Aurora Public Schools

To be a child is to be a dreamer. That’s why when you walk into a classroom at Early Beginnings Child Development Center (CDC), you might be lucky enough to hear a 4-year-old student tell you they want to be a grasshopper when they grow up.

“I’ve heard everything from a shark to an astronaut, [from] a president to Hello Kitty,” chuckled Jayne Frazier, an Early Childhood Education Facilitator at Early Beginnings. “And my response is always the same: you can be anything you want to be. Don’t ever, ever, ever let anyone tell you that you can’t.”

While it might be hard for most practically thinking grown-ups to figure out how a child becomes a fictional cartoon character, Frazier, an educator of 24 years, envisions that future easily.

“You may not be Hello Kitty, but you may go into animation and create your own Hello Doggy,” she laughed. “The younger you get that belief instilled in them, the better.”

Confidence and creativity are building blocks in early learning, but so are – well, building blocks. Frazier says that while it might look like simple playing, her students are learning pattern recognition, problem solving and even math. Group this all together with social and motor skills development and, suddenly, that colorful block tower before you becomes an educational monument. It’s this kind of environment that paves the way for a love of learning.

“Imagination is the biggest key to any learning experience,” said Aspen Randell, an Infant Paraprofessional Specialist at Early Beginnings. “When they’re playing, they’re in their natural state. They’re not pressured or intimidated by learning because it’s happening naturally.”