Words of Passion

I wanted to be a teacher from a very early age and as I grew up I wanted to continue to be a teacher. I had a built in passion to fix all injustices that existed in the world, I always loved kids! 

Louise Derman Sparks

My parents were very involved in my education, they made me want to be involved. As educators in the early childhood field, we can shape a child's life for the future.   Sandy Escobido 

Words of Inspiration

Teaching "Diversity": A Place to Begin
Building positive identities and a respect for differences means weaving diversity into the fabric of children's everyday lives. Working with families is an important first step in helping children accept, understand, and value their rich and varied world.  Janet Gonzalez-Mena

Strengthen America’s Families

While the steady reduction in the number of two-parent families of the last 40 years has slowed, more than one-third of our children still live in one- or no-parent families. There is a high correlation between a childhood spent with inadequate parental support and an adulthood spent in poverty or in prison.
To strengthen families, we must redouble efforts to reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies, make work pay, eliminate tax policies that inadvertently penalize marriage, and require absent fathers to pay child support while offering them new opportunities to find work. Because every child needs the attention of at least one caring and competent adult, we should create an “extended family” of adult volunteer mentors.
Family breakdown is not the only challenge we face. As two-worker families have become the norm, harried parents have less time to spend on their most important job: raising their children. Moreover, parents and schools often find themselves contending with sex- and violence-saturated messages coming from an all-pervasive mass entertainment media.
We should continue public efforts to give parents tools to balance work and family and shield their children from harmful outside influences. For example, we should encourage employers to adopt family-friendly policies and practices such as parental leave, flex-time, and telecommuting. Public officials should speak out about violence in our culture and should press the entertainment media to adopt self-policing codes aimed at protecting children.  William Clinton

Personal Childhood Web

Personal Childhood Web


My grandmother was the most influential person in my life as a child. She influenced my life in so many ways, but the most important one of all was her desire to ensure I knew about God and accepted him as my Lord and savior. My favorite memory of her was going to her house every Saturday for breakfast. We would cook, drink coffee and talk for hours. She was never too busy to listen and was always supportive.

My mom and I are extremely close. She was and still is my #1 fan! She had a way of teaching me about life that I have taken with me throughout adulthood. She made me feel special everyday. Even when I had done something wrong, she disciplined in such a way that it was a learning experience.

My dad - I have always been a daddies girl. My dad stayed home with me for a short period of time while my mom worked. I was not very old, but I remember him attempting to fix my hair for school. He has taught me so much about life, but mostly about working hard for your dreams.

Mrs. Kinney, my first grade teacher was a influential person in my life. I know she is the one that started my lifelong dream of wanting to be a teacher. She truly cared about each student that walked through her door every morning. Her smile would make me feel special.

My Aunt Sheila was like a second mom. She influenced my life by teaching me to never give up. She was burned over 90% of her body as a young child and has lived with disfigurement her entire life. She is an inspiration and I continue to ask her advice still today.

I love this book because it tells the simple story of the love between a mother and child. Adults and children young and old will enjoy reading this book over and over:)