continuing my vision to not only educate young minds, but families as well. I have presented at conferences all over the United States on the topic of reading, literacy, art, and bookmaking, specifically for children ages 2-5. In 2003, I had the distinct privilege of traveling to China where a group of educators and myself, met with our Chinese counterparts from the affluent schools in Beijing and Nanjing to the rural, poverty province of Guangdong. In this rural province, children walked at least a mile to school daily, and the teacher lived in the open, wooden planked area in the sparsely, dim candle lit, alcove. In all my visits, I shared my insights on education, and listened to their successes and grave challenges experienced.

In 2011, I traveled to Ghana, West Africa to get a better understanding of the problems teachers faced in educating young children, and how to better educate parents on their growing concern around literacy. A profound experience was visiting a shelter for homeless youths, who most often showed up for one night to receive a bath, clean clothing, and something to eat. Typically, these youth were never seen or heard from again.

Fall of 2015, I served as adjunct professor at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. My subject matter was early childhood education, literacy, and art. A large component of the course was focusing on developmentally appropriate practices, and forging a solid partnership with parents. My success as a first time adjunct is evident, by the offer to teach an additional class the following semester, and most important, my ability to reach the students. Several contacted me after the course ended seeking advice on their future endeavors, and to share their thoughts on what they got from my class.