Dan and Ed welcome Vickey La Motte, an accomplished educator, visionary, developer, and the first director of the Family Enrichment Center (FEC), a lab school model for Early Care and Education Programs. The Center is located on the Prescott campus of Yavapai Community College. Through her work, and the contributions of those she has attracted, the most critical needs of child rearing parents, and early childhood development are being addressed.
Vickey explains why the need for early childhood development programs is proven and beyond question. The results from quality programs attract parents of all economic and education levels. Sadly, early childhood programs do not receive the economic support necessary to meet the demand. The FEC has a large waiting list of families, and most of them cannot be served. Vickey explains the benefits of quality, highly individualized programs with certified staff for children and parents. The brain, empathy, physical motor and problem solving skills are all developed and enhanced following the child's interests and curiosity.
In this podcast Ed and Dan answer a listener’s question: Who are you guys and what are some of the most important things you have done? Ed shares adventures as a high school teacher in a frank discussion of the why and how of his approaches to meeting the needs of approximately 150 kids a day in 42 minute classes. Dan shares the help he had from mentors and his experiences as a beginning elementary school teacher. These stories that Ed and Dan share are insights into the experiences that create strong professional educators.