About our authors
George S. Morrison is Professor Emeritus of early childhood education at the University of North Texas where he taught early childhood education and development to undergraduates and mentored masters and doctoral students. He is an experienced teacher and principal in the public schools.
Professor Morrison's accomplishments include a Distinguished Academic Service Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Outstanding Service and Teaching Awards from Florida International University and the College of Education Faculty Teaching Excellence Award at the University of North Texas. His books include Early Childhood Education Today; Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education, 9th Edition; and Teaching in America, 5th Edition. Professor Morrison has also written books about the education and development of infants, toddlers and preschoolers; child development; the contemporary curriculum and parent/family/community involvement. He finds the intersection of theory and practice has tremendous implications for how we practice early childhood education.
Dr. Morrison's professional interests focus on how societal changes influence and change early childhood education and teacher preparation. He believes the intersections between what was, what is and what could be provide fertile opportunities for developing new approaches to how we educate young children.
Dr. Morrison is President and CEO of New Beginnings: The Betty Jane Morrison Foundation for Homeless Children, a non-profit agency whose mission is to prevent homelessness by providing homes, rent, utility assistance, love and care for homeless families and children (birth to age 8).
Lorraine Breffni is the Executive Director of Early Childhood and Parenting Institutes at Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) Mailman Segal Center for Human Development. She is also Affiliate Faculty at NSU's Fischler College of Education. Dr. Breffni directly supervises 3 early childhood programs, including an infant and toddler program; a preschool program; and a parent and child education program. She has worked as an instructor/mentor for the Community Outreach initiative at the Mailman Segal Center, assisting preschool teachers as they enhance emergent literacy practices in their classrooms and as they develop strategies to accommodate the needs of at-risk children and families.
Dr. Breffni has coauthored the text All About Child Care and Early Education (Pearson) and its companion resource All About Child Care and Early Education: A Trainee's Manual, and has contributed chapters to Early Childhood Education Today, 14th Edition. She has written numerous articles for publication and has developed and taught a diverse range of academic subjects at NSU, including courses on Developmental Psychopathology, Play Therapy, Best Practice in Emergent Literacy and Best Practice in Prekindergarten Curriculum.
Mary Jean Woika has worked in early childhood education and early childhood special education for more than 30 years. She is currently an assistant professor and program manager at Broward College. In addition to teaching, her responsibilities at the college include mentoring practicum students in their early childhood classrooms throughout Broward County and mentorship to the North Campus Lab School. Ms. Woika has coauthored a textbook and trainee's manual, All About Child Care and Early Education, which was developed to be used in the training of child development association (CDA) students and contributed chapters to Early Childhood Education Today, 14th Edition.
Before coming to Broward College Ms. Woika was a childcare director, an early interventionist, an early childhood special education teacher, a behavior consultant and an inclusion specialist in an outreach program. She has taught college courses in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Florida, in face-to-face, blended and online formats. Ms. Woika has sat on several state and county early childhood education committees.
