None of this happened over night. As a teenager, Martha dropped out of school when she became pregnant and later received a GED. When her daughter was 3 years old, Martha volunteered at the local YMCA pre school program where the child was enrolled and discovered her true connection with young children. This inspired her to seek her CDA, and during that process, Martha met Cheryl Foster, director of CDA training at Central Arizona College, who mentored her.

  With Cheryl's guidance, the CDA credential opened doors for Martha and gave her the confidence to move forward in her education. She developed a real balancing act: doing coursework at Scottsdale Comm unity College, maintaining a job at a child care center, and raising her children. By taking just a couple of courses at a time and spreading the process over several years, Martha achieved her associate degree in child care administration.

  While she was learning child care principles in class, Martha was immediately able to apply them in her work at the child care center. This made learning so much more meaningful and gave her an understanding much deeper than schoolwork alone could have given her.

Martha went on to graduate with honors from Arizona State University and eventually received her master's degree. She also excelled in her career, supervising the child care center at the community college, and later working at Central Arizona College.When Cheryl Foster retired, Martha was chosen to succeed her and served as dean of teacher education. Martha continues to give back to the community of early childhood educators by being active in NAEYC and other professional boards. She presently serves as an advisor to many who are continuing their education and she is in demand as an NAEYC presenter and motivational speaker. More recently, Martha has played an active role in the establishment of a national accrediting system for associate degree programs in child care and education.

  Recently, Martha returned to school again, working toward her doctorate in higher educa tion administration. She anticipates receiving this degree in Spring 2008. She also discovered that having a mentor means to become a mentor to someone else. This is what Martha has done, providing a hand up to many others who are seeking to pursue careers in early childhood education.

Ms. Muñoz can be contacted at Martha.Munoz@centralaz.edu.