Early Math Project

Back to Early Math Symposium June 2024

Making Math Meaningful: Infants and Toddlers

Young children are natural mathematicians, seeking to explore and make sense of their world from the time they are born! The five mathematical learning foundations can seem daunting and difficult to apply in everyday interactions with infants and toddlers, but early math learning is all about active exploration, problem solving and real life application. In this workshop we will break down the five foundational concepts that will prepare infants and toddlers for deeper mathematical learning and discover how open-ended play and interactions foster deep understanding of math concepts.

Download Available:

• Presentation PowerPoint

Presenters:

As the Curriculum Supervisor, Brenda supports children, families, and educators by designing bilingual curriculum, play group development and facilitation, workshop development and delivery, instructional manual writing, partnership development, and interactive book sharing. She really enjoys creating curricula that is inclusive, equitable, and meets families and educators where they are, as they are. Brenda holds a BA in Sociology from Colorado State University, a Family Development Credential from University of Connecticut, and a certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Brenda has over 12 years of experience working with children and families and has been a classroom educator herself. Brenda’s favorite books change depending on what time of day you ask her, but as of the writing of this bio her top four are They All Saw a Cat, Egg, Sirenas, and Bodies are Cool.

Brenda Gardner

Cecilia Valdez holds a Masters in Early Childhood Education from CSU East Bay and has over 15 years of experience in the field as an educator and administrator. She brings expertise in designing and implementing curriculum that helps educators, parents, and nonprofit staff deepen their understanding of early literacy, social-emotional learning, math, trauma-informed practices, and more. Cecilia is currently a Curriculum Specialist at Tandem where she is thrilled to work in her native Bay Area partnering with children, families, educators and the community to promote early learning.

Cecilia Valdez