Program Director Sharon Day	You may see Sharon around town in the distinctive Gingerbread Academy Bug. We invite you to say hello and ask about our program!

Program Director: Sharon Day

I am Sharon Day and thank you for visiting us.

My family and I have worked very hard at being a resource and partner to families of young children.

Our family believes in early intervention; whether you are looking for an engaging one-on- one therapist to help your childmeet their developmental milestones, a preschool program that is academic but individualized, a "big sister" mentoring program, or the consistency of an extended family type of overnight and weekend babysitting services.

Just a bit about me and my family:

I have been married for over 21years to a wonderfully supportive husband,. We are from San Diego, born and raised. My husband and I both attended a "Nursery School" at the same time when we were 3 and 4 years of age. This early educational experience was the start of Gingerbread Academy; while we were at, "Gingerbread Nursery School", my husband and I both benefited from this community based program full of resources, partnerships, support and education. We obviously had no idea that our life's path would cross again 15 years later, but it did, and we met up again while in high school. Well fast forward 25 years and we are a family of six. We have three daughters and a son.

I have a BS degree in Criminal Justice and a minor in Social Psychology. I have dedicated my life to the advocacy of children. My work has included work with children from birth toyoung adults. When I started my child advocacy journey I concentrated on older kids, both "in home" and with "out of home placements". After about 8 years working in this capacity I switched to working with children that had "special needs". As a Case Manger with Inland Regional Center (IRC), my advocacy was to assure that all children had the most appropriate educational placement and to be a resource for my families, with approximately 80 clients on my caseload at any given time I would advocate for my clients in various capacities; educationally through ,IEPs, IFSP's, and the local SELPA agencies, medically through OT/PT and Speech services, for durable medical equipment and through parent education; it has given me a new appreciation of the capabilities of the kids with disabilities or developmental delays.

After having my third daughter, Alexis I decided to stay home with her. I went back to school and completed 27 units in Early Childhood Education to be able to work with my child in her educational placement. I started at La Petite Academy and ended at a private Christian preschool as the lead teacher for the Pre- k class.

I really do enjoy teaching children in all capacities and found a way to do the two teaching methods that I love together. While at "Children's Center of Riverside" I was able to go into the homes of children with special needs and work one on one with the child and family to help them achieve their own personal educational objectives/goals. Although I have I have moved on from working with one agency, I currently work as a private contractor with several agencies that work children at all different levels and abilities. The best of both worlds I would say.

I know that if a program is Individualized, Family Centered, Developmentally Appropriate, Culturally Sensitive, Community Based, Coordinated and Functional; all children will succeed, regardless of the way they have to learn and the obstacles they may have. I keep myself informed of the local resources that are in place to help families help themselves.

About my family:

Rainey has worked with little ones for the past 8 years. Her first experiences came from being the neighborhood babysitter of anywhere from 5 to 10 kids. Often times these were overnight visits. As she grew up she started to spend more time at the local preschool that I was working at, she was my afternoon helper. For the past four years she has worked in the capacity of being in the classroom as an educator.

Reynisha aka "Rainey"

Hi there!
I'm Rainey. Here's a little about myself:
I'm 21years old and pretty easygoing. On my off time, like any other young adult, I like to hang out with my friends. Go to the movies (when I can afford it). I'm an avid reader, so chances are, you've seen me perusing all over the place at Barnes and Noble. Along with reading, I'm a writer. Poetry and short stories are my forte, but I like just about anything. I love super heroes, and thanks to my father, I have a huge love for action movies. Terminator was one of the best movies to come out of the 80's,Right next to the Breakfast Club. I play chess, love video games, and watch Heroes and Avatar devoutly. I am the teacher, but I'm still very much a kid at heart. It's the simple things in life that amuse me.

I graduated from Vista Murrieta High School in 2006. (Go Broncos!) While I was in high school, I was pretty active. I was elected Fall Festival Princess, Chairperson of the Murrieta City Council's Youth Advisory Committee, an active member in Speech and Debate, AVID, and became a published poet.

While enrolled at MSJC I earned my Early Childhood Education units there. I will be transferring to UCR to major in Sociology and a minor in English. I'm also taking Sign Language to become fluent in it.

I love children. I'm sure people say that all the time, but in my case, nearly everything I've ever worked at has somehow involved children. I've been babysitting since I was 12 years old, and continue to do so. When I was 17, I became a scorekeeper at a local recreation center for children's basketball and volleyball games. For 5 years I was involved in the Children's Ministry at Revival Christian Fellowship, ending as a head teacher in the 4 and 5 year olds' room. Most recently, I worked for 2 years at a preschool in Temecula as an assistant teacher.

And now, I'm using my education and my experience in running the preschool aspect of Gingerbread Academy. I am the lead teacher and run the day to day business of preparing the children for kindergarten. It is mine and my mother's goal to have your child not just be ready for kindergarten, but to have gained the academic skills, developmental milestones and confidence to excel there.

We believe in the principles of Early Childhood

• Young Children are concrete learners
• Young Children learn through multi-sensory involvement.
• Young Children learn by experimenting and exploring.
• Young children learn by observing and interacting with peers and adults
• Young children are empowered by solving problems and making decisions.
• Young children's self esteem is strengthened when they experience success.
• Different children learn in different ways and in different time frames.
• Young children learn through play.

Jazmen aka "Jazzie"

Hello everyone, I'm Jazmen, the second oldest daughter of Mrs. Sharon Day and younger sister to Ms. Reynisha Day. I currently attend the University of California, Santa Barbara, that is why you may not see me very often, unless it's during the summer or school break. I am studying Biology and plan to graduate in 2012 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Speech and Hearing Sciences. Although I am not an active teacher at Gingerbread Academy, I have already started working toward my teaching units (ECE) Early Childhood Education. I do have a lot of experience with young children. I have been an assistant Sunday school teacher for 5 years and Revival Christian Fellowship and have volunteered as a camp counselor for the children ministry retreats.

My role with Gingerbread Academy is varied. You may see me as an Assistant Teacher, a Mentor; the "big sister" type of role, or as the familiar face for the overnight, weekend or extended stay needs of our local families for babysitting services. You will see me often during the summer helping in all areas with the rest of my family. Education is important to me- I firmly believe that the early childhood preparation that I received through the years of Montessori Teaching as well as the competitive ABEKA curriculum I received through the private education system has helped me succeed both in and out of the classroom. I want to help your children be as prepared as possible and learn to appreciate the beauty of learning and to be confident while doing so. Gingerbread Academy is a special place and holds a special place for our entire family; I hope to see you there!

The importance of Preschool as expressed by Head Start founder, Edward F. Zigler, Ph.D:

"The primary reason for attending preschool is to learn the type of social skills and cognitive literacy that is necessary when a child gets to elementary school. The purpose of preschool is primarily for school readiness, but it is also the foundation that prepares a child for life after school as well. What type of person you are and what values you have are determined in those critical first years of life. The skills children learn in preschool such as impulse control is important later in life, not just in school. Those first few years are important years for the development of character and personality."

Remember our motto: "Small in size, Big in value!"

A special thank you to: Mrs. Lenore Johnson, of LTJ Graphic Studios.

Mrs. Johnson took our vision and gave it an identity; an identity that we are so very proud of, one that we will continue to work at each and every day, by making a difference one family at a time.

Lenore we thank you for everything that you have done to help us with this journey, you will never be forgotten, but always treasured. Thank you so very much,
Sharon Day and family