An Apple for our Teachers

Teacher Heather McNair praises a student for his hard work and determination. Photo: Ken Cedeno

Congratulations to Martha’s Table’s newest bunch of graduating teachers! This fall, three more of our early childhood development instructors completed their degrees—and they couldn’t have done it without your help! Thanks to your generosity, Martha’s Table is able to provide our teachers with financial aid, tuition stipends, and paid release time to attend class and study education. One of these teachers is Heather McNair, who graduated from the University of the District of Columbia with an associate’s degree in early childhood development, and is now going back to get her bachelor’s degree in human development. Heather credits her education with giving her teaching style a basis in cognitive science. “The research coming out of higher education shows that birth to 3 are the most important years,” she says. “With highly trained teachers, Martha’s Table can be more intentional about child development and make sure our children achieve certain academic benchmarks.” Thank you for recognizing the importance of having highly trained instructors and supporting them as they achieve their degrees. Your support brings education experts into classrooms of children who might otherwise lack access to high-quality instruction. And, as Heather likes to say, “When you learn better, you do better.”