DAFVM Spotlight Employee: Amanda Smith
Amanda Smith
Child care providers can sometimes have a difficult time learning all the required tasks for their positions. Amanda Smith helps them along the way.
Smith provides staff development at the Early Years Network. She also provides one-on-one, in-classroom technical assistance to child care providers.
Smith said one of the favorite parts of her job is that she gets to meet new people on a regular basis.
“Building a network of people who are all interested in bettering the education of young children is another one of my favorite aspects of my job,” she said. “I enjoy the interactions and the relationships that I build with the providers. I see so many of the same providers at each workshop I teach, which helps to maintain a community network.”
Smith’s favorite memories on the job come from the reactions she gets from people that she previously taught.
“Recently, while visiting my cousin, I ran into one of the providers that I had in a training class a few months ago. We greeted one another, and she proceeded to tell everyone in the room that I had taught her in a class, and how much she enjoyed it,” she said. “She told me that I had done such a wonderful job of explaining the information, and she learned so much from me that day.”
Working for the Early Years Network gives Smith a chance to help others.
“I love my job. It can be stressful at times, like any job, but it’s also very rewarding,” she said. “I love knowing that I am helping early childhood teachers gain the tools they need to help foster a high-quality education setting for the children in their care.”
In her spare time, Smith enjoys gardening and reading. She has been married for 11 years.
For more information visit the Early Years Network website.
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