2017 Summer Kansas Child

A publication of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas 

Summer 2017 Volume 16, Issue 3 

LEADERSHIP 

DEVELOPMENT 

WHOLE LEADERSHIP 

FOR FAMILY 

4 ENGAGEMENT 

WHY SPARKS 

AND MINDSET 

14 MATTER 

20 

CULTIVATING 

CURIOSITY 

IN CHILDREN

Kansas Child 

is a publication of 

Child Care Aware ® 

of Kansas 

Executive Director 

Leadell Ediger 

Editors 

BWearing Consulting 

Angie Saenger, Deputy 

Director 

Publication Design 

Julie Hess Design 

On the Cover 

Landon Carroll, 15 months, son of 

Jason and Shanna, of Atwood, KS, 

enjoys playing outside. Photo by 

Shea Finley Photography 

Child Care Aware ® of Kansas, 

1508 East Iron, Salina, Kansas 67401, 

publishes Kansas Child quarterly, 

and is made possible through the 

financial support of the members 

of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas and 

sponsorships from our corporate, 

private, and foundation partners. 

Kansas Child is intended to provide 

a forum for the discussion of child 

care and early education issues and 

ideas. We hope to provoke thoughtful 

discussions within the field and to 

help those outside the field gain a 

better understanding of priorities 

and concerns. The views expressed 

by the authors are not necessarily 

those of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas 

or its sponsors. 

Copyright © 2017 by Child Care 

Aware ® of Kansas, unless 

otherwise noted. No permission 

is required to excerpt or make 

copies of articles provided that 

they are distributed at no cost. 

For other uses, send written 

permission requests to: 

Child Care Aware ® of Kansas, 

1508 East Iron, Salina, KS 67401 

LEADELL EDIGER 

Executive Director 

Child Care Aware ® 

of Kansas 

This week, my thoughts have been focused on that popular childhood game, 

“follow the leader.” 

It was a special moment with my not-quite 2-year-old grandchild, Aaron. We were 

checking on the remodeling progress of the home he and my daughter, his mom, will 

soon move into. I noticed a piece of siding about 4 inches wide lying flat on the floor. 

Aaron started to walk on it like a “tight-rope” artist. I was standing right behind him, 

so I decided to follow his lead and began to sing, “I’m following the leader.” (Even 

though my singing voice is not even shower worthy, he doesn’t seem to mind!) When 

he reached the end of the board, he turned around to walk the opposite direction. 

Before he could jump ahead of me, I turned and started singing, “Nana is the leader 

and Aaron is the follower,” at which point he gave me a broad smile and a little 

chuckle. Warms a grandmother’s heart! 

Quality early childhood education helps children learn both leadership and 

following skills, along with empathy, friendship and listening skills, patience, 

curiosity and so much more! These important skills, learned at an early age, can last 

a lifetime. 

Our legislators in Topeka practice leadership skills every day as they 

make decisions that affect the lives of every Kansan. This year, as 

you probably know, was an extremely difficult year because of the 

gaping hole in the budget. The good news is that lawmakers 

voted in a tax plan estimated to bring the state more than $1.2 

billion in additional funding over two years. They were able 

to override Governor Brownback’s veto of the plan, with 

a vote of 27 to 13 in the Senate and 88 to 31 in the House. 

Republicans and Democrats worked together to accomplish 

this. That shows incredible leadership! 

I believe legislators have to find their spark while they do 

their collective work for Kansas. Your spark is what gets you 

excited and makes you want to get up in the morning. In this 

issue of Kansas Child you will find an article titled, “Why 

Sparks and Mindset Matter,” written by Bridget Patti and 

Rebecca Gilliam. Recently, I heard both women give 

their thoughts about the topic. An activity they 

suggested was to identify your spark – figure out 

where you find joy and excitement. If your spark 

Kansas Child is distributed at 

no cost to Child Care Aware ® 

of Kansas donors. Single 

copies are available 

to anyone at $5 each, prepaid.

is related to your work life, then chances 

are you will be more successful in your job, 

because you love what you do. (Do you 

love it every day? Perhaps not, but if you 

love it MOST days, what a great feeling!) 

