I've been fascinated with how language develops and how important language is to the overall development and early learning of young children since I started college. My first job in graduate school was working with a T. Berry Brazelton observation tool. He is my idea of a rock star! Recently, I met Dr. Brazelton at a conference and got to shake his hand! In my work I try to bring that same blend of loving the children and loving the science.

Many teachers have asked me for help to encourage their children who speak different languages to get along. I created the answer to that question with my new children's storybooks: New Words, New Friends and Nuevas Palabras, Nuevos Amigos! They will be available very soon so look me up on Amazon to see when they will be available in both print and ebook formats!

In 2013 I collaborated with Ana Lomba to create a great new resource for parents to learn a new language with their toddlers! Look for Mi Habitición/My Room from Bilingual Smart

I even developed my first bilingual iPad/iPhone app with Marc Bjorkman to help teachers and parents prepare young children. It's called 20 Welcome Words. It is currently available in English and Spanish, with more languages on the way.

Here's my bio:

Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. has specialized in first and second language development in young children for more than 25 years. She has spoken at conferences all over the country and visited countless classrooms. Nemeth has also published 6 books as well as articles in AcELLerate!,Young Children, Teaching Young Children, and Child Care Information Exchange. She is a regular contributor to Teaching Young Children. Nemeth is a sought-after consultant and conference presenter.

I will be presenting at NABE, TESOL, EETC, NHSA, ASCD, NAEYC PDI, and Bank Street in the next few months. See you soon!

Fran Sokol Simon has been a professional early childhood education leader and technologist since 1981. After 15 years as a child care administrator where, among other responsibilities, she managed technology integration, she moved on to work on education technology, marketing, and social media in educational publishing and non-profit organizations. For more than 25 years in the early learning arena, technology has always been at the heart of her work.

Fran is a contributing author for Child Care information Exchange, and frequently presents energized training sessions on technology, marketing, and social media for clients and at national conferences.

She is the founder and producer of Early Childhood Investigations, a free webinar series for early childhood administrators, and Co-Founder of Early Childhood Technology Network. Fran has a BA and a M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education. She lives in metropolitan Washington, DC.