Hunter Institute relocates to Florida College of Education welcomes Hunter Institute on Young Children
An institute dedicated to improving early childhood education and researching how children learn has relocated to Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).
The Hunter Institute on Young Children was established in 2007 at The College at Brockport, a campus of the State University of New York system. It’s mission is to enhance the growth and development of children through quality preschool and elementary education and to promote professional development among teachers and care providers.
The Hunter Institute will be administered by FGCU’s College of Education and will sponsor an annual conference, as well as an annual symposium of experts, both focusing on issues surrounding young children.
The institute also will sponsor the keynote speakers at the fourth annual Children’s Mental Health Conference on Saturday, November 1 by FGCU’s Institute of Government: Patricia Terrasi and Gina Gallagher, authors of “Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid! A Survival Guide for Ordinary Parents of Special Kids.”
The conference aims to raise awareness of the consequences of untreated mental health disorders in children and adolescents. Half of all lifetime cases of mental disorders begin by age 14, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, and only 20 percent of children with mental disorders are identified and receive health services, as reported by the U.S. Public Health Services.
Willard and Judy Hunter of Bonita Springs, Florida, longtime benefactors of The College at Brockport, funded the Hunter Institute’s creation through a charitable remainder trust (CRT) and a charitable gift annuity (CGA) and continue to support its mission at FGCU.
“We purposely funded this institute with a CRT and a CGA so we can be involved in its growth while guaranteeing its long-term future and success,” said Wil Hunter. He is the retired president and CEO of Optem, a Rochester-based custom optical instrument design and manufacturing company he co-founded in 1984 following a 19-year career with Bausch and Lomb Inc. He was a member of The Brockport Foundation Board for 17 years, serving as its chairman from 2001 to 2003.
Judy Hunter, a pre-school teacher for 20 years until her retirement in 1999, knows firsthand the issues that educators face and the value of engaging children in learning early in life.
“We hope the work of the institute will result in a better understanding of how young children learn and how to help them in the classroom,” she said. “Pre-school education is critically important to a child’s future. If we can teach young children to be comfortable in the classroom, they will gain significant self-esteem and will be able to accomplish virtually any goal they set for themselves academically, physically and socially.”
It’s an honor for the college to be the institute’s home, according to Dean and Professor Marci Greene.
“The institute provides us with an excellent avenue for increasing our ability to collaborate with others about the need for quality early childhood education,” she said. “It will greatly assist us in providing teachers, families and other professionals with cutting-edge information and best practices on educating young children.”
Note: The Children’s Mental Health Conference is 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, November 1, in the Cohen Center Ballroom. For registration information, call the Florida Gulf Coast University Institute of Government at (239) 425-3279.
