Education

The basic tenets of our philosophy apply to learners of all ages. These tenets are:

• Every person has inherent dignity and worth and should be treated as an individual
• Students of all ages are active learners
• Students learn best in a nurturing and safe environment
• Students will rise to the expectations of the educator
• Educators must honor and support the diverse backgrounds and abilities of each student
• Educators should be constantly aware of the potential life-changing effect they have on their students
• Educators are aware that they are serving as role models
• Education is a reciprocal process
• Education is required for making informed decisions
• Education should entice people to become lifelong learners

The Early Childhood Education Department program bases outcomes on the five standards set forth by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

• Standard 1: Promoting Child Development and Learning
• Standard 2: Building Family & Community Relationships
• Standard 3: Observing, Documenting & Assessing to Support Young Children & Families
• Standard 4: Teaching and Learning
• Standard 5: Becoming a Professional

The past and present strengths of the Early Childhood Education Department include a dedication to quality instruction, a supportive college administration, community respect, responsiveness to community needs, quality field placements, articulation agreements with local universities, a partnership with Buncombe County Smart Start, and instructors dedicated to students and their families. These strengths result in well-prepared graduates who have a positive influence on the lives of the children and the families with whom they work.

The Early Childhood Education Department strives to build on past and present strengths while continually seeking to improve the quality of the educational experience for our students. We are committed to ongoing assessment of our curriculum/courses, making necessary improvements to meet the needs of our students and the evolving field of early childhood education.

Contact Tamara Wolfe

• Email: tamaraewolfe@abtech.edu

• NC Division of Child Development
• NC Rated License Assessment Project
• National Association for the Education of Young Children
• NC Association for the Education of Young Children
• TEACH Scholarship
• North Carolina Institute for Child Development Professionals (Early Educator Certification)

Meet the Faculty and Staff of the Early Childhood Department

Tamara Wolfe - Department Chairperson

• Email: tamaraewolfe@abtech.edu
• Phone: (828) 398-7372

Education:

• B.A. - UNC-Chapel Hill
• M.Ed. - Union Institute and University
• M.S. Management and Leadership – Western Governors University

Biography:

For the last two decades, Tamara has taught a diverse group of learners from pre-k through college. A Morehead-Cain Scholar, she received her B.A. in Child Development and Family Studies and Birth to Kindergarten licensure from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tamara was then trained to work with students with autism through the TEACCH program at the UNC School of Medicine. Her love of reading and books led her to pursue her M.Ed. in Reading and Pre-K/Primary Education.

Tamara has presented at local, regional, and national conferences for teachers and has provided professional development at numerous public and private schools. She has presented twice at the NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence and was also recognized as a recipient of the NISOD Excellence Award. Locally, Tamara has served as a mentor for NC Pre-K teachers in Buncombe and Madison Counties and worked on multiple early childhood projects with Buncombe Partnership for Children and Children First/Communities in Schools. She is a member of the Buncombe NC Pre-K Advisory Committee.

Erin DeBruyn - Instructor Education Department

• Email: erinadebruyn@abtech.edu
• Phone: (828) 398-7465

Education:

• B.A. – SUNY Cortland
• M.Ed. – UNC Greensboro

Biography:

After working in the childcare field for almost 20 years, Erin is thrilled to join the education department. Since her early beginnings working with elementary school children in an after-school program, Erin has worked with children of all ages. She later discovered her love of working with preschoolers. In early childhood, she has served in many roles, ranging from assistant teacher to mentor teacher, to assistant director. Her wealth of on-the-ground experience gives valuable insight into the challenges facing the field of early childhood.

As a student of the A-B Tech education department herself, Erin gained an understanding of the need to create a professional, well-educated early childhood workforce. It was in part this realization that pushed her to pursue her master’s degree in early childhood education. While she originally began working on her master’s to help strengthen her own teaching practice, Erin realized that her passion was in supporting early childhood teachers in their journey. She is honored to serve hard-working teachers in this way.

Beth Pokorski, PhD, BCBA-D - Instructor, Education Department

• Email: bethapokorski@abtech.edu
• Phone: (828) 398-7243

Education:

• B.S. – University of North Carolina at Asheville
• M.S. – Radford University
• Ph.D. – Vanderbilt University

Certifications

• Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral Level

Biography:

While working as a botanist, Dr. Beth Pokorski took a part-time job babysitting a young girl with a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). This part-time job changed her life, creating a serendipitous spiral into the world of Early Childhood Special Education. Today, Dr. Beth Pokorski has worked with young children for nearly 20 years, serving as a preschool special education teacher, a behavior specialist (BCBA-D) for children with autism, and a scientific researcher and author. Providing individualized and targeted interventions to young children with delays or disabilities is a passion for Beth, who believes every child deserves equal access and equal opportunity.

Dr. Pokorski earned her doctorate in Special Education from Vanderbilt University in 2019. Her academic research has focused on supporting young children with disabilities to increase their independence through developmentally appropriate, ethical, and evidence-based intervention. As an instructor, Beth is dedicated to supporting practitioners of young children in acquiring the necessary skills to become compassionate and effective teachers; she is overjoyed to be doing this important work at AB-Tech.

When not at work, Beth spends as much time as possible with her 5-year-old son, infant daughter, and wild pup. They love to hike, camp, and garden (which is really an excuse to look for dinosaur bones and bugs). Inside, Beth and her family enjoy reading, cooking, and—most importantly—playing.