I find my spark in the work we do here 

at Child Care Aware® of Kansas, because 

I firmly believe it is incredibly important. 

We help families who are looking for child 

care that fills their family’s needs. We 

assist child care providers to be better at 

their jobs by helping them obtain more 

knowledge and helping them hone their 

skills, and we work with communities 

to help them see the true value of highquality 

child care. 

I go to work every day to ensure that 

young children, like Aaron, have the things 

they need to grow up happy, healthy and 

ready to succeed when they enter school. 

If you are a family member, a child care 

provider, a city or county commissioner 

or a funder, I hope you see yourself in our 

work. Together, we can make this vision 

of high-quality child care a reality for all 

children! We’re looking for leaders, and 

followers. Whichever you are, join us! 

p. 4 

p. 14 

p. 18 

IN THIS ISSUE 

Whole Leadership 

for Family Engagement............................4 

Avoid the Pull of the 

Immediate Need Over 

the Important Goal................................... 8 

The Importance of Setting Goals.............9 

Merging Generations 

in the Workforce...................................... 10 

Self-Care as an Essential 

Part of Leadership...................................13 

Why Sparks and Mindset Matter........... 14 

Professional Organization Grows 

Leadership Skills......................................15 

Partners 4 Success................................. 16 

Youth Making a Difference Council........18 

Establishing Trust................................... 19 

Cultivating Curiosity in Children............20 

Book Nook: A Journey of Relating...........21 

The Impact of Kindergarten on 

Professional Success.............................. 22 

Child Care Provider Coalition 

of Kansas.................................................23

Whole Leadership 

for Family Engagement 

MICHAEL B. 

ABEL, PH.D. 

Director of Research 

and Evaluation, 

McCormick Center for Early 

Childhood Leadership 

Mike Abel is the Director of Research and 

Evaluation at the McCormick Center for 

Early Childhood Leadership at National Louis 

University where he designs and implements 

original research studies regarding 

administrative practice in early childhood 

programs. 

His education includes an Interdisciplinary 

Ph.D. in Educational Leadership Policy 

and Foundations, an M.A. in Educational 

Administration, and an M.A. in Early Childhood 

Education. Mike has extensive experience in 

higher education, child care management, and 

service with NAEYC. 

Family engagement 

increases children’s 

age-appropriate 

cognitive skills 

FOR DECADES, the value 

of partnering with families to support 

children’s learning and development 

has been touted among early childhood 

care and education leaders. Initiatives 

to enhance family engagement in early 

childhood programs and schools is 

increasingly prevalent, and with good 

reason. Family engagement increases 

children’s age-appropriate cognitive skills 

(Roggman, Boyce, and Cook, 2009), 

improves student achievement (Forry, 

Bromer, Chrisler, Rothenber, Simkin, 

and Danieri, 2012; McWayne, Hampton, 

Fantuzzo, Cohen, & Sekino, 2004), and 

supports early literacy in diverse families 

(Barrueco, Smith, and Stephens, 2015). 

Involving parents and other family 

members in the learning opportunities 

that occur in child care settings and 

building bridges between the home and 

the program extend learning and promote 

child development in a meaningful and 

authentic way. 

Early childhood administrators might 

feel unprepared to lead efforts that foster 

family engagement. However, being 

intentional about involving families 

in program activities and choosing to 

consider family members’ perspectives 

in decision-making go a long way toward 

overcoming any reticence the leader might 

have about reaching out to families. A shift 

in the leaders’ thinking aids in creating 

an organizational culture that welcomes 

4 Kansas Child A Publication of Child Care Aware ® of Kansas

Directors who 

make family engagement 

a priority actively seek 

parents’ and extended family 

members’ support and 

assistance. 

family partnerships. 

Leadership for family engagement might 

include creating policies and practices 

that respect differing family structures, 

involving family members in decisions 

related to their children, and regularly 

asking for feedback from family members 

about their experiences with the program. 

