Lumley Honored by Early Childhood Educators, Advocates

Kathryn Wentzel Lumley, of Jersey Shore RR 2, has been honored for her notable achievements and commitment to educating young children. Lumley received a special Distinguished Educator Award from the Central Susquehanna Association for the Education of Young Children at its fourth annual conference, held recently at Pennsylvania College of Technology.

At the conference luncheon, Nancy Grausam, assistant professor of education and early childhood education at Penn College and a past president of CSAEYC, presented Lumley with a "Circle of Children" pin, the symbol of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, of which CSAEYC is an affiliate.

Lumley's contributions to the field of early childhood education include being a founder of Reading Is Fundamental, a national nonprofit organization designed to motivate children to read by allowing freedom of choice in book selection and providing the pride of ownership. RIF is under the wings of the Smithsonian Institution and is the largest, nonprofit program in the United States designed to overcome illiteracy. Lumley continues to serve as a member of RIF's National Board of Directors.

Lumley's career in education included several years as a reading specialist in Maryland and Washington, D.C. She is the author of a language arts reading series for Rand McNally and author of several books for children, including "Monkeys and Apes," "Animals That Work," and "Washington, D.C., in Words and Pictures." With cartoonist Charles M. Schulz of Peanuts fame, she authored three "Snoopy's Secret Code" books.

Her distinguished contributions to the education of young children and to literacy have earned her many national and state awards.

Lumley is a long-standing member of Penn College's Board of Directors. In 1991, the College named its new aviation facility at the Williamsport Regional Airport in Montoursville in her honor.

CSAEYC is the local affiliate group of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the world's largest membership group for early childhood educators and advocates. The affiliate has about 80 members, living in an eight-county area of Central Pennsylvania and working in child care centers, Head Start, private nursery schools, and public schools throughout the area. The association also boasts a large student membership, primarily from Penn College but also including education students from Lock Haven University and Luzerne County Community College. Members as well as many non-members attend CSAEYC's conference, held annually at Penn College. The conference provides professional training and networking opportunities.