Congratulations to Janice Zacher, Child Care Instructor in the Call Children’s Center, for being selected Santa Rosa Junior College’s Employee of the Month for April 2008. Janice will be introduced by Joel Gordon, Director, Early Childhood Education, SRJC Children’s Centers, at the April Board of Trustees Meeting, and will present Janice with an EOM plaque, season tickets to SRT performances, gift vouchers from the Culinary Café, and other mementos from coworkers. “Janice is highly respected by her colleagues for her commitment to ensuring that children receive the best care and education possible. The combination of her natural talent for teaching and her artistic talent lead to great experiences for the families she serves. This college and community are very fortunate to have a teacher as skilled as Janice,” Joel emphasizes.

As an instructor, Janice’s key responsibilities include planning and implementing curriculum, supporting student teachers and directing student employees, taking observations for developmental assessments, caring for the health and safety of children, and ongoing professional development. “Janice is a very hard worker. She’s always out scouring the neighborhoods for curriculum materials to bring back to the classroom,” Joel notes. “Unloading her car trunk on any given Monday is always sure to yield a few surprises. With her father she has created a shell walk in our yard, a Plexiglas easel, a sink by the sand box, an outdoor stage, a platform for the outside playhouse, and even constructed planter boxes and trellises for grapes and jasmine.” In addition to Janice’s innovative efforts for the children, she is consistently supportive of the parents whose children have special needs. “She works collaboratively with programs to provide early intervention services, and is always looking for ways to grow as a teacher by continuing her education and training,” emphasizes Joel.

When asked why she believes she has been so successful serving students at the college, Janice responds, “I am very dedicated to the child development program. I take on a leadership role in the preschool. The families we serve are my top priority and I strive to build a positive relationship with them. I work extra hard to accomplish our goals, plus I encourage parents to be active partners in their child’s education.”

She identifies her greatest accomplishment at the college as “Building strong partnerships with parents, creating inviting child environments both indoors and out, and offering support and encouragement to student teachers and interns.” She notes that her greatest challenge has been “Helping families and children who need help and are in crisis, and guiding them to community resources while being supportive, not judgmental.” What she likes most about her job is “The support I have from my department and co-workers. We have been together for many years, appreciate each other, and have a wonderful working relationship.”

Janice brings an extra, creative vibrancy as an instructor to the Child Care Center. “She is a dedicated and creative teacher of young children, and thoughtfully creates curriculum based on her observations of each child and her ability to determine what each child needs in order to grow and expand,” says Kari Poulsen, Program Supervisor, Child Development Centers, SRJC Children’s Centers. Her creative activities include making children sized pottery, taking photos of the center children to display in the Child Development Department walls, and continually enhancing indoor and outdoor environments. “Her enthusiasm and commitment serve as ideal models for student teachers and her patience with both children and college students support an atmosphere that allows for learning on many levels,” Kari says.

With her colleagues, Janice has created a beautiful, warm, inviting classroom that stimulates the children’s imaginations. Visitors always comment about the aesthetics of her preschool room. “Janice is an exemplary teacher, and her added contributions of art, design, and creativity to the program is especially worth noting,” Kari adds. Her photographic expertise documents the children’s development. She turns some photos into posters and places them on Call Center walls. She also uses photos when developing curriculum, which includes customized alphabet books with pictures of the children in the classroom. She’s also done several workshops for teachers in the community about integrating digital photography into the curriculum.

Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, Janice grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. She moved to Sonoma County in 1979 to be closer to her sister, and attended SRJC and Mendocino College where she earned an associate in arts degree, a Child Development Certificate, Child Development Teacher Permit, and an Early Childhood Education Credential. Before being hired at SRJC in April 1996 as a Child Care Assistant, Janice worked as a nanny, a caretaker for the elderly, and a substitute teacher at the Multicultural Child Development Center in Santa Rosa. In 1998 she became a Child Care Teacher at SRJC. Outside of work, Janice enjoys her family, including husband Rob, daughter Desiree, son Daniel, and her first grandchild.

Her reaction to being named Employee of the Month, “I was happy and proud and excited to share this honor with my family. Becoming a student at SRJC has changed my life and made me realize how important education is. I have been able to model that for my own children, who now attend college.” Congratulations, Janice.