The College of Southern Maryland announces Shirley Allen as its director of the St. Charles Childrens Learning Center at CSM. Allen brings 27 years of experience to the position and a passion for children and learning.
Early childhood programs are fundamental in later success of children not only because it helps the child brain develop in a timely fashion, but also because it contributes to physical, emotional and social development, Allen said regarding the importance of early childhood education.
Allens experience working with children in both public school systems and child development centers include the Department of Defense Child Development Centers and state-funded Head Start programs. She started her career in education as a speech and language pathologist and later began her work in early education. Her philosophy of education is Children do not make mistakes, they just learn.
Allen received her bachelors degree in speech and language pathology from Alabama A&M University, a master's degree in early childhood education with a concentration in family studies from Towson University and a master's degree in procurement and acquisition from Webster University.
The Children's Learning Center nurtures and enhances the lives of children and their parents by creating an environment that helps children interact with their world and peers, and building confidence, self-esteem and a life-long love of learning.
For information on the Childrens Learning Center, visit http://www.csmd.edu/clc.