Directors who make family engagement 

a priority actively seek parents’ and 

extended family members’ support and 

assistance. They also encourage staff to 

allow families easy access to the classroom 

and school. Supervisors can urge teachers 

to make families a visible presence in their 

classrooms by posting photos or displaying 

artifacts from children’s experiences 

outside of the program (Pelo 2002). 

Encouraging teachers to bring family 

life into the classroom is a function of 

the administrator exercising pedagogical 

leadership. The McCormick Center for 

Early Childhood Leadership at National 

Louis University recently developed the 

Whole Leadership Framework to clarify 

and differentiate various aspects of 

leadership in early childhood programs 

(Abel, Talan, Masterson, 2017). This 

broad view of leadership can be explained 

through three domains: leadership 

essentials, administrative leadership, and 

pedagogical leadership. 

Leadership essentials include 

foundational skills in reflective practice, 

communication, and relationship-building. 

They include such personal attributes 

as self-efficacy, empathy, creativity, 

authenticity, humility, transparency, 

adaptability, and a learner’s perspective 

on which administrative and pedagogical 

leadership are built and are often expressed 

in leadership styles and dispositions. 

Leadership essentials are foundational for 

influencing and motivating people around 

a shared vision. 

Administrative leadership involves 

maximizing capacity to develop and 

sustain an early childhood organization. 

It is about setting goals, orchestrating 

work, and mobilizing people to sustain 

Continued on page 6 

www.ks.childcareaware.org Kansas Child 5

Continued from page 5 

an early childhood organization, with 

both operational and strategic leadership 

functions. Operational leadership is 

accomplished through such critical 

functions as hiring, evaluating, and 

supporting teaching staff, developing 

budgets aligned with program goals 

and needs, and maintaining a positive 

organizational culture and climate. 

Strategic leadership involves guiding 

the direction of an early childhood 

organization with the future in mind. 

Strategic leaders clarify mission and 

values, inspire staff to pursue a shared 

vision, and ensure that program goals 

and outcomes are attained. Effective 

administrative leaders establish systems 

for consistent implementation of program 

operations to meet the needs of children, 

families, and staff. 

Pedagogical leadership involves 

supporting the art and science of 

teaching, including ensuring high-quality 

interactions with children and affecting 

the dispositions of teachers. Pedagogical 

leadership includes instructional 

leadership and family engagement. As 

pedagogical leaders, directors continually 

assess whether classroom activities are 

implemented with fidelity to the program’s 

philosophy and curricular objectives. 

They examine the learning environment 

from the child’s perspective and consider 

whether it is authentic to their life beyond 

the classroom, and inclusive of families’ 

cultures. Is it provocative enough to 

capture children’s interests and challenging 

enough to affect their development? 

Pedagogical leaders also create systems 

of accountability for assessing children’s 

development and learning, using 

evaluation data to guide and differentiate 

instruction, and optimizing learning 

environments. 

Instructional leadership in an early 

care and education setting involves 

establishing and maintaining an 

organizational culture that functions 

as a learning community. Program 

leaders attend to teaching and learning 

as the primary focus of the program 

and make it a priority in their work. As 

instructional leaders, directors can affect 

classroom practices by establishing peer 

learning teams, increasing awareness 

Whole Leadership Framework 

FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS (BIRTH TO AGE 8) 

PEDAGOGICAL LEADERSHIP 

Leading the art and science of teaching with an 

emphasis on educator dispositions and high quality 

interactions with children. This includes ensuring 

fidelity to curricular philosophy, assessing children’s 

development and learning, using data for evaluation, 

and optimizing learning environments. 

▪ Instructional leadership: Supporting 

classroom teachers in implementing 

curriculum 

▪ Family engagement: Promoting 

partnerships with families and 

fostering family leadership 

LEADERSHIP 

ESSENTIALS 

Foundational competencies and 

individual qualities necessary for 

leading people that are expressed 

in personal leadership styles and dispositions. 

