Voices from the Village

In response to Episode 4 with Dr. Pauline Harris, Wyoming literacy expert and lover of children’s books, Julie Eastes, talks about the most important things we can do to encourage literacy development in young children.

Dr. Pauline Harris from the University of South Australia discusses key ideas in young children’s development of literacy.

Host, Nikki Baldwin, and Mary Harrill, Senior Director for Higher Education Accreditation at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) discuss the NAEYC Unifying Framework for the Early Childhood Profession. This vision for the early childhood workforce has significant implications for early childhood educators in Wyoming. Listen in to hear about this exciting opportunity to grow our profession in Wyoming.

Three sisters involved in early childhood in Wyoming respond to Camille’s interview and share their insights into what Developmentally Appropriate Practice means for caregivers, teachers, and families in Wyoming.

Camille Catlett discusses key features of the new NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate Practice Position Statement and shares great resources for early childhood educators and higher education faculty.

Brittany Geringer, Pepper Stevens, and host, Nikki Baldwin dig deeper into the principles of trauma informed practice and share experiences with young children and families that have shaped their thinking and teaching.

Pepper Stevens, Laurie Majors, Holbie Brown, Lexi Bulkley, Kiersten Peden, Angie Boam, Savannah Conrad, Jessica Polaski, Brittany Geringer, Gaby Brickner, Rachel Stoddard, Tiffani Dalme, Jenny Peterson, Kelsy Wooldridge, and Nichole Harper share thoughtful responses to the interview in Episode 3, and offer wisdom on how to put trauma informed teaching into practice with children every day.

Episode 3. Julie Kurtz – Trauma informed teaching

McKenzie Samuelson, Amanda Schmidtberger, and Carmelita Colby share their journeys as early childhood professionals learning about and transforming their classroom environments. They offer simple ideas and inspiration for early childhood educators considering making changes to better support children’s learning

Nationally recognized author and presenter, Julie Bullard, shares practical tips for teachers looking to improve their classroom environment to support high quality learning. She also shares wisdom from her years as a professor, consultant, and author.

Listen in on a conversation with Kara Cossel, Liz Goddard, Char Norris, Lauren Carlisle, and host Nikki Baldwin as they celebrate the launch of Wyoming’s vision for quality for all young children. Panelists share how the new document, and the process in creating it, has shaped their thinking about quality. They also discuss the need for a shared vision, and their favorite pieces from The Coherent Path to Quality that will inspire everyone who cares for Wyoming’s youngest children

Nicole Philbin, a participant in the Quality Learning Network led by Leading for Children facilitators Nichole Parks and Joelle Wheatley, responds to their Episode 5 interview. Nicole shares how she utilized collaboration to face the biggest challenge of her career and the amazing turn around her program experienced as a result.

Nichole Parks and Joelle Wheatley with the national non-profit Leading for Children discuss the power of collaborative learning and the impact it can have on early childhood professionals and their programs. They share their experience leading a 6 month learning network with 30 Wyoming early childhood professionals and parents that resulted in a new vision of quality for the State of Wyoming. Download the Transcript for this Episode

Stephanie Rino, and Maureen Giordano, two Wyoming early childhood program owners and directors, respond to the Episode 3 interview with Debbie LeeKeenan. They offer wisdom from their experiences opening programs to address unmet needs in their communities and leading early childhood educators through the process of change. Download the Transcript for this Episode

Debbie LeeKeenan, a nationally recognized author, presenter, and leader in anti-bias education shares important lessons learned in her years as a program director and in her work with leaders from across the country. Debbie is full of practical advice, offering leaders simple tools for successfully navigating the complexities of early childhood leadership. Download the Transcript for this Episode

Christy O’Flannigan and Shaila Limon, toddler teachers at the University of Wyoming Early Care and Education Center, respond to the Episode 1 interview with Deb Curtis. They share insights gained from years working in the unique role of toddler teacher and mentor to hundreds of university students. Download the Transcription for this Episode

Nationally renowned author and early childhood expert, Deb Curtis, shares how her choice to stay in the classroom, even as her publishing and training career took off, has kept her grounded over the last 40 years. Deb also describes the ways toddlers continue to captivate her interest and impress her with their amazing innate capabilities to care for and understand one another. Download the Transcript for this Episode