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WORDS: Niki Richards
In 2009, after happily teaching preschool for more than a decade,
Toni Kennedy found that year to be a pivotal one in her teaching
career. While teaching at a Manatee County preschool, the NAEYC
accredited early childhood educator transformed her gift for educating
young children into a passion to bring a live arts experience right to
the heart of a preschool!
“Child development IS human development," says Toni, citing her
personal teaching philosophy. “I believe that providing young children
with developmentally appropriate arts experiences plays a vital part
in their growth. Educating
the whole child includes
experiencing performing arts."
“But this is a component
nearly always missing
from the early childhood
education setting. My mission is to visit preschools to provide that
live theatrical experience for school readiness programs, to empower
children with information delivered in an entertaining way with the aid
of interactive games and songs, but which also supports teacher's
and parent's goals.”
Toni, a St. Petersburg, FL native, grew up the youngest of nine
children raised by a single mother in the city’s oldest public housing
development. She recalled: “One of my earliest memories was being
woken up before the sun came out. I was given a bath, hot breakfast,
and then carried in the dark and delivered to a neighbor’s house until
my mother came home from work. I’d watch a lot of game shows and
daytime soap operas, and I was privy to all the hot gossip. My neighbor
often said I was a good child, but I knew I wasn’t happy.”
Her face lights up as she recalls her first preschool experience. Toni
explained: “When I was four I was enrolled in the Head Start Preschool
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