Wisdom for the Journey Reflections of Early Childhood Educators

In 2010, three educators met at a national early childhood conference. We took different journeys to our career paths, but we had the same passion for teaching. Over the years, we've laughed together, collaborated with and learned from each other, and shared our stories. Most importantly, we shared the foundational memories that brought us to early childhood education. Now, we share our reflections on teaching, people who have influenced our lives, and challenges we have experienced over our combined 162 years as early care and education professionals.

Alicia D. Smith, EdD, is a retired Arizona and North Carolina community college educator and a former Massachusetts university educator and administrator. She has been the director of nationally accredited early learning programs in Massachusetts and North Carolina. She currently lives in Arizona, where she has been instrumental in implementing major early childhood initiatives in the state.
Beverlyn Cain, EdD, has 27 years of experience in early childhood classroom settings, including as a lab school director, birth–Kindergarten program coordinator, and early childhood education program coordinator. After earning two advanced degrees, she became faculty at two HBCUs in North Carolina. Currently, Beverlyn is a Fulbright specialist and part-time early childhood faculty member at an online university.
Ruth Ann H. Ball, MS, began her career as a secondary teacher in rural Oklahoma, then taught young children for 15 years, directed a community college child development laboratory center, and taught early education to college and university students. She has served as president of ACCESS, a two-year college faculty association, and vice president and interim president of the NAEYC governing board.