Education & Early Development
Semester: Fall 2024
Faculty Advisor: Jim Martin
Field Site: The Haverford Center
Field Supervisor: Susan Zickler
Praxis Poster:
praxis poster chloe schmeltzer_Final
Further Context:
This semester, I developed an Independent Study course at The Haverford Center, a childcare center for children ages 6 weeks to 4 years. Under the supervision of Susan Zickler, the director of The Haverford Center, I had the opportunity to work in one of the toddler classrooms with students ages 2 and 3. The curriculum I developed aimed to examine the social-emotional and language development of young children. My role involved engaging with the children in group settings, such as reading books, initiating student-to-student interactions, and providing guidance to promote age-appropriate and prosocial communication.
I had been working at The Haverford Center for a year prior to my Praxis course, and it has been an incredible experience watching all the children grow and progress. Alongside learning practical life skills like feeding and dressing, they have been developing skills of sharing, emotional regulation, and empathy. Even over the course of just a few months, the children have made noticeable progress. I have seen some of the children who hardly spoke any words become talkative and children who snatched toys from other kids’ hands start asking for turns.
I’ve also learned a lot from both teachers in the class about how they worked to support each child’s growth. Watching how each teacher handled situations differently opened my eyes to how to pick effective strategies when it comes to helping and handling the children as they navigate this early time in their lives. I also learned from them how to conduct and organize the classroom setting to be a fun and nurturing space for children to learn safely and successfully.
I’ve had a great time working with The Haverford Center, and I really treasure the connections I have formed with each of the students. I’m grateful for this opportunity to work with the school, Susan Zickler, and my faculty advisor, Jim Martin. A quality early childhood education is essential to helping to set children up for success throughout their school years, and I’ve had a great opportunity to learn the importance of it through my Praxis course.