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Tracy Michelle Smith-Michnowicz
˜ 11 Spring Lane, West Hartford, CT 06107 ˜ 860 214-2575 ˜ [email protected] ˜
Education
University of Connecticut
Graduate Certificate in Adult Learning
Anticipated Date of Completion: May 2015
Saint Joseph College, West Hartford, CT
Master of Arts, December 2005
Early Childhood Education/Special Education Birth to Kindergarten
Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
Bachelor of Arts, May 2001
Major: Psychology; Minor: Sociology; Focus: Education
Professional Department of Public Health
Certifications Early Childhood Education Consultant; February 2013
Peaceful Touch, USA
Healthy touch curriculum and professional development training for early childhood educators
serving to raise awareness about the benefits of nurturing touch.
Trainer; Date of Completion: August 2012
International Association of Infant Massage, USA
Certified Educator of Infant Massage; Date of Certification: July 2010
Work
Experience
Quinebaug Valley Community College (QVCC), Danielson, CT
Adjunct Lecturer
August 2006 – Present
• Early Childhood Education (ECE) classes taught include:
• ECE 182 Child Development
• ECE 103 Creative Experiences for Young Children
• ECE 109 Mathematics and Science for Young Children
• ECE 215 The Exceptional Learner.
• ECE 231 Early Language and Literacy for Young Children
• Cultivate a safe and mutually respectful classroom community.
• Foster a culture of participation and optimal learning by being mindful of students’ hierarchy
of needs and zones of proximal development.
• Plan experiences, discussions, lectures and assignments to develop student’s understanding
of early childhood topics, research and theory.
• Guide students to reflect on their own teaching practices and life experiences through the
perspective of new learning in and outside of the classroom.
• Create interpersonal learning experiences to enhance reflection on topics, gain new
perspective, and work collaboratively with peers.
• Develop hands-on experiences to foster understanding of and connect theory to practice in
the early childhood classroom.
• Design curriculum, assignments and assessments in alignment with the Connecticut Common
Course and NAEYC Associate Standards.
• Develop, implement and modify course content to meet the diverse needs of the student
population, including those with special needs.
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Provide opportunities for students to identify and use professional resources.
Construct detailed rubrics for all written assignments.
Create formal and informal assignments for students to apply general education foundation
skills.
Collaborate with colleagues in preparation for and maintain NAEYC Accreditation using the
NAEYC Associate Standards.
Attend and participate in QVCC student functions.
Create and implement a Peaceful Touch training for QVCC student teachers.
Child Developmental Laboratories (CDL) - University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
Acting Master Teacher
August 2013 – Present
• Supervise, train and evaluate student teachers.
• Coach student teachers in developing observation skills, understanding individual children’s
development, and supporting children’s next steps in development.
• Foster student teachers’ understanding and application of the Connecticut Early Learning and
Development Standards.
• Conference with student teachers weekly regarding classroom performance and written
assignments.
• Provide student teachers with written feedback on all weekly assignments.
• Collaborate with student teachers in creating, revisiting and striving for weekly learning
goals.
• Coach student teachers in creating and providing meaningful learning experiences and
authentic weekly classroom curriculums.
• Model using and support student teachers’ implementation of the Ages and Stages
Questionnaires.
• Support student teachers in creating individual child portfolios.
• Model and mentor student teachers in conducting family conferences.
• Create and implement a Peaceful Touch training for student teachers.
• Responsibilities of Master Teacher also include those of Teacher listed below.
Teacher
January 2006 – August 2013
• Supervise, train and evaluate fieldwork students and student staff.
• Support student-child interactions to ensure quality care and education for children and to
support students in building relationships with children and feeling successful in their
teaching.
• Relate students’ classroom experiences to child development and education formally within
conferences and trainings and informally within the classroom.
• Conference with students regarding their teaching performance in the classroom.
• Collaborate with students in creating learning goals within their zone of proximal
development.
• Conference with fieldwork students regarding their planning, implementation and reflection
of learning experiences.
