Andrea Smith

Dr. Andrea Smith received her PhD from Michigan State University in 1993. Her research work has focused on optimizing young children's development, often through providing information, strategies and support to families, including teen parents, families of pre-term and critically ill babies and kinship care family members. Research articles have been published in numerous journals including Childhood Education, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Contemporary Education, Intergeneration Programming Quarterly, Journal for Specialists in Group Work and Children and Schools. Dr. Smith has presented extensively, in both national and international settings. Referred presentations have been made at conferences including the Child Welfare League, Gerontological Society of America, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Council on Family Relations, Aging in America, Head Start and International Society for Human Ecology. As the recipient of two Fulbright Senior Specialist grants, Dr. Smith also presented at and worked with universities in the United Kingdom (Oxford, Keele and Northumbria) and Norway (Tromso). She also traveled to and worked as a consultant, developing programming for families, for the Commonwealth of the Northern Marinas Islands Public School District, Saipan, CNMI. Dr. Smith has received grant funding from several organizations including the US Department of Education and the WK Kellogg Foundation. 

Dr. Smith is recognized as a leading researcher in the area of Kinship Care. In addition to publishing numerous articles and frequenly making conference presentations and key note addresses, Dr. Smith has authored numerous resources for professionals working with kinship care family members. She has also published two workbooks that can be used by kin care group facilitators or by individual kinship caregivers. Dr. Smith is the co-founder of "Grandfamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy" and continues to serve as a co-Executive Editor. This journal, currently in it's 11th year of publication, is the only research journal focusing on kincare family members. This journal has established a sound national and international presence, with articles being downloaded from individuals in over 180 countries.

Dr. Smith coordinated the Early Childhood Master's degree program at WMU for over 30 years. She has primarily taught graduate level courses and integrates an ecological perspective the classes she's teaching. Dr. Smith worked to the develop the Kinship Care Certificate program, offered through the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, which is the only graduate-level program in the country focusing on kin care families. Dr. Smith is passionate about expanding students' knowledge of child development, integrating developmentally appropriate, play-based activities into classroom settings, and partnering effectively with families to enhance young children's development.

Courses Taught

Dr. Smith has a joint appointment and teaches courses for the Departments of Teaching, Learning and Educational Studies and Family and Consumer Sciences

Graduate Level Courses
ED 5750 Administration of Child Development Center (graduate) 
ED 6060 Early Childhood Curriculum Workshop 
ED 6060 Math and Science Learning for Preschool and Kindergarten-aged students 
ED 6061. Infant and Toddler Development
ED 6008 Seminar in Early Childhood Education
ED 6090 Early Childhood Education in Perspective 
ED 6110 Informal Approaches to Studying Young Children 
ED 6140 Working with Diverse Families in Early Childhood Settings
ED 6150 Play and Young Children's Learning 
ED 6160 Piaget for Teachers of Young Children 
ED 6700 School Climate and Discipline 
ED 6760 Teaching Thinking 
ED 6790 Capstone Research Project 
FCS 5110 Kinship Care Family Members: Strengths and Challenges 
FCS 5140. Economic Realities and Kinship Care Families
FCS 6570 Developing Effective Programming for Kinship Care Family Members 

Special Topics Graduate-level Seminars 
ED 5020 Kids and Mental Health: Issues for Educators 
ED 5020 Families in Hard Times: Classroom Effects 
ED 5020 Hot Topics for Today's Educators 
ED 5020 Hollywood and Families 

Undergraduate Courses
ED 5750  Administration of Child Development Centers (undergraduate) 
ED 410/470 The Intern Seminar 
ED 3690 ECE Classroom Organization and Management 
ED 3090 Assessment and Instruction in Early Childhood Inclusive Education 
ED 2002. Elementary Teaching Lab
FCS 3150 Global Ecology of the Family 
FCS 3190 Administration of Child Development Centers 
FCS 4120 Family Policy