Leadership essentials are often developed through reflective practice. 

of emerging pedagogical methods, and 

allocating resources for professional 

development. Reflective supervision can 

support child development and learning 

by providing feedback to teachers about 

their practice and drawing attention to 

the children’s individual needs. Fostering 

an organizational culture that values 

reflection and continuous improvement is 

a powerful tool for effective instructional 

leaders. 

Engaging families to support children’s 

learning and development requires 

leadership and organizational focus. 

In tandem with establishing a 

community of learners among staff, 

pedagogical leadership requires 

including families in the process. When 

administrators acknowledge the primary 

role of parents and family members in 

their children’s learning and development, 

it influences the program’s pedagogical 

approach. The director’s role in shaping 

expectations for family engagement and 

establishing an organizational climate 

that supports families’ participation in 

learning activities is critical. Hilado, 

Kallemeyn, and Phillips (2013) found that 

administrators who had a more flexible 

definition of family involvement tended to 

WHOLE 

LEADERSHIP 

is an inter-dependent 

relationship that exists 

between leadership domains. 

A balanced perspective 

is necessary when 

performing administrative 

functions. 

ADMINISTRATIVE LEADERSHIP 

Coordinating work and mobilizing people to ensure 

the organization remains stable and continues to grow. 

▪ Operational leadership: Hiring and supporting 

staff, overseeing budgets, and fostering positive 

workplace climates 

▪ Strategic leadership: Goal setting and guiding 

future program direction 

▪ Advocacy leadership: Acting as an 

ambassador for the needs of children, 

families, and programs 

▪ Community leadership: 

Collaborating with organizations 

within the local community on 

behalf of the children and 

families served 

Personal Attributes: 

▪ Self-efficacy ▪ 

▪ Empathy ▪ 

▪ Creativity ▪ 

▪ Authenticity ▪ 

Humility 

Transparency 

Adaptability 

Learner 

have more positive views of parents and 

perceived higher levels of involvement. 

Bornfreund (2014) emphasizes that 

random acts of encouraging family 

involvement aren’t enough. Simply inviting 

parents to center celebrations, distributing 

a newsletter, or creating a parent resource 

room is not likely to lead to improved 

outcomes for children. 

Pedagogical leadership that affects 

children’s learning and development 

requires establishing family-center 

partnerships where power and 

responsibility are shared. It can be 

challenging to shift attitudes and 

perspectives within an organization to 

embrace a philosophy that families are 

central in the learning equation, but 

effective leaders are able to articulate a 

vision for partnering with families and 

manage change processes that influence 

the collective core beliefs about shared 

responsibility for children’s learning. 

Ongoing individualized communication, 

home visits, and multiple opportunities 

for families to be involved in the life of 

the program and classroom can aid in 

changing the organizational culture with 

regard to family engagement. 

It is important to recognize that 


the domains of Whole Leadership — 

Leadership Essentials, Administrative 

Leadership, and Pedagogical Leadership 

— do not operate independently. Few 

leadership roles and functions are 

mutually exclusive. Rather, leadership 

exercised in one domain affects and/or 

requires reciprocal leadership in the other 

domains. Administrative and pedagogical 

leadership are separate but connected. 

The interdependent relationship between 

the domains is vital to organizational 

success, especially as it relates to family 

engagement. Implementing family 

engagement efforts that affect teaching 

and learning requires strategic and 

operational leadership, such as planning 

for coordinated and aligned activities, 

establishing objectives for shared decisionmaking, 

and allocating resources to 

involve families. It is through a balanced 

approach to leadership that family 

engagement can flourish. n 

REFERENCES 

Abel, M. B., Talan, T. N., & Masterson, M. (2017, Jan/ 

Feb). Whole leadership: A framework for early childhood 

programs. Exchange (19460406), 39(233), 22-25. 

Barrueco, S., Smith, S., & Stephens, S. (2015). Supporting 

parent engagement in linguistically diverse families to 

promote young children’s learning: Implications for early 

care and education policy. New York, NY: Child Care & 

Early Education Research Connections. 