• Create and implement student training sessions focusing on the individual needs of the
children and classroom, NAEYC, Connecticut state licensing requirements, health and safety,
ethical standards, professionalism within the classroom, and various early childhood topics.
• Co-create and lead a student training session focused on yoga and young children.
• Teach children ages six weeks to thirty months.
• Create and provide nurturing responsive care to children, fostering a classroom community in
which children feel safe, cared for, and respected in order to support children’s autonomy,
risk taking, cooperation, reciprocity and empathy.
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Plan and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum based on observation of
individual children’s needs, development and interests.
Create play experiences to support children’s social skills, emotional heath, cognitive
development, language development, and physical growth.
Apply the Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards when documenting
observations of children and planning weekly curriculum.
Establish and maintain reciprocal relationships with families and caregivers that focus on
trust, mutual respect, cooperation, shared responsibility and shared goals.
Provide curriculum that foster children’s home culture and language.
Communicate with families verbally each day and weekly though email.
Prepare and conduct three family conferences per year.
Develop and write individual children’s developmental narratives and portfolios twice per
year.
Evaluate children twice a year using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire and Ages and Stages
Social-Emotional as necessary.
Co-develop the student evaluation with emphasis on student-child interaction, professional
responsibility, and health and safety.
Establish a strong, cohesive, collaborative team with co-teacher to ensure best practice.
Create and organize the CDL’s Semi-annual Children’s Clothing Swap, fostering family and
community partnerships and the CDL’s “going green” initiative.
Facilitate an annual infant massage class for families with infants under the age of one year.
Interpret and implement the Bingham Pro-social Childhood Preschool Curriculum within the
infant classroom.
Collaborate with co-teacher and colleagues in preparation for and maintain NAEYC
Accreditation.
Creative Childcare Center – University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Teacher
May 2004 – December 2005
• Act as a model for fieldwork students from Central Connecticut State University.
• Develop and write developmental narratives on individual children; developmental narratives
used as a model for other teaching staff.
• Create a center-wide format for weekly curriculum planning focusing on children’s
development and interests.
• Cultivate and provide an environment in which the children feel secure, relaxed and
comfortable in order to foster autonomy, exploration, reciprocity and empathy.
• Develop and implement curriculum based up individual children’s development and
interests.
• Build respectful, reciprocal, meaningful relationships with families to best meet the needs of
the children.
• Create curriculum that supports children’s home culture and language.
• Provide a variety of materials and opportunities for children to have hands on, meaningful
experiences.
• Implement ongoing, strategic, purposeful and developmentally appropriate developmental
observation assessments.
• Collaborate with staff members to ensure the proper care, education and safety of the
children.
A. J. Pappanikou Center – University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT
Research Assistant
April 2002 – January 2004
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Act as interventionist to families and childcare teachers of children ages birth to three,
participating in the grants “Social Competence Curriculum” and “Childcare for Children with
Complex Medical Needs”.
Deliver positive behavioral and educational interventions to young children in a variety of
natural environments.
Evaluate behavioral, social, medical and inclusion needs of children.
Build reciprocal relationships and collaborate with families, childcare teachers and
interdisciplinary teams including Birth to Three.
Analyze, evaluate and interpret information collected from standardized and observational
assessments including the Battelle Developmental Inventory and Preschool Language Scale.
Collaborate with families and childcare teachers to develop comprehensive goals and plans
focusing on behavior management, adult-child interactions, peer interactions, inclusion and
advocacy.
Model, support and guide goal strategies with families and childcare teachers.
Share information regarding curriculum development, child development, adult-child
relationships, peer relationships, support systems, environmental adaptations, and the
importance of play with families and childcare teachers.
Support and guide families in obtaining appropriate family community resources.
Li’l Rascals Daycare Preschool, Meriden, CT
Teacher
March 2001 – September 2001
September 1994 – August 1998
• Create and uphold meaningful relationships with children, families and staff members.
• Provide a nurturing, loving and secure environment for children ages six weeks to five years.
