Mills College - Tilden School Partnership

Mills College is a close neighbor to Tilden School and the strong connections between Mills students and faculty and Tilden staff are just one of the many things that make Tilden's programs unique. Special Education Professor Vicki Van Steenberg wrote to us with this letter of support.

I am writing to acknowledge the Tilden staff and families in their conscientious effort to continue the best possible support for Tilden children’s development and learning. I have had the fortunate opportunity to work with Tilden staff in our joint Mills College – Tilden School Partnership Project the past two years. Additionally, Tilden teachers have supervised Mills College Student Teachers in their classrooms for semester internships in ECE Special Education since 2005.

The Tilden teachers are exemplary teachers who mentor beginning teachers with professionalism and thoughtful direction. The proximity of Tilden to Mills College has been a great advantage to student teachers for supervision and communication between Mills and Tilden staff. The students see the best of both worlds, bringing their experiences at the Mills College Laboratory School and their Masters coursework in Early Childhood Education to real children and experienced professionals in ECE Special Education classrooms.

Through our connection, Tilden teachers have visited the Mills Laboratory School and participated in courses we offer at Mills. The partnership enhances staff development for beginning and seasoned teachers. We have now designed our Special Education curriculum class with Tilden in mind. 15-20 students in this ECE Special Education course volunteer at Tilden each year, supporting instruction in Tilden classrooms and learning from this great opportunity to bring practice to theory under supervision of Tilden teachers.

The Tilden staff has been welcoming, supportive, and truly helpful to both undergraduates in Child Development and graduate students in Education. I appreciate the many contributions of the Tilden teachers to children, college students deciding on future careers, and to new teachers in the field.

I support the thoughtful continuation of service to the children and families at Tilden.

Vicki Van Steenberg
Professor, ECE Special Ed.
Mills College