Jessica McCurdy, an infant program co-lead educator at Bowdoin College Children’s Center, was recently recognized as Child Care Teacher of the Year by the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation in Philadelphia.

She was presented with the Helene Marks Award, a national award that honors child care teachers dedicated to providing quality early care and education.

McCurdy, who has been caring for children at BCCC for four years, shared some of her thoughts on early education and why it’s a significant investment.

The Times Record: How did you get into early childhood education?

Jessica McCurdy: I grew up in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and have wanted to work with children as long as I can remember. I taught in child care centers, babysat and worked as a nanny through high school and college. I stayed home with my own three children for many years and then earned my master’s degree in early childhood education and special education for infants and toddlers. I have also worked as an early intervention therapist and a Head Start teacher.

TR: What do you enjoy the most about being a child care teacher?

JM: I enjoy the depth of the relationship that is built between teachers and infants and their families. We all work really hard at BCCC to build the attachment between each child and their primary, school-based caregiver and to support the incredibly strong and important attachment between the children and their actual primary caregivers — their parents.

I particularly enjoy observing the development that happens during these early years of life. Each child is their own person and as caregivers, we create an environment that allows for that personality and all those development skills to bloom.

TR: Why do you think it is so important to invest in quality early care and education?

JM: So much research has told us about the importance of investing in quality care and education. The first five years of life see the most growth in the brain, but this growth can be thrown off course if a child is not well cared for. When a child is working all the time to maintain emotional stability, and there are endless reasons why this could be the case, their brain cannot focus on anything else.

The brain will take care of safety and a feeling of security before it works to increase vocabulary, before it notices the difference between a tree on a screen and a tree outside. Creating a calm and secure environment where eight infants spend the day together is not easy. It takes a lot of planning, discussion, assessing and re-planning between team members.

TR: What was your response to receiving the Helene Marks Award?

JM: I have always treasured the joy that I get from working with young children. However, I have struggled with the lack of credit that is offered to teachers of young children in our country. So, my response to receiving the Helene Marks award was one of gratitude. I am so grateful to Terri Lynn Lokoff’s family for creating the foundation that supports this award and for honoring all the educators that they do each year, 50 every year.

Terri Lynn passed away at the age of 25 and her family has been honoring her through this foundation for 30 years now. This family and the people who work at their foundation have found a way to really say thank you to the many, many people who work incredibly hard caring for young children across the United States.

TR: Is there any advice you would impart to others looking to pursue a career in child care?

JM: Show respect for everyone, from birth. Infants and toddlers need the adults in their lives to slow down and really be present, to pay attention to each of their signals through voice, facial expression and body language.

And come see Bowdoin College Children’s Center. It is really inspiring to see high quality child care. It is an intricate dance to provide the boundaries and clarity and the independence of movement and expression that young people deserve.

dkim@timesrecord.com