HELPING NEIGHBORS

Retiree dedicated to spreading love of learning

Longtime teacher volunteers with early education advocacy group

Jessica VanderKolk

Linda Domin developed an early love of teaching and young children, playing school as a child herself.

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

Linda Domin has been volunteering at Grace Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten for the past 3 years. Domin has also been volunteering at Centre County Smart Start for the last 9 years. CDT/Nabil K. Mark October 12, 2009

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She used that love in the 1960s to start Grace Lutheran Preschool and Kindergarten at State College’s Grace Lutheran Church with friend Gwen Bunnell, and then taught kindergarten at Lemont Elementary School for 28 years before retiring in 2002.

Months after her retirement, Domin was sought out as a volunteer for Smart Start-Centre County, an advocacy group for early childhood education that supports local families with young children and provides resources to help children prepare for kindergarten.

“It’s just a good way to keep me involved,” said Domin, still a Grace Lutheran school volunteer. “To me, it’s about sharing what I’ve learned from the experiences I’ve had with children.”

Those moments have led to suggestions for helping children prepare for school, including visiting their new schools, riding the school bus for the first time, learning the alphabet and reading.

“The kids are like sponges,” she said. “They learn to love books if you read to them. They learn to like travel if you take them places. This is the age they learn to love learning.”

Domin has spent decades in the State College area helping foster that love.

After graduating from Penn State with a degree in elementary education, Domin and Bunnell approached the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in 1966 and asked about starting a preschool. The pastor asked if the women could do it with $50 and they agreed, offering hands-on learning to local children.

“We knew how important it was to include the development of physical, social and emotional skills,” Domin said. “These skills are still an important focus of Smart Start.”

Domin serves on the organization’s Parenting and Literacy Committee and has helped develop several publications for local families, including “Babies Rock with Books,” a list of books, music and other resources for parents and children up to age 3.

She names more than a few favorite children’s stories, including “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown and two by Bill Martin Jr., “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” and “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.”

In her own classroom, Domin brought books to life for her students by cooking green eggs and ham after reading the Dr. Seuss book and by writing to authors, many of whom sent back letters and postcards.

Domin calls reading “the best thing parents can do for their kids.” She also promotes the activity in the annual Pre-K Calendar she helps Smart Start produce and distribute annually. The full-color calendar features monthly activities for parents and children, including creative approaches to learning, such as practicing letters on a peanut butter sandwich.

Smart Start Executive Director Eileen Wise said she appreciates any volunteer willing to pitch in where needed. Domin’s teaching experience, Wise said, is valuable to her work with the organization.

“I think she’s very aware of the kinds of things that work for children, the kinds of activities they’re going to relate to, that’ll have an impact,” Wise said. “And I think she understands the needs of parents very well.”

Even after so many years, Domin’s affinity for children hasn’t waned.

That enthusiasm, Wise said, continues to fuel the volunteer work benefiting Smart Start.

“People who don’t really work with young children, they don’t know that,” Wise said. “They don’t have that joy every day. She’s just so full of joy.”

For more information, contact Smart Start at 238-0331 or info@smartstartcc.org.

Editor's note: "Helping Neighbors" features an exceptional volunteer in Centre County each Monday. To nominate someone for a future story, e-mail cdtnewstips@centredaily.com.