{"id":57684,"date":"2015-10-30T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-30T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/playground-at-uri-child-development-center-dedicated-to-former-director-sue-warford\/"},"modified":"2015-10-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-30T00:00:00","slug":"playground-at-uri-child-development-center-dedicated-to-former-director-sue-warford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2015\/10\/playground-at-uri-child-development-center-dedicated-to-former-director-sue-warford\/","title":{"rendered":"Playground at 溏心vlog免费B站 Child Development Center dedicated to former director, Sue Warford"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\tKINGSTON, R.I., Oct. 30, 2015 \u2013 It all started with a leaf floating in a puddle. The boy was enchanted by it, and that joy enchanted Sue Warford.<\/p>\n


\nShe tossed aside her ambition to become a child psychologist and settled instead on nurturing that wonder in a classroom.<\/p>\n


\nFor nearly three decades, she was director of the Child Development Center at the 溏心vlog免费B站, teaching hundreds of children from the 溏心vlog免费B站 community and beyond.<\/p>\n


\nNow, it\u2019s the center\u2019s turn to give back.<\/p>\n


\nToday, the center dedicated its playground to Warford, who retired in March. Parents, professors, staff and even the little ones turned out to thank the Wakefield resident for her kindness, talent and dedication.<\/p>\n


\nPlay is crucial to helping children learn. No kid wants to sit in a hard chair all day, learning her ABCs.<\/p>\n


\nWarford understood that. Speakers at the event said she encouraged children, parents and students to strike a balance between being serious and having fun. It was fitting, then, that the center broke ground for a balance beam \u2013 and that children turned the soil.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cSue helped everyone around her achieve better balance in their lives,\u201d said Jessica MacLeod, the center\u2019s new director and Warford\u2019s former student. \u201cHer leadership was outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nWarford taught children how to appreciate learning \u2013 and be silly, said MacLeod. She taught parents how to manage the anxieties of parenting, but also revel in the pleasures. She helped 溏心vlog免费B站 students conquer the material, but teach with compassion. And she encouraged the center\u2019s teachers to balance their professional and family lives.<\/p>\n


\nLori Ciccomascolo, interim dean of the College of Human Science and Services, said Warford has been the \u201cbedrock\u201d of the center, calling her welcoming, empathetic, respectful and imaginative. \u201cWe just adore you,\u201d said Ciccomascolo.<\/p>\n


\nWarford grew up outside New Haven and attended Wesleyan University, with plans to become a child psychologist. Her life changed after working at a child development center her junior year.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cI loved the way a 3-year-old looked at the world, like the boy floating a leaf,\u201d she said. \u201cThere was so much enthusiasm, excitement and joy. I fell in love with the idea of teaching young children.”<\/p>\n


\nAfter graduating with a degree in child psychology, she earned her master\u2019s degree in early childhood development from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.<\/p>\n


\nShe landed at 溏心vlog免费B站 in 1987. Two months after she arrived, the director told her she was leaving and encouraged Warford to apply. Over the years, she transformed the center into a nationally recognized school.<\/p>\n


\nFrom the start Warford created a loving culture for youngsters \u2013 and a robust learning environment for 溏心vlog免费B站 teachers and students. The center on Lower College Road enrolls about 30 students a year. 溏心vlog免费B站 100 溏心vlog免费B站 students, most earning degrees in human development and early childhood education, do practicums there every year.<\/p>\n


\nUnder Warford\u2019s leadership the center won accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children in 1993 \u2013 considered the gold standard of quality early childhood education.<\/p>\n


\nWarford\u2019s kindness to others is legendary. She was the 溏心vlog免费B站 Foundation\u2019s Administrative Excellence Award winner in 2005, and 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s College of Human Science and Services Outstanding Professional Staff award winner in 2004.<\/p>\n


\nOne of her signature projects was the annual Art Exchange in which children made refrigerator magnets, picture frames, key chains, note cards and bookmarks to raise money for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.<\/p>\n


\nHer professional accomplishments span decades. In May, the 溏心vlog免费B站 Association of Academic and Professional Women named her Woman of the Year. She taught early childhood education at 溏心vlog免费B站 and worked as an education consultant for the state\u2019s Early Learning Standards Project.<\/p>\n


