Alice Sterling Honig

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Alice Sterling Honig
BornApril 19, 1929
New York City, New York, US
DiedMarch 7, 2023
Michigan, US
Occupation(s)College professor, child and family psychologist
PartnerArthur Komar

Alice Sterling Honig (April 19, 1929 – March 7, 2023) was an American college professor and child psychologist. She was a professor of child development at Syracuse University.

Early life and education[edit]

Honig was born in New York City, the daughter of William Sterling and Ida Bender Sterling. Both of her parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Her father worked in the garment trade and her mother was a teacher. She graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn.[1] She attended Cornell University after school, but left to marry. Later, she graduated from Barnard College, and earned a master's degree from Columbia University. She earned a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Syracuse University, where she was a graduate assistant of Bettye Caldwell.[2]

Career[edit]

Honig was a professor of child development at Syracuse University,[3] program director of the school's Children's Center, and for over 30 years the director of Syracuse's National Quality Infant/Toddler Caregiving Workshop, a summer intensive program.[4] She and pediatrician Frank Oski studied iron deficiency in infants and toddlers in the 1970s and 1980s.[5] In 1975 she was part of a team of American child development specialists to visit China for a cross-cultural study trip.[2] The Alice Sterling Honig Graduate Research Award is given annually to an outstanding Syracuse student in her field.[2]

Honig was active in the Syracuse University Oratorio Society, and had a broad knowledge of Yiddish folksongs, and lullabies from around the world.[2] She gave interviews and opinions, especially to columnist Lawrence Kutner,[6] on children's television,[7] dawdling,[8] babysitters,[9] baby gym classes,[10] overscheduling,[11] and peer pressure,[12] among other topics. In 2015, she received the Woman of Achievement award from Barnard College alumnae association.[2]

Publications[edit]

Honig was a prolific author, with over 600 articles and book chapters under her name.[4] She was still publishing articles in academic journals into her nineties.[13] Honig was associate editor of Early Child Development and Care, and edited the review section of Young Children.[14] Books by Honig include:

  • Parent Involvement in Early Childhood Education (1975)[15]
  • Optimizing Early Child Care and Education (1990)[16]
  • Talking with Your Baby: Family as the First School (1996, with Holly Brophy)[17]
  • Secure Relationships: Nurturing Infant/toddler Attachment in Early Care Settings (2002)[18]
  • Little Kids, Big Worries: Stress-Busting Tips for Early Childhood Classrooms (2009)[19]
  • The Best for Babies: Expert Advice for Assessing Infant-Toddler Programs (2014)[20]
  • Experiencing Nature with Young Children (2015)[21]
  • Literacy, Storytelling and Bilingualism in Asian Classrooms (2018)[22]
  • Day-to-Day the Relationship Way: Creating Responsive Programs for Infants and Toddlers (2020, with Donna Wittmer)[23]

Personal life[edit]

Alice Sterling married Syracuse physics professor Arnold Honig. They had three children, Lawrence, Madeleine, and Jonathan.[24] They later divorced.[25] Her longtime partner, Arthur B. Komar, was also a physics professor; he died in 2011. (In an unusual family arrangement, her ex-husband was married to Komar's ex-wife.)[26] She died in 2023, at the age of 93, in Michigan.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Komar, Arthur B. SRCD Oral History Interview with Alice Sterling Honig (February 19, 1994).
  2. ^ a b c d e f Roopnarine, Jaipaul; Krishnakumar, Ambika (April 5, 2023). "A Giant in Her Field". Falk College, Syracuse University. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  3. ^ Gallagher, Pam (1977-07-21). "Children Never Too Young to Learn". Asbury Park Press. p. 37. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Alice Sterling Honig, PhD". Gryphon House. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  5. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling; Oski, Frank A. (1984-01-01). "Solemnity: A clinical risk index for iron deficient infants". Early Child Development and Care. 16 (1–2): 69–83. doi:10.1080/0300443840160106. ISSN 0300-4430.
  6. ^ Kutner, Lawrence (1991-06-16). "Child's affection source of rivalry". The Tennessean. p. 62. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Moss, Meredith (2004-04-12). "Tot Television". Dayton Daily News. p. 29. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Kutner, Lawrence (1993-10-20). "Daytime angel, evening imp". Clarion-Ledger. p. 41. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Kutner, Lawrence (1993-06-13). "Changing Lifestyles Change Baby Sitting Scene". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 40. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Churchman, Deborah (1984-02-20). "Researchers Question Benefits of Education Classes for Tots". The Palm Beach Post. p. 24. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Kutner, Lawrence (1992-11-08). "Stressed kids need time for themselves; Well-meaning parents plan too much". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 143. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "A child needs confidence to resist peer pressure". Star Tribune. 1996-02-05. p. 35. Retrieved 2023-12-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling (2022-09-10). "Essentials for excellence in quality early child care". Early Child Development and Care. 192 (12): 1940–1951. doi:10.1080/03004430.2021.1956846. ISSN 0300-4430. S2CID 238696011.
  14. ^ "A Tribute to Alice Sterling Honig". NAEYC. June 14, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  15. ^ Honig, Alice S. (1975). Parent Involvement in Early Childhood Education. National Association for the Education of Young Children. ISBN 978-0-912674-44-5.
  16. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling (1990). Optimizing Early Child Care and Education. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9782881247699. Retrieved 2023-12-07. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  17. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling; Brophy, Hollly (1996). Talking with Your Baby: Family As the First School. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 9780815603559.
  18. ^ Honig, Alice S. (2002). Secure Relationships: Nurturing Infant/toddler Attachment in Early Care Settings. National Association for the Education of Young Children. ISBN 978-1-928896-03-6.
  19. ^ Honig, Alice (2009). Little Kids, Big Worries: Stress-Busting Tips for Early Childhood Classrooms. Brookes Publishing Company. ISBN 9781598570618.
  20. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling (2014). The Best for Babies: Expert Advice for Assessing Infant-Toddler Programs. Gryphon House. ISBN 9780876595541.
  21. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling (2014). Experiencing Nature with Young Children. National Association for the Education of Young Children. ISBN 9781938113079.
  22. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling (2018-01-12). Literacy, Storytelling and Bilingualism in Asian Classrooms. Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-138-50262-8.
  23. ^ Honig, Alice Sterling; Wittmer, Donna (2020). Day to Day the Relationship Way: Creating Responsible Programs for Infants and Toddlers. National Association for the Education of Young Children. ISBN 9781938113550.
  24. ^ "'Spend Your Whole Life Learning and Giving!' An interview with Alice Sterling Honig". ECRP. Vol 11 No 2. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
  25. ^ "Arnold Honig Obituary". Syracuse Post Standard, via Legacy.com. 2012. Retrieved 2023-12-08.
  26. ^ "Arthur Komar Obituary". Syracuse Post Standard, via Legacy.com. 2011. Retrieved 2023-12-08.

External links[edit]