Dr. Sheila McCown worked for thirty years as an educator in Ohio public schools, teaching children with exceptionalities and their peers. Her work experience was in a variety of PreK-6th grade settings, including pull-out, self-contained, and inclusive environments. She holds undergraduate (Bowling Green State University) and graduate (Xavier University) degrees in Special Education and, in 2008, earned her doctorate (Capella University) in Counseling Studies. Her current research interests are play-based learning, universally designed instruction, educational ‘best practices’, and academic standards.

In 2008 Dr. McCown left the public school setting and opened an educational center. The center provided academics as well as social-emotional development for small groups of young children. Her novel teaching approach involved books, manipulative toy literacy props, tabletop trays of sand, and groups of smiling, totally engaged young readers and writers. During that time she also served as an adjunct professor for Ashland University, providing graduate level professional development for educators.

In 2013 Dr. McCown closed the Center to pursue her intense interest in educational research and play-based educational tools. She has created several new products, carefully focusing on ways to support and extend each new design to best meet the needs of diverse learners. Dr. McCown’s current work draws from her rich experiences spanning 35 years of teaching. It is driven by research, focuses on specific targeted skills, and celebrates universally designed classrooms. She continues to visit schools, bringing with her new play-based activities and unique learning experiences :)