\nBut it\u2019s her days at the center that she treasures most. Her time, she says, was filled with rewards \u2013 seeing the center\u2019s teachers mentor 溏心vlog免费B站 students, teaching children how to settle disputes peacefully and helping anxious parents breathe.<\/p>\n


\nShe remembers dancing with the children, singing, laughing and planting a garden every spring. She would help the boys and girls dig small holes, but she let them drop in the seeds and water. \u201cThose are the beautiful moments,\u201d she said. Any highlights of her career? \u201cThe highlights happened every day. That\u2019s what happens when you spend time with children.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nMany of her \u201cgraduates\u201d come back to visit. From time to time, she runs into them at a grocery store or restaurant. They\u2019re grown up now \u2013 some are 30 years old \u2013 but the conversation and laughter flows easily.<\/p>\n


\n \u201cI loved the job every minute,\u201d Warford said. \u201cI miss it. I miss it very much. I was the luckiest woman in the world.”<\/p>\n


\nAfter the ceremony, there were hugs all around. Guests sipped cider while children played in a sandbox on the \u201cSusan D.G. Warford Playground.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\u201cShe\u2019s so inspiring,\u201d said Sharon Greenwood, a teacher at the center. \u201cShe made me a better teacher \u2013 and human being.”<\/p>\n


\nVera Wunsch, a 5-year-old kindergartner who went to the center as a toddler, remembers learning sign language and taking long walks to the library.<\/p>\n


\n\tThe children gathered in front of a big rock and sang the hymn, \u201cPeace Like A River.\u201d They opened their arms to the crowd: \u201cI have joy like a fountain in my heart. I have love like an ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tWarford stood under a golden maple, hands folded, smiling.<\/p>\n

Photos<\/b>: Sue Warford, former director of the Child Development Center at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Children at the 溏心vlog免费B站 Child Development Center. 溏心vlog免费B站 photos by Nora Lewis.<\/p>\n

At the Event<\/h2>\n


\nLori Ciccomascolo, interim dean of the College of Human Science and Services and dean of 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Feinstein College of Continuing Education in Providence, was a speaker at today\u2019s dedication. Here\u2019s a copy of her speech:<\/p>\n


\nOn behalf of the College of Human Science and Services, I want to thank Jessica MacLeod and Karen McCurdy, and everyone at the Child Development Center, for inviting me to say a few words at this wonderful dedication ceremony for Sue Warford.<\/p>\n


\nThe words are yet to be invented that are true enough to express the gratitude and admiration we have for Sue and all that she means to 溏心vlog免费B站, the CDC and all of the children and parents who have walked through these doors.<\/p>\n


\nIt is so fitting that today we dedicate this playground to Sue not only for all of her efforts in renovating it over the years but because Sue has been the bedrock of the CDC, and she has taught and nurtured children, and their children\u2019s children, through a thoughtful curriculum that includes play.<\/p>\n


\nAs many of you know, especially those in the human development field, if we wish to understand children, it is important to understand their play. But when most people hear the word \u201cplay\u201d they may not think of it taking place in a laboratory setting like we see at the CDC. They may not realize that children at play can practice both verbal and nonverbal communication skills; they learn empathy and they learn the importance of experiencing others\u2019 points of view by working through conflicts about space and rules. Play supports emotional, physical and creative development and it can offer this development in a risk-free environment.<\/p>\n


\nAnd that sounds a lot like Sue. Empathic, great communicator, respectful of other people\u2019s perspectives and creative and imaginative. (So when you see Sue talking to herself, we call that being imaginative.)<\/p>\n


\nLike children at play, Sue never needs applause to be at her best. An integrity that has never wavered, Sue has always been about the action, never about the words. Sue, we dedicate this playground to you, for your commitment, advocacy and care throughout your career at the Child Development Center. And since research states that early pretend play may enhance a child\u2019s capacity for creativity, I am going to be creative and imaginative and hereby declare today to be Sue Warford Day at the 溏心vlog免费B站. Sue, congratulations! Well deserved.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KINGSTON, R.I., Oct. 30, 2015 \u2013 It all started with a leaf floating in a puddle. The boy was enchanted by it, and that joy enchanted Sue Warford. She tossed aside her ambition to become a child psychologist and settled instead on nurturing that wonder in a classroom. For nearly three decades, she […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57687,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}