Bloom, P. J., & Abel, M. B. (2015). Expanding the lens— 

Leadership as an organizational asset. Young Children, 

70(2), 8-13. 

Bornfreund, L. 2014. Family Engagement Is Much More 

Than Volunteering at School. http://www.edcentral.org/ 

family-engagement-much-volunteering-school/. 

Forry, N., Bromer, J., Chrisler, A., Rothenberg, L., Simkin, 

S., & Daneri, P. (2012). Review of conceptual and empirical 

literature of family-provider relationship, OPRE Report 

#2012-46. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research 

and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Hilado, A., L. Kallemeyn, & L. Phillips. 2013. “Examining 

Understandings of Parent Involvement in Early Childhood 

Programs.” Early Childhood Research and Practice 15(2): 

1–12. 

McWayne, C., Hampton, V., Fantuzzo, J., Cohen, H.L., & 

Sekino, Y. (2004). A multivariate examination of parent 

involvement and the social and academic competencies 

of urban kindergarten children. Psychology in the Schools, 

41(3), 363-377. 

Roggman, L. A., Boyce, L. K., & Cook, G. A. (2009) Keeping 

kids on track: Impacts of a parenting-focused Early Head 

Start program on attachment security and cognitive 

development. Early Education & Development, 20(6), 

920-941. 

Pelo, A. (September 2002). From borders to bridges: 

Transforming our relationships with parents. Exchange 

(147): 39–41. 

Engaging families to support children’s 

learning and development requires 

leadership and organizational focus. 


Avoid the Pull of the Immediate Need Over the 

Important Goal 

BRADFORD B. 

WILES, PH.D 

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, 

Early Childhood Development, Kansas State 

University, School of Family Studies and 

Human Services, K-State Research and 

Extension and the College of Human Ecology 

As professionals, we often are caught between the 

pull of the immediate need and the importance of 

the longer-term goal. 

In the leadership development opportunities I’ve 

participated in, goal setting continually emerges as a 

crucial component to becoming an effective leader. 

For me, the process includes setting short-, 

medium- and long-term goals. In addition, 

it is important to create goals that are 

achievable, but might be more difficult, or a stretch (called a stretch goal). 

Whenever I am asked to help with any job-related request, I first ask myself how, and in what 

ways, would the work contribute to my goals. When requests do not help meet my goals, I do 

my very best to refer the requestor to someone else who can meet their needs. This adherence 

to my goals is beneficial to my supervisors, collaborators, and clients/constituents. 

Understanding why my professional position exists and what expectations leadership 

and administration have for my role greatly shapes my goal setting. 

For example, as a tenure-track professor, there are certain requirements (let’s 

call them goals) I have to achieve to get promoted and earn tenure. These are 

my medium- and long-term goals. I am required to publish research and 

practice findings, support Extension agents in the field, and provide 

service to the university, the College of Human Ecology, the 

School of Family Studies and Human Services, and the field 

of early childhood development. While these goals might 

seem to provide an easy framework, the pull of activities 

from outside these domains is relentless. The curse of 

the curious mind is that everything is interesting. 

Goal setting helps us to focus on those things 

that will help us achieve in the long term. 

Goal setting also helps us avoid the pull 

of the immediate. How many times have 

we carved out time to do important work, 

only to be pulled away by immediate needs that 

do not contribute to our overall goals? Some of these 

immediate needs require us to address them, but some of them 

are immediate needs for only someone else, and they do not advance 

us toward our goals. These times are when goal setting truly pays off, as we can 

provide a reasoned explanation of why we cannot address immediate needs 

that do not contribute to our goals. 

If you take only two things away from reading this piece, I hope 

they are: 1) Goal setting is important, but is not enough. We 

must adhere to our plans to reach these goals. 2) The 

curse of the curious mind is that everything is 

interesting, and thus we need our goals to help 

us focus on the important work, and not 

allow the immediate needs of others 

to pull us off track. n 


Breaking Down 

Goal Setting 

Goal setting is an important 

process in developing your 

leadership skills. You might want 

to learn more about relationshipbuilding 

techniques, effective 

communication strategies or how 

to foster teamwork among your 

peers. These large aspirations 

might seem difficult to attack. 

