Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Shelley Nicholson is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Early Childhood Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Nicholson’s background includes over 25 years of experience in the early childhood field as a preschool teacher, child development center director, curriculum developer, and early childhood teacher educator. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, specializing in Early Childhood Education, from the University of Texas at Austin.   She continues to work in the field as a preschool administrator and as an instructor of continuing education workshops for early childhood teachers. She currently teaches the undergraduate course ALD 321: Play and Early Childhood Development.

Ph.D.  Curriculum & Instruction (Early Childhood Education), University of Texas at Austin, 2008

Nicholson, S. & Reifel, S. (2011). Sink or swim: Child care teachers’ perceptions of entry training experiences. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 32, 5-25.

Reifel, S. & Nicholson, S. (2008). Documenting children’s play stories to enhance learning. Child Care Information Exchange, 30(6), 43-46.

Sutterby, J., Kim, M., Nicholson, S. & Reifel, S. (2008). Instructor’s manual to accompany Play and Child Development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill-Prentice Hall.

• Texas Exes Teaching Award, 2007
• Mabel Pitts Award, Austin Association for the Education of Young Children, 2007