Vivian Gussin Paley is an American kindergarten teacher and writer and has been our patron since the company began in 2002.
Vivian received her B.A. from the University of Chicago in 1947 and her
MA from Hofstra University in 1962. After obtaining her MA, Vivian returned to the University of Chicago, where she spent the rest of her career.
In the 1980s she published a series of books that made her perhaps the best known kindergarten teacher in America and she still publishes today. At present Vivian has written and published 13 books.
Her book The Boy Who Would Be a Helicopter inspired Trisha Lee, MakeBelieve Arts Artistic Director, to pioneer Vivian's work in the UK under the name Helicopter Stories: Letting Imagination Fly.
Vivian has been the recipient of many awards, including a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (Genius Award), and in 2004 was named Outstanding Educator by the National Council of Teachers of English.
In recognition of Paley's profound impact on the field of early childhood education, the 92Y has created the annual 92Y Vivian Gussin Paley Award for Early Childhood Excellence. Beginning in 2011, this award will be given to a classroom teacher each year whose work exemplifies the highest standards of excellence and represents the values and vision that Vivian and the 92Y Wonderplay faculty share for early childhood educators.
Vivian passed away on July 26th 2019. We will endeavour to keep the ethos and kindness through Helicopter Stories that this wonderful person gave to the world.
Michael Rosen
MakeBelieve Arts welcomed Michael Rosen as our UK patron in 2012.
Michael Rosen was born in 1946 in North London. One of the best-known figures in the children's book world, he is renowned for his work as a poet, performer, broadcaster and scriptwriter. As an author and by selecting other writers’ works for anthologies he has been involved with over 140 books.
He lectures and teaches in universities on children’s literature, reading and writing and is a familiar voice to BBC listeners, currently presenting Word of Mouth, the magazine programme that looks at the English language and the way we use it. From 2007 to 2009 Michael Rosen was the Children's Laureate.
He also runs one-term or one-year courses for teachers at teachers’ centres, curriculum development centres and, more specifically, at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, during which classroom teachers present their observations of their work and share ideas.
To read more about Michael visit his WEBSITE
Board of Trustees
Glenys Ingham (Chair - Retired Head Teacher, Beecroft Garden Primary School, Lewisham)
Debby Thacker (Retired Tutor at Gloucester University and children’s literature expert)
Kym Scott (Provides consultancy, training, workshops and keynote speeches across the UK and overseas on a number of subjects related to early years)
Bonnie Mendoza (Head of Early Years and a teacher of Reception and Nursery children)
Karen Hadfield (Early Years teacher based in Croydon)
Sally Veale (Vice Principal and Head of Key Stage 2 leading on Emotionally Healthy Schools, Personal Development and SMSC at a school in Cheshire)