A love for child development and mobility has inspired the Campbell University’s Department of Physical Therapy to partner with a local nonprofit dedicated to improving the health, education and development of young children.
The department’s Pediatric Special Interest Group (Peds SIG) — along with Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy Dr. T.R. Goins and Dr. Jennifer Lowery from the School of Education & Human Sciences — met recently with the Harnett Partnership for Children and 15 early childhood educators in Lillington to discuss an educational course created specifically for them. “Implementing Movement and Improving Motor Skills” was designed by the group — consisting of 17 second- and third-year physical therapy students — specifically for infant teachers who want to better understand why movement matters and how important their role is in the development of young children.
The session blended research with real classroom practice. The students designed a colorful educational handout describing gross motor milestones and created interactive stations where they demonstrated how to identify developmental delays and create environments that encourage infants and toddlers towards their next movement milestones.
“This group is passionate about bridging the gap between pediatric therapy and early childhood education,” said Baylee Baldwin, a third-year PT student and Peds SIG president. “We recognize that infant and toddler teachers play a critical role in shaping foundational motor, cognitive and social development. We wanted to support the teachers by providing evidence-informed strategies that empower them in their daily classrooms.”
Goins — the Peds SIG advisor who teaches the PT course Lifespan: Pediatrics and Neuroscience — said she could not have been prouder of the group for its research and its outreach.
“I have watched these students from the first day of pediatrics with their fears and uncertainty move to feeling passionate about promoting movement for the pediatric population,” Goins said. “I am so incredibly proud of them and their journey. By moving into the role of education, the students are moving toward application of the information with the community, beyond the classroom.”
Lynda Turlington, program coordinator for the Harnett Partnership for Children’s Early Childhood Program, said she was thrilled to have Campbell students not only teach, but “truly listen” to and learn from the teachers from her group.
“I was in awe of the energy in the room,” Turlington said. “The Campbell students brought such excitement, and seeing us all learn from one another reminded me how powerful collaboration can be. The way infant teachers — with their real classroom experience — and students — with their knowledge of early physical development — shared ideas and learned together made strategies for infant development truly come alive.This energetic, interactive, hands-on training will have a lasting impact.”
Once the teachers had rotated through all the stations and the students reviewed the most important content points, Lowery addressed the room with a reminder about the importance of being called to teach and specifically called to care for young children.
Reflecting on the evening, Lowry was still smiling days later.
“Seeing our physical therapy students engaging with preschool educators reminded me that service is a shared calling across disciplines, and it is powerful when Campbell shows up together,” Lowery said. “Moments like this remind us that teaching is a calling, and partnerships like this help Campbell walk alongside educators as they grow into greater leadership and impact as they serve young children in our community.”
Baldwin said she was pleased with how the training session went.
“It was incredibly meaningful to see how eager teachers were to learn about developmental milestones, movement progressions and, most importantly, environmental setup,” she said. “This reminded me that collaboration between healthcare and education can create lasting change for children during their most formative years.”
Campbell’s School of Education & Human Sciences has a long history of working alongside the Partnership for Children and was happy to join the physical therapy students for the evening. Dean Alfred Bryant said that the school “loves” working with community partners like the Harnett County Partnership for Children.
“We also enjoy working with our university partners, like the Physical Therapy program,” he said. “That is what Campbell’s mission of serving rural populations is all about.”
