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"Most importantly, I have always been a teacher of
young children and I strive daily to educate the world-at-large about the
importance of a child's first seven years."
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Barbara Godsil
Coordinator / Part-Time Instructor
The Children's School @ Carl Sandburg College
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"I applaud the State of Illinois for recognizing Directors who
have demonstrated competency and I appreciate the opportunity to get local and
state recognition for our profession."
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Barbara was awarded the Level II Illinois Director Credential in July 2002. She
has been the Coordinator and Part-Time Instructor for The Children's School for
6 years.
Barbara first entered the field of early care and education after seven years of
juggling part-time course work, learning to be a mom and working part-time
jobs. During that time, she graduated from the University of Florida with
a BA in Early Childhood and later completed her MS in Child/Youth Care
Administration at Nova Southeastern University.
During her 25 plus years as an Early Childhood Educator, Barbara has worked with
children and adults of all ages, managed private and public non-profit
programs, coordinated a regional Prekindergarten-At-Risk Program, taught
college-level classes, authored Opening Doors for School-Age Children, and
assisted with writing Florida's Child Care Worker Criterion - Referenced
In-Service Education Modules after being an active participant in getting the
legislation passed. She was also awarded with the Stephenson County Award
of Excellence in 1995 by the IL Rock River Association for the Education of
Young Children.
More important than her professional recognition, Barbara writes, is that she
strives daily to educate the world-at-large about the importance of a child's
first seven years. She enjoys working in a college setting because of the
opportunity to educate adults as well as children and hopes in the future to
become a more active advocate and possibly a public educator via a weekly
newspaper column.
Barbara feels that the process of becoming credentialed is very affirming.
She states that she was reminded of her varied experiences and soon realized
she was doing fewer things outside of her daily job due to the challenges she
has taken on including expanding The Children's School three times, going
through National Accreditation and embarking on a $100,000 playground project
that she initiated.
In her spare time, Barbara enjoys being a grandmother, living on a lake and
trying to become a golfer.
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