#198 - MA

Research has shown that between birth and age five, the human brain is like a sponge.  Synapses are created and connected more than any other time in your life.  Kids go from being totally dependent to being little adults in five short years.  They learn how to sit up, crawl, walk, talk, reason, and think...in no particular order.  Some learn faster than others, but it is a common fact that the more they are exposed to at a young age, the more they are able to learn.

#198 get this theory.  She is not a scientist...she is not a doctor...she is an observer and a teacher.  She learned how children learn best by watching them and adapting her teaching strategies as she went along.  She runs a very successful program in my town that incorporates early learning with music, movements, and play.  She is kind and caring, but knows the value of discipline.  All of the kids love her and guess what...behave for her and strive to please her.  What a trick that it...

All three of my boys attended her school.  They started as soon as they could pull to standing in the Mom and Tot class, then progressed to Red Guys (3year olds), Green Guys (or as it has been called in our house...gringos), and then finally to the seniors...the Blue Guys.  As Blue Guys, these kids are four year olds that are starting to read, but even more importantly understand self control and boundaries.  As you can tell, I am a huge fan.

When my boys were little and were attending her program, #198 and I had many long talks about early intervention for children with learning disabilities and physical disabilities.  We both agree that the earlier you can identify a problem and start to address it, the better for the child.  We do not live in an age where parents should be in denial, because to not provide your child with what they need because of "how it looks" is doing a disservice to them.  She and I teamed up with the help of several other therapist/volunteers to start a program for handicapped children.  For a very minimal fee (I think it was like $10/month), #198 opened up her gym facility to about 10 of my handicapped patients.  To see the joy of these kids faces when they were able to crawl through tunnels and bounce assisted on the trampoline is a time that I will never forget. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank #198 for all of her hard work and dedication to the little ones of our community.  Her caring and love for what she does is evident by the pride in her voice when she asks about her "graduates."  I know that my boys loved her (Seth still invites her to all of his ball games) and I certainly appreciate all of the early learning that she fostered in my children.  I also learned from her and implemented many of her strategies that I still use today.  Thanks Ms. Mary!!!!

http://www.gdcyounglearners.com/