Breaking down large goals into 

bite-sized pieces has been proven 

time and again to be an effective 

way to ensure success. Clarify 

your goal by thinking S.M.A.R.T. 

Remember this simple tip and 

you’ll set clear, memorable and, 

most importantly, achievable 

goals! 

S 

Specific 

MMeasurable 

AAccurate 

R 

Realistic 

T 

Timely 

THE 

IMPORTANCE 

OF SETTING 

GOALS 

By Tom Copeland, National Leading Trainer, 

Author, and Advocate for the Business of 

Family Child Care 

There’s never a bad time to start setting 

financial goals. 

Maybe yours is to remodel your home 

or take a long vacation. Or maybe you 

want to start a retirement fund. 

The best way to reach any goal is to 

write it down. Where do you want to be 

at the end of 2017? How about 2025? Start 

thinking and jotting down your ideas. 

Make a list of your goals and indicate 

which one is most important to you. 

Then determine which is the second most 

important goal, and so on. 

Writing down your goals is important 

for a couple of reasons. First, this process 

makes you stop and think about what your 

big goals really are. We are often bogged 

down in daily life and have little time to 

think long term. Thinking about your 

goals, or even writing them down, doesn’t 

make them come true, but you first must 

identify what you want before you can 

plan for the reality. 

Secondly, writing down your goals 

helps motivate you to stay on track to 

reach them. As with any dream, it might 

take a while to reach. A written list will 

help remind you of your goals and help 

you stay on track so that you do not get 

distracted along the way. 

Lastly, a list will help you to assess your 

goals when things change. As the saying 

goes, “Life happens when you are making 

other plans.” Life is full of change. When 

it happens, your goals also might need to 

change. With a written list, you will be 

able to change or adjust your goals more 

easily. 

If the idea of putting down goals in 

writing seems too hokey to you, consider 

this: Those who put their goals in writing 

are much more likely to reach their goals 

than those who do not. It’s up to you. n 

www.tomcopelandblog.com 


MERGING 

GENERATIONS 

IN THE 

WORKFORCE 

Using Gartrell’s Democratic Life Skills 

38 PERCENT 

are older than 50 

ONE of the more critical opportunities present 

in high-quality preschool settings is collaboration and problem 

solving among the children. High-quality preschool is the most 

effective job training available. So, why are collaboration and 

problem solving among early childhood educators so challenging? 

We can learn a lot about this issue simply by looking at the 

demographics of the early childhood workforce. Five generations 

are represented, according to data from Who Cares for Kansas 

Kids? 2015 Child Care Workforce and State Child Care Profile, 

published by Child Care Aware® of Kansas. The data show family 

child care providers follow a natural progression that logically fits 

traditional family patterns and economic factors. 

Millennials (age 21-30) represent a small percentage of family 

child care providers. With each generation represented, the 

percentage of Family Care providers increases. Thirty eight 

percent are older than 50. And even though family providers 

work the most hours, as compared to providers in child care 

centers, they are more likely to stay in the child care workforce 

more than 15 years. The data seem to show that family care 

providers either stay engaged until their own children are school 

aged, or stay in as a lifelong career. There is no middle ground. 

Directors of child care centers are overwhelmingly from 

Generation X (age 31-50) or earlier, and yet the majority of 

directors have been in the field only 3-10 years. This raises 

questions regarding experience and education levels. There is a 

distinct generational divide between administrative positions 

in early childhood and teachers and assistants. Interestingly, 

assistant directors are overwhelmingly from the late Generation X 

years or are Millennials. 

Center teachers and assistant teachers are extremely diverse 

across generations. Although more than a third are Millennials, 

there are significant numbers from each generation in both 

groups, without a distinct majority. 

