Saludos!

Please join us for an online taste of our Vermont Education Program residency experience! 

On Saturday, July 17th, we will have several options for you to join us. Please see below for each session and a description.


The RSVP form is at the bottom of this page.


After sending in your RSVP, you will receive the zoom information for the first session- Meet and greet with Faculty. Attendance at this event is required in order for you to receive the links for the other sessions, as we will go over expectations for observation and participation in the workshops. 


All times listed are Eastern Time. 


Saturday, July 17 • 10:30am - 11:00am Eastern Time

Meet and Greet with Goddard Education Faculty Kumari Patricia Younce and Sharon Cronin

Kumari Younce
EDU Faculty, Goddard College

Kumari has taught in private schools, public school systems, museum schools, co-operative artist communities and in her own studio, and ran summer camps for children of all ages. She has worked as a counselor, social worker, educator and life coach.

Sharon Cronin
Faculty Chair, Education Program, Goddard College

This is a bilingual Bio; scroll down for English.

Sharon Cronin tiene cuarenta años de experiencia en educación infantil bilingüe y culturalmente relevante. Obtuvo su Licenciatura en Educación Bilingüe con énfasis en Estudios Afroamericanos de la Universidad de Washington; su Maestría en Artes en Desarrollo Humano con especialización en Desarrollo Bicultural de Pacific Oaks College Northwest; y su Doctorado en Currículo e Instrucción con especialización en Educación Bilingüe y Educación Multicultural, de la Universidad de Washington. Es miembro fundador del Grupo de Trabajo de Cuidado Infantil Latino del Condado de King. Dra. Cronin apoya a los educadores de la primera infancia para que obtengan sus títulos de CDA, AA, BA y MA; promueve la expresión cultural en la educación y el desarrollo comunitario; y codirige el Compromiso de 15 años de Investigación de acción participativa de Teaching Umoja, que examina la identidad étnica y el desarrollo bicultural, intercultural y de tri-alfabetizado de l@s niñ@s de color, junto con Theressa Lenear y un equipo de 40 co-investigadores de los Estados Unidos y Port Royal, Golden Grove y Moore Town, Jamaica. Es coautora de Soy Bilingüe: Lenguaje, Cultura y Niños Pequños y del libro para niños, Cuando el Hermano Anansi era un Niño Pequeño: El Encuentro del Pequeño Anansi y el Sr. Caimán. Dra. Cronin editó la antología Soy Bilingüe Adult Dual Language Model for Early Childhood and Elementary Teacher Education. Sharon también es miembro fundador del Grupo Bayano (Música y Danza Africana y Caribeña), con sede en Seattle. Es madre de Carlos, Isolina y Reynaldo, custodia de Javan, abuela de Rob y Carlitos y tía de muchos.

Sharon Cronin has forty years of experience in bilingual and culturally relevant early childhood and elementary education. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Bilingual Education with an emphasis in African American Studies from the University of Washington; her Master of Arts Degree in Human Development with a specialization in Bicultural Development from Pacific Oaks College Northwest; and her Doctoral Degree in Curriculum and Instruction majoring in Bilingual Education, Multicultural Education, from the University of Washington. She is a founding member of the King County Latino Child Care Taskforce. Dr. Cronin supports early childhood educators in obtaining their CDA, AA, BA, and MA degrees; promotes cultural expression in education and community development; and co-leads the Teaching Umoja Participatory Action Research 15-Year Commitment, examining the ethnic identity, bicultural, cross-cultural, and tri-literacy development of children of color, along with Theressa Lenear and a team of 40 co-researchers from across the United States and Port Royal. Golden Grove, and Moore Town, Jamaica. She is co-author of Soy Bilingüe: Language, Culture, and Young Latino Children and the children’s book When Brother Anansi was a Little Boy: The Encounter of Little Anansi and Mr. Alligator. Dr. Cronin edited the anthology Soy Bilingüe Adult Dual Language Model for Early Childhood and Elementary Teacher Education. Sharon is also a founding member of Seattle-based Grupo Bayano (African Caribbean Music and Dance). She is mother to Carlos, Isolina, and Reynaldo, guardian to Javan, grandmother to Rob and Carlitos, and auntie to many.


Saturday, July 17 • 11:00am - 11:30am Eastern Time 

Graduating Student Presentation: ~ Transition ~ In A Time of Developmental Upheaval Into Middle School with Paula Reynolds

Overarching question to guide my thesis: In what ways, (developmentally, socially and emotionally) are we, as educators in my district missing the crucial transitional link between elementary and middle school? My hypothesis is that without a solid transition plan for sixth graders, their stress levels increase and their academic drive decreases. As an elementary school counselor, in a small rural district in Vermont, I have seen and heard first hand how the sixth graders entering seventh grade are “not ready”. Not ready for what, what does that mean, what does it look like? In my school district there is the need for the development of a year long transition plan to improve student developmental readiness and social/emotional readiness to transition to middle school. The purpose of this thesis is to address the need for and the development and implementation of a transition plan from elementary school to middle school. My writing will be based on my personal experience within the school district, as well as observations and the research of current effective transition plans to middle school. I will be presenting my thesis along with my transition plan to the administrators in my district for approval of implementation.


Saturday, July 17 • 11:45am - 12:15pm Eastern Time

Graduating Student Presentation - In Opposition To Neutrality: Authenticity in Social Studies Education as a Means of Liberation with Nathanial Bennet Munro


Nathaniel Bennett Munro discusses his experience writing his thesis (In Opposition To Neutrality: Authenticity in Social Studies Education as a Means of Liberation.) A combination of some autoethnography, storytelling, and critical research - in addition to the practical research and application of the standards and guidance provided by the state of Maine. A personal, reflective, critical and authentic exploration of self and content to form a pedagogy of an Educators Lens of Critical Thinking developed and nurtured within the Maine Learning Results for social studies that asks of myself and future students to: examine ancestry, examine bias, examine blocks and pressure points and analyze in a critical way how to become deeper, more authentic, and engaged thinkers.


Saturday, July 17 • 12:30pm - 1:15pm Eastern Time 

Graduating Student Presentation: White Open Spaces: Anti-Racism in Rural Vermont’s Predominantly White Early Childhood Classrooms with Jocelyn York


The United States has a history of centering whiteness throughout its early childhood curriculum. Vermonters like to believe that our state is somehow immune to the perils of racism. However, rather than discharge us from responsibility, Vermont’s predominantly white, rural demographic underscores the importance of acknowledging systemic racism and engaging in an anti-racist pedagogy in early childhood classrooms.

To better understand how Vermont currently addresses racism in early childhood classrooms and to make informed suggestions about how to create truly safe and equitable spaces, I surveyed teachers throughout the state using an internet-based questionnaire. My study produced findings demonstrating a general willingness and desire to address racism in Vermont’s early childhood classrooms by implementing anti-bias and culturally sensitive curriculum. Many respondents identified racism as a problem and sought solutions through trainings. Others adopted a “color-blind” approach, unwittingly perpetuating white superiority and racial inequity.

More information should be provided to Vermont early educators regarding the racial awareness of young children and the need to go beyond anti-bias and multicultural curriculum and instead embrace truly anti-racist pedagogy. This is an imperative if we wish to create truly safe and equitable spaces both inside our classrooms and beyond.

In this presentation, I will use historical evidence to dispel the myth of Vermont as a multi-century beacon of equality, discuss Vermont's current racial climate, share the data I gathered from my questionnaire, and invite a solution-based discussion about where Vermont's rural and predominantly white early childhood classrooms can and should go from here.