Inside Education and Health Sciences

By Emily Clemenson

Sarah Hogan '24 grew up playing "teacher" with her stuffed animals and nurturing her dolls. Although she considered the idea of other career fields when trying to decide on a major, she applied to work at the Bombeck Family Learning Center during her freshman year at the University of Dayton.

"That's where I found my true passion for children and being a part of their success," Hogan said. "I often tell people that this job changed my life—the families I've met, differences I've made, colleagues who've become like second mothers to me."

She's not exaggerating with the second mothers comment, either. Hogan actually attended the Bombeck Family Learning Center in the early 2000s when she was a toddler. She was placed in the Glider Room under the care of Mary Williams, who remembers Hogan as a quiet and happy kid. 

"She was a natural little mother 'caring' for the classroom baby dolls," Williams recalls. "Her instincts for childcare were evident from the beginning."

Williams retired from the University of Dayton at the end of June, after 27 years of employment at the Bombeck Center. In her time here, she cared for numerous children and has supervised dozens of college-aged students studying teacher education. It was special, she said, to work alongside college-aged Hogan in recent years.

"She is one of the few student workers I would rate as 'excellent,'" Williams said. "She approaches this job with tenderness, flexibility, patience and humor and she is perfect in her role."

As a college student, the experiential learning opportunities at the Bombeck Center solidified Hogan's call to work in early childhood education. It was meaningful to have these experiences in the classrooms from her childhood with the caregiver she considers to be family.

"I was able to work side by side with her in the Flyer [infant] room and Glider [toddler] room. She has a gift," Hogan said. "I have learned how to balance building a strong rapport with the children and implementing experiential learning. I've never seen Mary angry or frustrated—and toddlers can be a lot. She handles them with such grace and positivity. If you see Mary in action, you see how much these children adore her."

This summer, after graduating with a degree to teach Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 5, Hogan accepted a full-time position as an educator at the Bombeck Family Learning Center. She was able to overlap with Williams as colleagues for about six weeks before Williams' retirement.

"The lasting impact Mary has had on this center is something I hope to achieve as well," Hogan said. "My mom and I like to think if it weren't for her, I wouldn't be back here today."