Jennifer Romack
POSITION: Professor
DEPARTMENT:Kinesiology
EMAIL: jennifer.romack@csun.edu
PHONE: 818-677-3219
WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU? I can provide guidance about why young children (birth to 5 years) should be more physically active, how to plan and implement developmentally appropriate movement activities in family child care homes and center-based care, research related to perceived and actual motor competence, and amount and levels of physical activity in children ages 5 and under.
ABOUT: I have been intrigued in how we move and learn to move since my undergraduate years. This interest steered me to graduate school (M.S.) and a teaching credential. As a credentialed elementary physical education specialist, I spent seven years fostering change in children’s motor skills while observing the process. These years stimulated my return to graduate school (Ph.D.) and studying motor behavior. Right out of my doctoral program I came to CSUN, where I predominately teach motor development. I am particularly interested in how children acquire and refine motor skills during the early years of life, and the influence that physical activity has on motor competence. The majority of my work is in community settings where my students and I engage with and study children and child care providers (family child care homes, center-based programs).
Holli Tonyan
POSITION: Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT:Psychology
EMAIL: holli.tonyan@csun.edu
PHONE: 818-677-4970
WHAT CAN I DO FOR YOU? I can provide general guidance about careers in psychology, early childhood (e.g., centers and family child care homes, but also home visiting, coaching, providing technical assistance, resource and referral), policy, and social work. I can provide more detailed and specific guidance around careers related to child care (also called “day care”): research, policy, program design and evaluation.
ABOUT: I started as an assistant in an infant classroom of a child care center, but most of my career has been in research to better understand the characteristics of interactions and child care settings that influence children’s development. I worked for three years in a teacher preparation program for early childhood education in Melbourne, Australia. My research currently focuses on family child care homes: child care that takes place in the provider’s own home.