Forsyth Tech Opens Onsite Child Care Program to Train Early Childhood Ed Students

Forsyth Tech’s new Early Childhood LAB School

features a bright, contemporary, age-appropriate and stimulating

learning environment for children ages 3 to 5 years old.

"(Winston-Salem, NC) – Forsyth Tech has opened an Early Childhood LAB School at 2410 Oak Grove Center on the college’s Main Campus in Winston-Salem that is designed to provide Early Childhood Education students with onsite supervised, hands-on teaching experience and instruction. The program is open to Forsyth Tech faculty and students as well as the general public and is now accepting applications.  

The LAB school has been created for children ages 3 to 5 with a maximum capacity of 15 children. The half-day program runs Monday through Friday from 8 am to noon, giving children up to four hours of participation in an enriching and well-planned environment. The best-practices program is designed to stimulate growth and development, meeting the individual needs of each child. The daily curriculum includes indoor and outdoor activities, art, music, math, science, language and literacy, dramatic play, gross and fine motor coordination, and technology. Nutritious snacks are also provided. There is a one-time registration fee of $75 and tuition is $300 per month per child.

“We are so excited about the opening of our Early Childhood LAB school—our vision for this teaching facility has been 15 years in the making,” says Karatha Scott, the lab school coordinator. “This program is vital to the training of our early childhood education students, and provides them with the same level of expert training, instruction and supervision that’s available at four-year institutions. It represents an investment in the future as most of our students will get jobs right here in our local community after they graduate.”

Forsyth Tech Early Childhood Education interns are carefully supervised and coached by certified teachers who possess strong backgrounds in early childhood education and who mentor the students in how to administer quality, nurturing care in an environment that is developmentally appropriate, stimulating and comfortable.

Parents are welcome to interact with their children via the Observation Room or Parent-Resource Corner, which is stocked with age-appropriate books, games, technology, book packs and other academic materials that are available for parents to check out. The Parent-Resource Corner was created through a $23,000 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation and is designed to develop literacy pathways with innovative school-to-home and home-to-school learning options for parents and their children.

The LAB school schedule will align with Forsyth Tech’s academic calendar year schedule.

For more information, contact Karatha Scott at 336.734.7974 or kscott@forsythtech.edu.

Visit: https://www.forsythtech.edu/early-childhood-lab-school/."

- A Press Release

Forsyth Tech Team Takes First Place in NSF Competition with Energy-Efficient Solar Greenhouse Project

Students Apply Nanotechnology to Innovation

Forsyth Tech’s team of nanotech students placed first in the National Science Foundation’s 2016 Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). Team members include (l to r) Jack Landgraf, Philip York, Shannon Coalson, Adam Afifi and nanotechnology instructor, Dr. Mehrdad Tajkarimi.

"(Winston-Salem, NC) – The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced late this afternoon that a panel of expert judges selected Forsyth Technical Community College’s team of nanotechnology students as first place winners in the 2016 Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). The students’ innovative approach to applying nanotechnology to maximize the efficiency of greenhouses through solar energy elevated them to the national championship.

Normandale Community College in Minnesota and Virginia Western Community College in Virginia tied for second place.

Forsyth Tech’s team included Shannon Coalson, Adam Afifi, Jack Landgraf and Philip York. They were selected from among 10 finalist teams across the country that participated in a rigorous multi-month process requiring them to develop innovative, research-based solutions to challenges at the nexus of food, energy and water systems.

The 10 teams spent this week attending a four-day innovation “boot camp” in Arlington, VA during which they received feedback on their presentations and met with experts on subjects including team-based design, communicating the value of innovation and transitioning research to commercialization.

The boot camp included a visit to the U.S. Capitol yesterday where teams had the chance to present their projects to members of Congress and legislative staff.

 The Forsyth Tech team’s innovation addressed modernizing today’s greenhouses to fit individual customer needs by incorporating the use of renewable, cost-efficient energy sources through the use of nanotechnology.

