Voices from the Village

A podcast from the Wyoming Early Childhood Professional Learning Collaborative.
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It takes a village to raise a child, and early childhood educators are an essential part of that village. This podcast highlights voices of nationally recognized early childhood experts alongside the voices of our local experts, Wyoming early childhood educators.

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Voices from the Village host Nikki Baldwin

A commitment to merging theory and practice in early childhood classrooms is what motivates Nikki's work at the University of Wyoming.  She believes that opportunities to reflect and collaborate open up unlimited possibilities for growth in early childhood educators and in the children they work with every day. 

Nikki draws from her 20 years of experience in early childhood education as she directs the University of Wyoming Early Childhood Outreach Network and leads the Wyoming Early Childhood Professional Learning Collaborative.

When not thinking and talking about early childhood education Nikki enjoys spoiling her granddaughter, reading, listening to podcasts and adventuring in the surrounding mountains with her dogs Molly and Scout.

Season 2

Season 2 highlights the voices of Wyoming early childhood educators from across the state, who share their insights on creating quality learning environments for young children, supporting young children with behavior challenges, and providing trauma informed care.  Nationally recognized authors Julie Bullard and Julie Kurtz also join in the discussion.

S2. Episode 5. Brittany Geringer and Pepper Stevens – More Insights on Trauma Informed Practice

S2. Episode 5. Brittany Geringer and Pepper Stevens – More Insights on Trauma Informed Practice

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.
S2. Episode 4. Early Childhood Special Educators from around Wyoming – Trauma Informed Teaching in Practice

S2. Episode 4. Early Childhood Special Educators from around Wyoming – Trauma Informed Teaching in Practice

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

Episode 3. Julie Kurtz – Trauma informed teaching

Julie Kurtz, national expert on trauma responsive and resilience building strategies, shares important evidence on the impact of trauma on young children’s development. She offers advice and tools for trauma informed teaching and creating trauma responsive classrooms.
S2. Episode 2. McKenzie Samuelson, Amanda Schmidtberger, Carmelita Colby – The Journey of Change

S2. Episode 2. McKenzie Samuelson, Amanda Schmidtberger, Carmelita Colby – The Journey of Change

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
S2. Episode 1. Julie Bullard – Creating Environments for Learning

S2. Episode 1. Julie Bullard – Creating Environments for 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.
Special Episode – Wyoming’s Coherent Path to Quality - A Game Changer

Special Episode – Wyoming’s Coherent Path to Quality - A Game Changer

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
Ep 6. Nicole Philbin - Voices from Our Village

Ep 6. Nicole Philbin - Voices from Our Village

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.
Episode 5. Nichole Parks and Joelle Wheatley - The Power of Collaboration

Episode 5. Nichole Parks and Joelle Wheatley - The Power of Collaboration

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.
Ep 4. Stephanie Rino and Maureen Giordano - Voices from Our Village

Ep 4. Stephanie Rino and Maureen Giordano - Voices from Our Village

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.
Episode 3. Debbie LeeKeenan - Leadership Lessons Learned

Episode 3. Debbie LeeKeenan - Leadership Lessons Learned

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.
Episode 2. Christy O’Flannigan and Shaila Limon - Voices from Our Village

Episode 2. Christy O’Flannigan and Shaila Limon - Voices from Our Village

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.
Episode 1. Deb Curtis - The Heart of Teaching Toddlers

Episode 1. Deb Curtis - The Heart of Teaching Toddlers

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.

Listen to Season 1 & 2 Now

Transcriptions for all episodes are available for download. See individual episode pages for links.