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AFTER ACHIEVING state approval in spring 2003, the collaborative Early Childhood Development (ECD) program began. A joint venture between Southern Oregon University and Rogue Community College, the ECD program draws from curricula at both institutions and allows students to earn a bachelor of science degree in early childhood education.

The degree opens avenues for careers as educators, child development specialists, and family advocates, as well as positions in other social service tracks. Program graduates may also use the degree to fulfill the undergraduate degree requirement of SOU’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program’s early childhood/elementary track. The ECD program offers courses delivered online and via two-way video. Geared toward the working student, ECD courses are available in Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, Coos Bay, and Klamath County.

Part of the program’s second graduating cohort, Gloria Cooper is a shining example of what ECD Coordinator and Associate Professor of Education Younghee Kim calls the program’s “passionate, high-quality students.” Now in her senior year, Cooper describes herself as a “lifer.” Education, she says, “is something that happens from the beginning to the end” and is a cumulative, lifelong process. Having pursued higher education for most of her adult life, Cooper is dedicated to providing quality education and development opportunities for younger ones on the path of learning.

Cooper serves as co-director for the YMCA-RCC Child Development Center on Rogue Community College’s Grants Pass campus. She has implemented a successful toddler program, coordinated work-study and practicum students, and facilitated and documented child development. A member of the Oregon Association for the Education of Young Children (OAEYC) and president of the Josephine County chapter, Cooper has provided parenting classes and opportunities for continuing education. “Being in the early childhood field has allowed me to encourage parents to provide quality care for their children,” she says.

Recently, Cooper’s passion for educating young children led her to Kenya. “Through my own education, I became more culturally aware,” she remembers.

While in Africa, Cooper completed a 6-credit practicum and the Curriculum Design in Early Childhood course. On a daily basis, she visited the Victory Academy School and children’s clinic in the village Kambiri, collecting data, examining their curricula, and learning Swahili. Cooper documented her time there with photographs and video, which she shared with her ECD cohort. She also brought back ECD texts in Swahili and English. Partly due to her experiences abroad, Cooper recognizes the importance of incorporating into her curriculum “cultural activities that honor and value all ethnicities.”

Cooper says Younghee Kim has been instrumental in her development as an educator. “She’s been an inspiration,” Cooper says. “She knows how to guide students in the right direction. She’s a great advocate for us.” Cooper appreciates the tutelage of Associate Professor of Sociology S. M. Shamsul Alam, Mathematics Chair and Professor Kemball Yates, and Director of Women’s Studies Barbara Scott Winkler. She cites RCC’s Early Childhood Education faculty member Sue Hamilton Patterson as another mentor, as well as “the famous” RCC Education Director Connie Denham.

Cooper currently holds an associate of applied science (AAS) in early childhood education, as well as a one-year child development degree, a Credential Development Associate (CDA), and a certificate in nutrition from the University of Florida. After graduating with a BS in early childhood development next June, she hopes to spend the summer in Kenya. “I turn fifty in July,” she says, “and I plan to celebrate two big events: the beginning of my career and the second half of my life.” With the goals of helping children lead full, healthy, and happy lives, Gloria Cooper and the young people of the Rogue Valley and Africa have much to celebrate.