Contact Information

The EYC faculty members bring with them diverse experience in early childhood education. Interaction with faculty, who are involved in numerous research projects in child development and early childhood education, helps the EYC students acquire a broad knowledge in early care and education of young children.

Dr. Hengameh Kermani, associate professor of education joined the faculty at the Watson School of Education in 1995. She received all three of her degrees from University of California at Santa Barbara in Developmental Psychology and Sociology, Early Childhood Education, and Educational Psychology with emphasis in Human Development. Prior to her move to Wilmington, Hengameh worked as a classroom teacher with children ages 2 through 9 in a multicultural context. During her tenure at UNCW, she served as a program coordinator for six years and currently teaches: EDN 382 – Literacy Development in the Early Years, EDN 430 - Preschool Curriculum, EDN 463 - Child, Family and Teacher Relations, EDN 460 - Administration of Preschool Programs, EDN 384 - Creating Preschool Environments, and EDN 465 - Practicum in Education of Young Children. Her research in the past 10 years has focused on maternal teaching strategies and their impact on children’s problem solving abilities, family literacy, peer-tutoring, and impact of technology on learning and teaching.

Dr. Candra Thornton, assistant professor of early childhood education joined the Watson School of Education in 2006. She received her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education from The University of Texas at Austin in 2002. Her Master of Science degree is from the University of Houston and her Bachelor of Science degree is from Lamar University; both of which are in Early Childhood Education. Before coming to UNCW, Dr. Thornton taught early childhood education courses at Auburn University, The University of Texas, and Southwestern University. She also taught kindergarten for a number of years in the Houston, TX area. In the EYC program at UNCW, Dr. Thornton teaches EDN 302 – Child Observation and Assessment, and EDN 451 – Adaptive Practices in Early Childhood. Her research interests include children’s play and pre-service teacher preparation.