I began my career right after I graduated High School in 2014. I immediately went to help my mom’s friend run her home daycare while she was on maternity leave, and it progressed from there. I am now the assistant in a Head Start classroom of preschoolers 3-4 years old and in the transition of going to assist in the GSRP classroom.

My favorite time of the day with the kids is when we sit down and do family style meals and talk about our day. In the morning, we talk about what they did at home the night before and anything else they want to discuss. During lunch time, we often talk about what they did during work time, outside, small group, etc. and I love having conversations with them. Not only does it work on their language and communication skills, but they say the funniest things. It’s like talking to a big group of friends, and I love it.  Their favorite activity right now is definitely going to the climber room we have. We go every afternoon, but sometimes in the morning if it’s too cold or rainy out. They love getting all their energy out by running, climbing, and jumping. Otherwise the class we have this year really enjoys work time because they are free to explore the classroom and materials how they want, and they all love playing with each other.

I’m motivated to work with children because I think early childhood education is one of the most important jobs out there. Teaching future generations to dream big, work hard, and be good, responsible, and happy people is so rewarding, and needed. I’m motivated to make a difference in young children’s lives and be a positive role model for them to look forward to seeing at school every day.  I enjoy the bonds that I make with the children the most. Over the past almost seven years, I’ve met so many children, parents, grandparents, siblings, etc. and the amount of them that I still talk to, even if I don’t work at that center anymore, warms my heart. I’ve taken care of children since they were six weeks old and watched them grow into strong and independent Kindergarteners.  I’ve been so privileged to be a part of the childhoods of so many, and what happens in childhood, especially in education, really shapes how a person will turn out.

I currently live in New Hudson, Michigan.  My favorite thing to do is read!  If you see me, I’m either reading or writing something. English has always been my favorite subject, and as much as I love being able to physically hold a book, the fact that I can take my phone out at any moment and get lost in a virtual library is amazing.  I see myself staying in the school system that I’m in right now and eventually becoming the lead teacher of the classroom. I’d like to decide if I want to stay teaching the younger children or possibly move into teaching high school English, because as I said before, that’s my favorite subject and a true passion of mine.

I plan on finishing my associates degree that I started after I graduated. It’s a slow process going to school and working full time, but I’d like to eventually have my bachelors.  I love getting my training hours through CCEI! I currently just finished the CCEI Self-Study CDA coursework portion and I am now scheduling my test and verification visit. Hopefully by this month, I will officially have my CDA! I recommend CCEI to everyone in the early childhood education field. Now that I’ve taken my CDA coursework, I’ve started recommending CCEI even more. For people that thrive in an online environment, working at their own pace, it’s perfect. Everything is easy to understand, quick, but informative, and all organized within a personalized profile. It really makes training so easy!

CCEI is a wonderful establishment dedicated to the education of those in the early childhood development field. It’s a simple, effective, and quite quick way to gain the knowledge and experience needed to further your career. I loved not having to go to a weekly college class lecture to obtain my CDA. Being able to log on and do up to six classes a day allowed me to work through the program in a little over two months. I had quick and easy access to my extremely helpful Education Coach, and all directions were easy to follow. Something as daunting as earning the CDA Certification quickly became just part of my routine because of how easy it was to accomplish the tasks and assignments needed. As much as I say it was simple, I still feel like I gained valuable knowledge and put in a lot of hard work and effort to graduate. It’s great to fit into a busy schedule, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to earn their CDA. Otherwise, it’s also a wonderful place to gain yearly training credit with a large online course library full of different topics for various ECE age groups.