Inside Erikson | June 2024
a monthly comm(unity) newsletter
June 2024 — Welcome to the June edition of the Inside Erikson newsletter!
It’s Pride month and Erikson Institute proudly celebrates the many contributions made by the LGBTQ+ community to history, society and cultures worldwide. In addition to celebrating Pride month, we are thrilled to announce a new degree program centered around Early Intervention. Erikson’s new degree program, the Master of Science in Early Childhood Education (MSECE) Early Intervention, will create more EI professionals and specialists who can provide critically needed services. The degree is distinguished from others by its focus on infant and early childhood mental health (IECHMH). Learn more about the program here.
Erikson Updates
Updates from Erikson’s Home-Based Child-Care team
Congratulations to Assistant Research Professor, Samantha Melvin, and Research Professor, Juliet Bromer, who recently presented findings from the PreK in Family Child Care project to different groups of policy and decision-makers including the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) Early Childhood Education Collaborative Spring Meeting in Seattle. Samantha has also recently presented their findings to a group of childcare administrators and other policy audiences at the Center for Law and Social Policy’s (CLASP) Child Care Policy Workforce Cohort.
If you’re interested in their work, Juliet will be participating in a panel discussion for the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) on June 20 from 3 – 4 p.m. Learn more about the webinar and register here. You can also learn more by visiting the new HBCC webpage here.
Amanda Moreno’s blog makes CASEL’s Top 10 Blog list
Congratulations to Amanda Moreno, director of Erikson’s doctoral program, whose blog “Even if it Seems Like SEL ‘Isn’t Working,’ Keep At It. Here’s Why” was named one of CASEL’s “Top 10 Blogs So Far.” The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) is an organization dedicated to making social and emotional learning (SEL) part of a high-quality and equitable education for all. Check out the full list here.
Erikson’s 2nd Annual Drag Story Hour
Erikson’s annual Pride Party and Drag Story Hour was attended by over 30 faculty, staff, students and children from infants to tweens, who reveled in rainbow-themed craft projects, danced to disco music and enjoyed stories read by the incomparable Mrs. Yuka from Chicago Drag Story Hour. Mrs. Yuka’s playful and compassionate reading of several books including, “The Sublime Ms. Stacks”, “Ploof”, and “Granddad’s Pride” engaged and entertained everyone. It was truly a proud moment for Erikson and our dedicated volunteer team led by The Office of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) and the Edward Neisser Library, with several other volunteers.
Gold Star Alumni Series
The Gold Star Alumni Series aims to celebrate the exceptional individuals who have not only excelled in their respective fields but have also made a significant impact on their communities. Learn more about our June feature, Angela Searcy (MSCD ‘02), here.
Careers at Erikson
We’re hiring for a variety of roles that support our mission. Please check out new opportunities here and share widely with your networks.
Erikson in the News
Assistant Research Professor Samantha Melvin was featured in a Christian Science Monitor article titled “More companies embrace on-site child care. What that means for working parents.” Read here.
President Mariana Souto-Manning was recently featured in an Education Week article titled “How Do Restorative Practices Work?” Read the full article here.
Chicago Tribune article “Mental health begins in infancy, child development experts tell parents” features early childhood experts Associate Vice President of Clinical and Community Services, Andria Goss and Director of the Center for Children and Families, Sara Phou. Read here.
Erikson Alumna, Leslie Bond (MSECE ’99), was featured in Chicago Tribune’s “North, South Lawndale come together to lay the groundwork for West Side children’s museum.” Read the full article here.
About Erikson
Graduate Education
Recognized for our groundbreaking work in the field of early childhood, Erikson specializes in preparing child development, education, and social work leaders to improve the lives of young children, families, and their communities. For more information on our degree and certificate programs, visit our website or email our admissions team.
Clinical and Community Services
Erikson’s Center for Children and Families offers pediatric mental health services for children birth to age 8 and their families. Services can be provided in both English and Spanish, and are available to families regardless of their ability to pay.
Policy and Leadership
Erikson’s Policy and Leadership department engages leaders in government, business, and nonprofit sectors to inform effective policies that benefit children and families. They offer unique programming that equips decision-makers and influencers with the resources, skills, and deep knowledge about early childhood development that will support their efforts to make lasting change. Learn more about our Policy and Leadership
Give to Erikson
The first 1,800 days of life set the stage for a child’s long-term physical and emotional health, socioeconomic trajectory, life expectancy, happiness, and well-being. Can we count on you to make a gift to strengthen our ability to serve children and families, as well as our students, faculty, and staff, during this time? Your support for Erikson prepares the heroes in young children’s lives—teachers, social workers, civic leaders, parents and caregivers—to get them safely through this crisis so they can soar into promising futures. Please donate
Join the Erikson family with monthly news + events updates shared by academics, community members, and families.
Create a Better Future For Children While Building Yours
Embark on your early childhood graduate program path at Erikson Institute and start changing lives.