Dancers from the UNM flamenco program entertain at a reception for “Mind in the Making” curriculum. The Family Development Program in the College of Education is launching the innovative curriculum for children from birth to age five. The program is being developed in cooperation with The Families and Work Institute in New York and will prepare early childhood teachers to work more thoughtfully as they teach.
New Mexico is the first state in the nation to try the new program, which utilizes the latest brain research information about how children learn. Teachers in the City of Albuquerque Early Childhood Program, UNM Childcare Program and the Laguna Pueblo Early Childhood Program will all spend the next several months meeting and learning about new ways to stimulate the minds of children they work with.
One of the basic parts of the program provokes teachers to think in ways that encourage observation, investigation, analysis and action as they teach their young charges. One hundred fifty teachers will work in teams to encourage and mentor each other. “Mind in the Making” begins in September and runs through spring 2005.
Contact: Greg Johnston, (505) 277-1816