First, I’d like to welcome you to our Early Childhood and Youth Development blog. Secondly, I’d like to invite you to spend some time here reviewing the resources available. Please note that as of 12/15/15, this blog will be solely dedicated to the DCTC ECYD program. Other features have been moved to the Enhancing Young Minds blog.
You have a couple of different options for viewing posts on this blog. My most recent posts are always listed in this main area on the homepage and over in the right column (5 most recent posts). You can scroll down to view/read them and even click to go back to more posts.
You can also search by category or browse through the archives. To search a specific category, find the topic ‘Categories’ located in the right column. You’ll notice there are many categories to choose from and new ones are added as needed. To browse the archives, find the ‘Archives’ topic located in the right column. (Search by month) If you’re looking for a specific post, go to the very top of the blog (top right), above Contact Us, and type a keyword into the search box.
Don’t forget to check out the various pages within this blog, such as Speakers, Photo Album, or Bam!Radio, located across the top of the page. Looking specifically for our Early Childhood & Youth Development Program information? Observation forms, Activity cards, Block plans, Semester schedule, and the ECYD Policy handbook can all be found under Program Info, just hover the mouse over Program Info to see what the choices are.
Once you’ve spent some time browsing and reading, you may participate by commenting if desired. To do so, just click on COMMENTS under the post that you want to comment on. I’d love to hear your responses, opinions, thoughts, etc.!
Thanks again for visiting and don’t forget to subscribe! You can do so by entering your email address in the small box towards the top right of the page under Subscribe.
About the author…
Dawn Braa is an Early Childhood and Youth Development instructor. She began teaching at Dakota County Technical College in 2004. Dawn has a M.A. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Phoenix. She also attended Minnesota State University, Mankato, earning her bachelor’s degree in Family Life/Child Development. She minored in Early Childhood Education and Parent Education at MSU, M. She has worked as a lead preschool teacher in both metro and rural Minnesota cities. She was also an instructor in the Child Development program at South Central College in Faribault.
Dawn believes that teaching is a relationship between teachers and students…teaching and learning from one another. She strives to provide a creative and innovative classroom environment (traditional and online) that is conducive to learning. Her goal is to motivate students to be successful in studying and in applying their knowledge to their personal and professional lives.
Listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers, she has received both CAFÉ and Giraffe grants and also won a FISH! Award recognizing her creativity and innovative spirit in the classroom. She has been awarded the Golden Apple Award three times, being nominated by students.
Dawn, along with a child life advisory committee, authored the first Child Life Assistant Associate Degree Program in the United States (according to the Child Life Council). This degree launched Fall Semester 2010. She has also been invited to speak at conferences regarding topics in early childhood.
