Posted November 13, 2019 – AWE Learning Staff

AWE Learning is excited to introduce our new National Business Development Executive of Preschool Education, Joanna Masten, Ph.D. Joanna comes to us with a passion for early learning and a vast background in the child care market. Joanna has earned her B.S. in Elementary Education & Preschool Education, M.A. in Educational Administration, and Ph.D. in Instructional Technology. Her previous roles have included Child Care Advocate and National Consultant for the National Head Start Association, Software Developer for early literacy software for Sony PlayStation platform, and Urban Schools Advisor for the Council of Great City Schools.

Joanna is a proud member of the National Head Start Association, National Association for the Education of Young Children, International Society of Instructional Technology, and National Alliance of Black School Educators. She is excited to work with childcare centers across the United States and help them bring AWE Learning’s fun and engaging digital learning solutions to their early learners.

Joanna’s background and dedication to early literacy makes her a great addition to the AWE Learning team. Read more about her background, why she chose AWE Learning, and how our products fit into the childcare classroom.

What is your previous involvement with early childcare / Head Start?
When I was doing early childhood research in graduate school, I interviewed parents who had children enrolled in Head Start. The Family Engagement component was the catalyst that attracted me to the point that after graduating with my Master’s Degree, I became an Education Coordinator and after two years in that role became an Executive Director. Family Engagement is the core of my Head Start Centers. It was and still is the school-home connection; a collaborative and strengths-based process through which the educators, families, and children build positive and goal-oriented relationships. This relationship with the parents and the community helped me to ensure that all children had access to high-quality early learning opportunities in order to eliminate achievement gaps. This key core component was intended to improve the quality of Head Start services so that programs would have a stronger impact on children’s learning and development.

What made AWE Learning appeal to you?
Evidence clearly shows that a person’s life successes, health, and emotional wellbeing have their roots in early childhood. We know that if we get it right in the early years, we can expect to see children thrive throughout school and their adult lives. AWE Learning gets it right. We inspire discovery and prepare young lives by providing safe digital learning resources that provide STEM & STREAM-aligned educational content.

Why do you think AWE Learning’s products are a great fit for the early childhood classroom?
Early I mentioned that all children should have access to high-quality early learning opportunities. Opportunities that start during their formative years, 0 – 5.

AWE Learning is committed to supporting literacy skills at an early age which sets children up for success later in their personal and professional lives. Observe children interacting with AWE Learning’s premier digital learning solutions and you’ll soon discover a product that inspires curiosity and that allows children to take charge of their learning while teachers observe and encourage, rather than the “sit and get” classrooms. Early learners need adventure, need to engage the world, need to be challenged, need to be “AWED”. AWE Learning gives all children unlimited opportunities to grow, to explore, to connect outside of their worlds.

When children are being engaged, teachers will find AWE Learning to be their best friend – no internet is needed, and the software can be customized to meet the needs of each learner. Administrators will soon discover that they too, will be excited to become a partner with AWE Learning. Why? It’s affordable and ready to install without major training, an administrator’s dream. Teachers and staff don’t need to take the time to research content and install and update every device. We’ve done this for you!

What is your vision for AWE Learning in early childhood education?
AWE Learning’s digital learning solutions are the perfect product for early childhood education. They not only provide more than 75+ STREAM-aligned educational titles, the content is fun and engaging to young learners. AWE Learning products will get children excited about school and about learning and put children on the path for success beginning at a young age.

By placing AWE Learning’s workstations in your early childhood centers,  you will create a fun, educational, and most importantly, a safe learning environment, for your young students.

Contact me to get AWE Learning’s workstations in your early childhood center! Let’s set up a demo so you can see the content in action! I can’t wait to partner with you to bring our award-winning early literacy tools to your early learners.