When Monica Hunter, Ph.D., the newly appointed chair of Early Childhood Education was in the third grade her teacher told her, “No matter what you look like, no matter what people say and how they say it, you be the best you.” Though she says she didn’t take those words to heart at such a young age, she has remembered them ever since, and they have inspired her to overcome the obstacles she encountered throughout her education and to help empower others as an educator and through her nonprofit work.
“All of that is the foundation of who I am today in making sure that children have an opportunity,” Dr. Hunter says. “I want justice-centered early childhood education programs, and I want them to be resilient.”
Dr. Hunter joined the faculty of Pacific Oaks College in 2012 as an adjunct at the invitation of the college’s president who had been inspired by a presentation Dr. Hunter gave at an academic conference. She taught courses in early childhood education for the bachelor’s and master’s programs, and she has served as a subject matter expert for course development in the master’s program.
Throughout her time at the college, leadership has invited her to apply for open faculty positions, but she was unable to because she was heading a nonprofit organization and a for-profit business consulting firm. However, when the position of chair of Early Childhood Education became open, she gladly accepted the invitation because creating early childhood education programs and providing programming for marginalized families had always been at the heart of the work she was doing.
“I want to invest in the lives of others so that they could be their best selves, whether a student, an adjunct, or faculty,” Dr. Hunter says. “That’s why I became the chair of Pacific Oaks Early Childhood Education program. The mission and the vision align with my passion.”
In her 14 years at Pacific Oaks, Dr. Hunter has seen up close the challenges facing both the students at a majority-minority institution and the students in the classrooms where they will one day teach.
“Children and families are navigating unprecedented levels of stress,” she says, “economic instability, policy changes within our government, housing insecurity, and mental health challenges.” For this reason, Dr. Hunter is hoping to expand scholarship opportunities through grants and is fundraising through nonprofit to raise money for scholarships as well.
Additionally, Dr. Hunter is looking to strengthen community partnerships with nonprofits, school districts and early childhood coalitions. In the wake of the Eaton Fires in Pasadena and Altadena, the community-wide response demonstrated the necessity and the value of local institutions like Pacific Oaks College and Children’s School partnering with grassroots organizations to respond in trying times.
“Bringing in these collaborations within our community and getting our program along with Pacific Oaks across the board,” Dr. Hunter explains. “I’m not just thinking early childhood education, I’m thinking about every single program that Pacific Oaks offers and making those collaborations with community partners.”
Hunter also sees adaptability and innovation as essential to leading the program through a changing higher education landscape. Now that she is serving as chair, she says she is thinking more proactively about how Pacific Oaks can anticipate challenges rather than simply respond to them. “You have to be forward-thinking,” Dr. Hunter says. “How could I stay in front of the changes that are coming, help bridge the gaps in what’s coming?”
In keeping with the charge she received from her teacher years ago, Dr. Hunter wants students and graduates of Pacific Oaks College to take a big-picture view of their roles as educators.
“What I would like for our early childhood programs and for our graduates to have is the ability to advocate for others, and to create classrooms where children feel safe, families feel supported, and communities feel seen,” she says. “I want them to lead with courage, advocate for equity, and bring creativity into every challenge to help children and families thrive even when the world is uncertain.”
