June 2024
Meghan Eudy is the 2024 DIEEC Early Childhood Educator of the Year award in the center-based program category! Meghan has been in the field for 14 years, all of them with the Delaware Technical and Community College Child Development Center (Owens Campus) in Georgetown. In this Provider Spotlight, we share Meghan’s reflections on her role, in her own words.
Share examples of how you engage in professional opportunities, organizations, and/or professional development.
“I feel staying up to date on the latest information pertaining to early childhood is very important to remain successful in this position. To do so, I complete trainings offered and suggested each year. The trainings I prefer are hands-on. I have completed multiple trainings, including PRIDE, with our mental health consultant. I have completed Conscious Discipline. As a center we use Teaching Strategies Gold, in which I complete trainings on the site to stay up to date on the latest resources offered. I serve as a role model/mentor at my center for both new and existing staff to help them become successful educators in this field.”
What excites you most about your role each day?
“The children are what excite me the most about each day. Walking in to the children’s smiling faces each morning, and feeling those little arms wrap around me for a hug, really reminds me of why I do what I do. Young children are constantly learning something new and every day is an adventure. To be a part of that adventure and learning process is such a rewarding feeling. Knowing that I am helping these children, through multiple domains, develop skills that are going to benefit them for the rest of their childhood is what makes my job so special. Some children come in and their family is going through a tough time or the child is having a hard time with development and I can be the support they need, the one who comforts them in the classroom, and gets to work with them each day. To see a child accomplish something new or something they have been trying to do and the big smile they get and sparkle in their eyes, reassures me that I am doing a great job.”
How do you enhance the development and potential of each child in your classroom?
“When focusing on each child individually you really get to know who they are and what needs they have. Each month I complete individualizations for each child and I work with them one on one to meet their goal. At the end of the month, it is okay if the goal is not met and they still need more time- that just means more one-on-one time with them. While whole group activities can be fun, not all children are going to be successful and get the same benefit from the whole group settings.”
Tell us about the most challenging part of your day. How do you meet that challenge?
“I feel the most challenging part of the day comes towards the end of open centers. The children have interacted with each other for most of the morning and been together in the classroom. As a young child understanding your emotions and expressing them are hard, so when they have had enough of an activity they don’t always know how to express that or express themselves. As their teacher, it is my job to look for the clues and help them. It’s in these times that I switch up the environment. Music is a great outlet for children to let loose and be expressive, so this is when music and movement can help, also activities such as yoga, shaking the large parachute, dividing the class in groups and interacting with them in small group settings can also be beneficial.”
What do you most want those outside of the field of early childhood education to know about the importance of the work you do with children?
“For others to understand the importance of the work early childhood educators are doing. It’s our responsibility to work alongside the families to help mold and shape them into the children they are becoming. I feel that as an early childhood educator, I help lay the foundation for what these children are going to base their experiences and knowledge from. I am paving the way for their social and emotional development, as well as academic learning. Everything early childhood educators are doing is valuable, and we are here because we love the children, not just to have a job.”
Congratulations again, Meghan, on your well-deserved recognition!
Click here for a printable copy of this Spotlight.
