Samantha P. Barclay

She is a dedicated early childhood educator with over a decade of experience fostering the cognitive, social, and emotional development of young children in preschool and VPK settings. Currently serving as VPK Instructor at Alachua County Public Schools, she prepares weekly lesson plans, implements developmentally appropriate study programs, leads Parent-Teacher conferences, and supervises activities for up to 15 children. Prior to this role, she spent nearly eight years as an Early Childhood Preschool Teacher at Vanderbilt University, where she designed weekly child-led curriculums based on the Emergent concept, created and taught online preschool curriculum during the pandemic, and collaborated with co-teachers, floats, student workers, and other professionals on classroom structure and leadership. She represented Vanderbilt's childcare centers on the University Staff Advisory Council and served as a voice on the VCFC Curriculum Committee, reviewing research-based curriculum aligned with social-constructivism and the value of play. She also mentored a student in the Next Steps program and presented lectures on the role of early childhood education in child development. She additionally served as Youth Ministry Leader at Nashville First Seventh-Day Adventist Church, working with children from birth to 18 years old. She is recognized as a creative, compassionate, and innovative educator who is deeply committed to nurturing young minds and building strong foundations for lifelong learning.