Former Student Who is Now a Teacher at the Bronx Early Learning Center Featured on NY1

NY1 recently featured Roselynn Frempong, a teacher who was once a student at the Bronx Early Learning Center. Watch the video and read more about Roselynn's experience at Volunteers of America-Greater New York below.

When Roselynn Frempong interviewed at the Bronx Early Learning Center (BELC) through Teach for America, she had no idea that she had been in a VOA-GNY Pre-K classroom before. "We loved interviewing her and knew she'd be a really great fit," remembers Maralin Taylor, Assistant Education Director at the BELC. After Roselynn was hired, her father mentioned to her that she had been a student at the Parkchester Early Learning Center, one of the two schools that, in 2007, were joined to form the BELC.

Roselynn's parents often spoke Twi at home, one of the languages of their native Ghana, and when it was time for Roselynn to start Pre-K, they realized she wasn't picking up English as quickly as she should have been. These delays in language development worried the Frempongs, and much to their relief, they found Parkchester while searching for a school that would be able to meet their daughter's unique needs.

With the help of the staff at Parkchester, Roselynn overcame her delay and progressed through school like any other child. Two years ago, she even taught English in Beijing for three months; it was there that she started considering teaching as a career. Now, she's working on a Master's degree with a dual certification in Early Childhood and Special Education.

"She's done a wonderful job so far for a brand new teacher," lauds Maralin. "She's come in and gathered the children to make it a cohesive class and works well as a team with her teaching assistants." Today, Roselynn considers her own experiences with a developmental delay to be a benefit — it helps her work with her students and provides an example of hope to their parents.