Cleveland State appoints Horten new director of early childhood education

Margaret Horten, a faculty member in the early childhood education program at Cleveland State Community College for the past 11 years, has been selected as the new director of the program.

Director Suzanne Wood will retire after 20 years of working at the school. She previously served as coordinator for the program.

“Margaret Horten was able to work with Suzanne for years growing and developing this program, and we are very happy that she has accepted the role of director. She has an excellent understanding of the program, and that has helped make a seamless transition for our students here at Cleveland State,” said Cleveland State Dean of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences Ryan Thompson in a news release.

Horten previously served as an adjunct instructor and faculty member at Cleveland State, working with Wood to obtain accreditation for the school’s early childhood education program from the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

“We have an excellent Early Childhood Education program for students wanting to work with children from birth to third grade and want to share it with our entire service area,” Horten said in a news release. “I want to continue to provide the best program for our college students so they continue to be well prepared for the university programs as well as the work force.”

Her goals for the program moving forward include focusing on the education majors for third through 12th grades and creating more transfer agreements with partnering universities.

Cleveland State offers an associate in applied science in early childhood education degree, a two-year program with a focus on working with students and their families from birth through third grade.