Tamar Jacobson is a ChildTrauma Academy Fellow and Assistant Professor and coordinator of the early childhood section in the Teacher Education Department at Rider University, New Jersey.

Tamar Jacobson was born in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and traveled to Israel where she became a preschool teacher with the Israeli Ministry of Education. In 1988, Dr. Jacobson immigrated to the United States and by 1997 had completed a BA, masters and doctorate in early childhood education at the University at Buffalo (UB). For eleven years, she worked as Program Coordinator and Director of the University at Buffalo Child Care Center (UBCCC). During her tenure, UBCCC expanded to include the Amherst Campus, and created a training site for early childhood students from Erie Community College, Buffalo State College and UB. 

Dr, Jacobson has also served as early childhood consultant, and counselor for parents of young children. She was Chair of the Advisory Committee for Accreditation Mentors for Success By 6 in Western New York, and Vice-President of the New York State Association for the Education of Young Children. She has served on the Western New York AEYC Board in many different capacities including president for four years. A recipient of the Director of the Year Award 2003 from the National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers (NCCCC), she has also served as a member of the NCCCC Board, and on the Professional Development Panel of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Currently, Jacobson is a Board member of the Delaware Valley Association for the Education of Young Children (DVAEYC), Vice President for membership for the New Jersey Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NJAECTE), serves on the Advocacy Committee of the National AECTE, and was selected to participate on the Consulting Editors Panel for NAEYC.

Tamar Jacobson has made presentations at National, State and Regional levels, including keynote speeches, panel presentations, video conference and conference workshops. Subjects include infants and toddlers, discipline, developmentally appropriate practice, Anti-Bias Curriculum, parent involvement, CDA Training and preparation for accreditation by NAEYC. Her first book: Confronting Our Discomfort: Clearing the Way for Anti-Bias, was published by Heinemann in 2003.

Currently, Jacobson is studying teachers and anger and has contracted a new book for 2008, with RedLeaf Press: Don’t Get So Upset! Help Young Children Manage Their Feelings by Understanding Your Own - about the way teachers’ emotions affect their interactions with children. While the profession has learned much about emotional development, and the importance of brain development in the early years, Dr. Jacobson believes little is being done to support teacher self-reflection, especially in relation to how teachers feel about children’s challenging behaviors. Tamar’s dream is that one day she might organize or facilitate support-supervision groups for teachers to confront their emotions or biases head on.