College Spotlights Education Alumna Patrice Farquharson

On March 26, 2021, Patrice Farquharson, Ed.D., welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris at the West Haven Child Development Center as part of the Biden administration’s “Help Is Here” campaign. The Child Development Center, founded in 1978, is expected to receive funding for teachers and classrooms to further support the care and education of our children. After a period of distance learning, the center, reopened on July 6, 2020. It offers full- and part-day childcare services for infants and children up to age five. While it was closed, the center serviced families remotely by providing diapers and information to access food.

Farquharson is a lifelong resident of West Haven, Connecticut, and is committed to providing a quality, research-based early childhood experience for the children of her city. She is currently in her 43rd year at the West Haven Child Development Center, serving as the executive director. Farquharson also holds the following appointments: Associate Professor of Early Childhood and Child Studies at Post University, the former Dean at the Core Faculty at Charter Oak State College, appointed by the Connecticut Board of Regents, where she teaches Psychology of Play.

Farquharson is active in the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). She has presented many scholarly papers on increasing social-emotional competence in young children at risk and, most recently, leadership in early childhood education. She is also an active interdisciplinary member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).

She is respected in both organizations for her expertise and leadership abilities. In 2010 she received NAPNAP’s President’s Award for her collaborative work in health and education. Farquharson is always on the cutting edge of new ideas and innovations in education and practice. Her record of funding from so many foundations for these projects is evidence of her success in achieving her goals.

Farquharson has faced many challenges throughout her career. However, one of her biggest challenges was educating the public about the importance of the work that is being done in early childhood education. Adding various forms of technology into preschool classrooms is a relatively easy task. However, fully integrating technology into the curriculum is much more complicated. She came up with a way to assist the teachers to feel comfortable with technology and consider using a variety of technology tools when planning the curriculum for children.

Farquharson received her Doctor of Education in Child and Youth Studies from the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice in 1995. She also holds a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education from Southern Connecticut State University and a Bachelors from the University of Connecticut. She says the most exciting thing about child studies is the combination of psychology, sociology and child development. She is a mother of two girls and was even a cheerleader for the New England Patriots cheerleading team.