DATE: January 25, 2008

CONTACT: Dee Stegelin, (864) 656-0327
dstegel@clemson.edu

WRITER: Julie Ledbetter, (864) 656-2061
jeledbe@clemson.edu

Professor elected president of South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children

CLEMSON – Dee Stegelin, a professor of early childhood education at Clemson University, has been elected president of the South Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children (SCAEYC).

The organization is the state affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the largest advocacy organization in the United States for young children. Stegelin will serve a two-year term.

One of her main goals for the upcoming year include broadening the membership by including more students majoring in early childhood education, Head Start teachers and staff, 4- and 5-year-old kindergarten teachers and child-care professionals. 

Stegelin also said she hopes to increase the visibility of the organization, collaborate with other professional organizations to advocate for legislation and policy issues for young children and their families and work toward raising standards in all child care, public school and other early childhood learning settings.

“We are advocating for stronger programs for young children during this political year that is placing an emphasis on the value of early childhood education as an economic investment,” she said.

The SCAEYC board meets bi-monthly and also sponsors a statewide conference held in Columbia each October, providing state-approved training for early childhood teachers, students and professionals.