With regard to experience, fewer than 15 percent of center 

teachers have taught more than 10 years, while 67 percent have 

taught from one to 10 years. Almost half of all assistant teachers 

fit in this same range, but alarmingly, a third of assistant teachers 

have been in their position 6 months or less. 

Generations Affecting the Workplace 

“This is just a job to her.” 

“We have always done it this way.” 

“You just do not like change.” 

“He thinks he should get a raise or promoted just because he 

has worked here a year!” 

Such are comments that you might have heard when on the 

receiving end of a generation slam. But just as the children 

we serve come from families across generations, ethnicity, and 

life experiences, so do our colleagues. Instead of focusing on 

generational stereotypes, our challenge should instead be to put 

Dan Gartrell’s five democratic life skills into practice in our own 

relationships. 


BETH TOLAND 

Early Childhood 

Education Specialist, 

Allen Community College 

67 PERCENT 

have taught from 

one to 10 years 

ONE THIRD 

of assistant teachers 

have been in their 

position 6 months 

or less 

Beth Toland joined Allen Community 

College in the fall of 2009. Earning her 

degrees from the University of Kansas, 

Beth is certified in Elementary Education 

and Early Childhood Education. Beth 

is a local advocate for young children, 

organizing Talk, Read, Play Allen County, 

initiating the preschool class for the 

Heritage Arts program in collaboration 

with the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, and the 

science camp for young children at the 

college. Beth is a member of the National 

Association for Young Children and 

the Kansas chapter KAEYC. Her areas 

of expertise include developmentally 

appropriate practices, working with 

children with special needs, and 

assessment. Beth is also a Professional 

Development Specialist for the Council 

for Professional Recognition. Before 

coming to Allen Community College, she 

taught kindergarten, first, fourth, and 

fifth grades in the Alexandria, Va., Public 

School District. 

Life Skill 1: Finding Acceptance 

as a Member of the Group 

Gartrell’s 

Democratic 

Life Skills 

Gartrell argues in this first life skill that none of us can have a positive 

identity without trust, low stress levels, and a sense of belonging. 

As we work with others across generations, rephrase your negative 

emotions to validate the other person and recognize the positive. 

A person who is resistant to change is often a person who values 

tradition and longevity. An individual who shoots out the door as soon 

as her shift is over could be someone who values family and friend 

relationships or is trying to transition from living at home to being 

solely independent and struggling to meet the demands of adulthood. 

More than 56 percent of child care providers work 50 hours a week or 

more. How exhausting! 

Greet your coworkers and families by using their names and asking 

one personal question. Dale Carnegie stated in his classic book, 

How to Win Friends and Influence People, “A person’s name is to 

him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” 

Simply by using each other’s names we can begin to create a sense of 

membership, trust, and value. 

Continued on page 12 


Continued from page 11 

No. 2: Expressing Strong Emotions 

in Non-Hurting Ways 

Working with children is chaotic! And in that organized chaos great 

learning happens. But, that organized chaos also includes big 

emotions, and in early childhood education very few of us work alone. 

What do you do when your emotions are big? Whether it is a joyful 

or angry emotion, big emotions are challenging. We can disrupt and 

offend others with loud laughing and joyful screams just as much as 

we can with angry yelling or slamming books on a counter. Watch 

those in your work groups and leadership teams to see how they 

express emotions. Just like with children, we cannot control how 

others act, but we can always control how we react. 

Admit when we are having big emotions. It is OK to say that you 

are angry, hurt, or ecstatic! It is OK to walk away until you can 

better express that strong emotion in a non-hurting or non-offensive 

way. And, when typing that email, text or social media post, wait a 

minimum of one hour before sending or posting. We need to get our 

emotions out, but that does not mean that we always need to share 

those emotions with others. 

No. 3: Solving Problems Creatively, 

Independently and in Cooperation with Others 

Gartrell argues that “to engage in creative problem solving, the 

individual must withstand the uncertainty of what is to be decided, 

the urge to leave the task if it gets hard, and often other people’s 

expectations about how to proceed.” What Gartrell is presenting 

here is the concept of grit. Some of our oldest, early childhood 

professionals were raised by parents who had survived the Great 

Depression. They have strong connections to families and yet the 

ability to “not sweat the small stuff.” They come, they work, and they 

do it all over again the next day. 