• Develop and implement developmentally appropriate individualized curriculum.
• Create an environment that fosters cognitive, sensory motor, language/communication,
physical and personal/social development through play.
• Open and close the center.
Education Department – Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT
Tutor Corps Coordinator
August 1998 – November 1999
• With collaboration from classroom teachers, tutor Hartford, Connecticut first graders in
mathematics, reading, and writing within their zone of proximal development.
• Provide a nurturing and safe yet challenging learning environment in order for the children to
take risks and feel successful.
• Nurture and guide positive interpersonal relationships between children.
• Recruit and supervise thirty plus tutors to the program.
• Conduct and develop group and individual training sessions for incoming tutors.
• Create tutor assessment methodology and grant proposals.
• Conduct tutor reviews.
• Provide progress reports to administrative personnel.
Volunteer
Experience
The Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate, Hartford, CT
Volunteer
October 2000 – April 2001
• Research the care the Connecticut Department of Children and Families provides for children
sent out of the state for resources Connecticut is unable to provide.
• Review cases and give input to Advocates.
• Witness the review of current cases.
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Observe seminars, meetings and lectures relating to child advocacy within the office and at
the State Legislature.
Evaluation
Tool
Experience
Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards
Ages and Stages
Ages and Stages Social-Emotional
Focused Portfolios System
Connecticut Preschool Framework
Connecticut Guidelines for the Development of Infant and Toddler Learning
ITERS
ECERS
Battelle Developmental Inventory
Preschool Language Scale
Research
Experience
University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
April 2011
• Study Title: Implementing Nurturing Touch within Early Childhood: A Three-Year FollowUp of Children and Adults.
• Purpose: To follow up and evaluate the Peaceful Touch training from the perspective of
teachers after three years of implementation. Peaceful Touch (PT) is professional
development training for early childhood educators serving to raise awareness about the
benefits of nurturing touch
• Goal: To document teacher insights of their own growing awareness and intentional use of
nurturing touch based on the following themes: (a) Evolution of teacher awareness of their
own intention of touch. (b) Development of interactions and connections with children and
the impact they have on the cultivation of a healthy classroom. (c) Adult mindfulness about
touch and the implications on children’s development of body-ownership and awareness.
• Implications: (a) As teachers became increasingly insightful and sensitive to the use of PT
through the day, they discovered a direct effect the touch had on the children. It would seem
touch mindfulness in teachers led to touch mindfulness in children, fostering interpersonal
sensitivity and prosocial behaviors among children and in turn supporting children’s
learning. (b) The continued cultivation of understanding about PT supported by the director
as well as teachers has allowed PT to flourish and become a central part of the school’s
philosophy. Teachers continue to use PT intentionally in their daily practice and have
become increasingly sensitive to it’s role in supporting the development of children.
Presentation 20th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, NAEYC
Research Poster Presenter, June 2011
• Poster Title: Implementing Nurturing Touch within Early Childhood: A Three-year
Follow-Up of Children and Adults
Recent
Active NAEYC Membership
Professional Since 2005
Development Proponent of Play, Jeff Smithson
Spring 2014
Connecticut Mandated Reporter Training, DCF
May 2014
Attendee of Connecticut Early Childhood Education Cabinet Meetings
2013-2014
Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards Webinar
December 2013
Recertification in CPR and First Aid, Red Cross
June 2013
CT Early Childhood Consultation Training
January 2013
20th National Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, NAEYC
June 2011
Nature Explore Workshop
August 2010
Supporting the Needs of Diverse Families, SERC
June 2010
Connecticut Guidelines for the Development of Infant and Toddler Learning, EASTCONN
March 2010
Reflective Practice Training, UCONN
August 2009
Prop and Puppetry in the Early Childhood Classroom, UCONN
August 2008
Conference: Together We Will: Create Motor and Movement Experiences for Young
Children, SERC
April 2008
Peaceful Touch Training
August 2007
Conference: Together We Will: Explore the Issues that Put Young Children at Risk, SERC
April 2007