Dr. Missi Jacobson is an adjunct faculty member, bringing with her a wealth of experience and expertise to the realm of early childhood education and child development. With a Ph.D. in Child Development from Loyola University Chicago, an MSW with a focus on children, youth and families from Washington University in St. Louis, and a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Jacobson embodies a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and enhancing the lives of young children.
As an undergraduate student, Missi took a course student teaching in the child development laboratory school because it was the least time commitment of the options. To her surprise, Missi found herself falling in love with working with young children. What started as a graduation requirement turned into a lifelong passion. Missi loved preschool aged children’s joy and wonder that they bring to every day experiences.
After getting her master’s degree, Missi spent four years honing her skills in the preschool classroom, where she gained invaluable insights into child development and learning. Missi became most fascinated by watching children participate in block play with wooden unit blocks. She found that children were engaged in the activity in a way that felt more powerful than just another activity area. Missi saw its potential to foster creativity, problem-solving skills, and STEM concepts in young children. This fascination turned into a formal academic pursuit as Missi focused her dissertation on the peer culture of block play in an early childhood classroom.
While completing her doctoral degree, Missi worked in the world of STEM as a research assistant on the Early Math Collaborative (EMC) team and the Technology in Early Childhood (TEC) team. Her work on the TEC research team became particularly pivotal during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, where she supported the facilitation of webinars for teachers adapting to remote learning environments. As a member of the EMC team, Missi supported professional development programs and services for early childhood teachers. The goal of the PDs were to increase teachers’ early math content knowledge, along with fostering more positive perceptions of early math and confidence in teaching.
Dr. Jacobson is excited to have the opportunity to share her knowledge and love of STEM in early childhood with graduate students in Erikson’s Triple Endorsement program as an adjunct faculty member.