Cheryl Williams-Jackson awarded faculty fellowship
Cheryl Williams-Jackson, Ph.D., a Professor of Child Development at Modesto Junior College, has been awarded a 2015 Simms/Mann Faculty Fellowship. As one of 13 fellowship recipients, Professor Williams-Jackson will learn about the latest neuroscience research on early child development, focusing on the critical ages of 0 to 3, which will go towards the design of child care and psychology coursework at MJC.
The goal of the fellowship program is to bolster leadership in the field of early care and education. Now in its third year, this program is an innovative public/private partnership offering professional development to select California Community Colleges and The California State University faculty in the fields of early childhood education, psychology and nursing, for example.
The year-long fellowships aim to accelerate and streamline the application of neuroscience research that addresses the “whole child” with on-the-ground professionals in order to support the healthy development of infants and toddlers.
Professor Williams-Jackson will be able to ensure that future care providers will be knowledgeable in early child development, ultimately enabling the 60 percent of children who enter early care by the time they are six months old to achieve life-long social and emotional wellbeing.
“We are proud of Cheryl’s selection as a Simms/Mann Faculty Fellow,” said Patrick Bettencourt, dean of Allied Health, Family and Consumer Sciences at MJC. “We look forward to how the knowledge she acquires through this prestigious fellowship will strengthen MJC’s Child Development program and keep our students on the cutting edge of neuroscience research as it applies to child development.”
Professor Williams-Jackson, along with the other fellows, will be honored at the upcoming Simms/Mann Think Tank on November 3, 2015 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, CA. At the Think Tank, fellows will interact with internationally recognized neuroscientists and researchers, as well as their peers and other leaders in the field.
The Think Tank will showcase international neuroscience researchers presenting on how early experiences and environment along with caring relationships shape brain architecture. It is also convening, for the first time, a select group of stakeholders from fields including education, business, philanthropy and medicine who directly impact policy and practice in early child development.
A cornerstone of the Simms/Mann Think Tank, the Simms/Mann Faculty Fellowship selects Faculty Fellows who will each spend one year completing a project that translates neuroscience research into practical applications. Additionally, each Faculty Fellow will collaborate with an interdisciplinary cohort of professionals to focus on integrating the latest research into their classrooms. This is especially critical between the ages of zero to three when the developing brain is laying the foundation for adaptability and change.
“The Simms/Mann Institute is committed to bringing researchers and educators together in an attempt to find innovative and sustainable solutions to the dramatic shortage of highly qualified 0-3 early care and education providers,” said Victoria Mann Simms, Ph.D. “We need to train an early care and education workforce that is knowledgeable about child development, including the latest, most relevant neuroscience research.”
“Those of us in California Community Colleges have a great responsibility to meet the needs of our families, communities and workplaces by ensuring that our students graduate ready to provide the highest quality care to children ages 0-3,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris. “The Simms/Mann Institute powerfully demonstrates the vital role that community colleges play as a place of learning and for translating research into practice.”
“By enhancing academic supports, which include continued education for teachers, such as that received by the Simms/Mann Faculty Fellowship, we will make great strides in advancing the next generation of early care and education providers. A key element in achieving this goal is to provide high-quality infant and toddler practicum experience on campus,” said Loren Blanchard, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at The California State University.
Since its inception faculty in the fields of early care and education have participated in the Simms/Mann Faculty Fellowship, representing eight California Community Colleges. This year’s Fellowship was expanded to include The California State University faculty, as well.
This year’s Simms/Mann Faculty Fellows and the schools they represent are as follows:
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Treshawn Anderson, Assistant Professor, Child Development and Family Studies, California State University Long Beach
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Gina Cook, Assistant Professor, Child Development, California State University Stanislaus
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Kimberly D'Anna-Hernandez, Assistant Professor, Psychology, California State University San Marcos
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Kristina de Korsak, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Studies, Sonoma State University
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Sarah Garrity, Assistant Professor, Child and Family Development, San Diego State University
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Donna Greene, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Education, College of the Desert
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Adrienne Seegers, Professor, Child Development, Columbia College
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Cynthia Sheaks-McGowan, Professor, Child Development, Moorpark College
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Sujatha Venkataraman, Adjunct Faculty, Child Development, Skyline College
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Alison Ventura, Assistant Professor, Kinesiology, California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo
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Annie White, Assistant Professor, Early Childhood Development, California State University Channel Islands
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Amanda Wilcox-Herzog, Professor, Child Development, California State University San Bernardino
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Cheryl Williams-Jackson, Tenured Faculty, Child Development, Modesto Junior College