“This national distinction places a tremendous shining star on our nanotech students’ résumés,” says Michael Ayers, dean of Math, Science, & Technologies. “It validates the type of innovative programming that Forsyth Tech offers, which few other colleges across the country can match.

“This experience places our students on the bleeding edge of science by encouraging research and innovation that is usually associated with four-year universities. We are so proud of them!”

“The national attention we have received from participation in this Innovation Challenge will open doors to our students and Forsyth Tech,” says Dr. Mehrdad Tajkarimi, the students’ nanotechnology instructor. “It will make it easier for our students to obtain jobs and for the college to gain partners who could potentially help bring this and other innovations to market.”

The NSF, in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), developed the CCIC competition as a way to foster development of crucial innovation skills among students in one of the nation’s most significant academic sectors. Community colleges play an important role in developing America’s technical workforce, in part by involving groups traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.

“The Community College Innovation Challenge presented these students with real-world questions that the scientific community is working to answer,” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, NSF assistant director for Education and Human Resources. “It has been gratifying to see how enthusiastically all of this year’s participants have responded to that challenge. These winning teams are emblematic of the kinds of quality entries we received.”

Other winning teams and their projects included:

·       Normandale Community College, Minnesota: Wastewater Hydrokinetic Turbine

·       Virginia Western Community College, Virginia: Efficient Mechanical Collection Method of Recovering Waste Apples

·       Northeast Community College, Nebraska: CROP-IT Solution to Regulate Irrigation Equipment

·       Perimeter College at Georgia State University, Georgia: Autonomous Technology Lake Algae Skimmer

·       Tulsa Community College, Oklahoma: Automated Microfluidic Colorimetry Lab for Aquaponic Monitoring (AMCLAM)

·       Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Wisconsin: Junk Yard Generator

·       Henry Ford College, Michigan: Rescue Restaurant Food Waste to Address Hunger

·       Red Rocks Community College, Colorado: Cooling Tower Blow Down Water Conservation

·       Bucks County Community College, Pennsylvania: The Wind Catcher Max Wind Tower

About Forsyth Tech

Forsyth Tech provides students with flexible educational pathways to a competitive workforce for the community and global economy. The college offers associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates in more than 200 programs of study, including programs that promote personal and professional development through non-credit courses and seminars, as well as customized training for business and industry.

Forsyth Tech is the fifth largest community college in North Carolina and serves more than 35,000 students with approximately 1,500 full and part-time faculty and staff."

- A Press Release

Forsyth Tech Invites Community to Show Off, Admire Classic Vehicles at Annual Cruise-In

Classic cars, muscle cars, race cars and more—all restored to pristine condition—will be on display during Forsyth Tech’s third annual Open House and Cruise-In at the Transportation Technology Center, 4255 N. Patterson Avenue, Winston-Salem, on Saturday, April 30 from 10 am – 2 pm.

Family-Friendly Event Takes Place Sat., April 30, 10 am – 2 pm

"(Winston-Salem, NC) – Forsyth Tech will hold its third annual Open House and Cruise-In at the Forsyth Tech Transportation Technology Center, 4255 N. Patterson Avenue in Winston Salem, on Saturday, April 30 from 10 am – 2 pm.

Car enthusiasts are invited to bring their vehicles to the Cruise-In—all makes and models are welcome with no pre-registration required. Gates open at 9:30 am. Last year’s Cruise-In attracted 150 cars and drew approximately 500 visitors.

This event, which is family-friendly, free and open to the public, will be held rain or shine. Food will be available, and beach music will set the tone for the day. Guided tours of the college’s Transportation Technology Center, the most advanced center of its kind in the southeast, will be offered starting at 11 am. 

The Transportation Technology Center is home to the college’s race car, collision repair and refinishing, automotive systems, heavy equipment and transport, motorcycle repair, and recreational vehicle maintenance & repair technology programs.

For more information on the Cruise-In and Open House, call 336.757.3399 or visit forsythtech.edu."

- A Press Release