Generation X hit the workforce as the Internet burst onto the scene 

and thus learned quickly to adapt to change. Millenials experienced 

9/11 as children and young adults. They saw families crushed in the 

financial crisis and have become hyper-connected. Generation Z is 

pulling back on social media, but sees technology as a resource. They 

are often looking for more meaningful careers or goals rather than 

financial stability or impressive resumes. 

Each of these perspectives and stereotypes acknowledges a different 

type of grit as it relates to problem-solving. How do you empower 

others to engage in solving problems? Just as with children, we 

sometimes want to just do it for them! It can be quicker and less 

painful … for us. But, empowerment leads to a better solution. 

In our jobs, how do we open problems up for solutions? How we do 

open ourselves and our challenges up to collaborative problem-solving 

that includes searching for the underlying reasons and identifying the 

potential avenues to solution? Open yourself up. Ask questions. And 

utilize that powerful grit. 

No. 4: Accepting Unique Human 

Qualities in Others 

As a Kansan, I paused when I came across Megan Phelps-Roper’s TED 

talk a few months ago. She keenly notes, “… we celebrate tolerance 

and diversity more than at any other time in memory, and still we grow 

more and more divided. We want good things — justice, equality, 

freedom, dignity, prosperity — but … we’ve broken the world into 

us and them, only emerging from our bunkers long enough to lob 

rhetorical grenades at the other camp.” 

She goes on to encourage all of us to talk and to listen to people 

with whom we disagree. She lays out four steps that fit nicely with 

Gartrell’s fourth democratic life skill. 

Do not assume bad intent. When we assume that people are coming 

from good intentions then we offer a stronger foundation for solution. 

Ask questions. Instead of jumping into assumptions, stereotypes, or 

our own thoughts, seek more information from others. 

Stay calm. Remember your big emotions and breathe. No matter 

what you hear or see, take it in as if you are collecting data. 

And lastly, make the argument. Do not assume that others 

understand your intentions or reasoning. Instead, lay these out 

respectfully and calmly. When we communicate appropriately with 

each other, not only are our thoughts heard and valued, but we 

demonstrate a value and respect for others that is immeasurable. 


SELF-CARE 

as an Essential Part of Leadership 

By Ladan Soleimani, Executive Director, Women’s Fresh Start Project 

“Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead 

others, as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” 

— Thomas J. Watson 

No. 5: Think Intelligently and Ethically 

The National Association for the Education of Young 

Children (NAEYC) offers us a code of ethical conduct. 

But in order for us to honor this code, one of the first steps we have 

to take is to understand our own values and seek to understand the 

values of others. We also must be aware of how our values affect 

the abilities of our co-workers to think intelligently and ethically. 

In the NAEYC resource guide, we are challenged to acknowledge 

that our values alone “are not sufficient to guide [our] actions in a 

professional setting” (Feeney, Freeman & Moravcik, 2016). 

We must remember the goals of our professional setting, whether 

we work in a center or we are a family child care provider. For more 

information on this, seek professional development opportunities 

to further your understanding of NAEYC’s Code of Ethical 

Conduct, as well as how to make ethical and moral decisions as a 

professional. 

So much of what we do with our young children directly applies 

to ourselves as well! The challenges are just as daunting and 

meaningful to our littlest as they are to our oldest. The core 

behaviors, skills, and strategies that we teach children are no 

different for us as adults. Instead of seeing the age differences or 

stereotypes across generations, I challenge you to step through 

Gartrell’s Democratic Life Skills to refocus and renew your own 

collaboration and problem-solving skills. n 

To be a leader and inspiration to others, you must first take care 

of yourself. Too often in our lives and our search for success and 

meaning, we put ourselves at the bottom of our priority list. Our 

physical, mental, and emotional health take a backseat to life’s 

daily rigors. This is especially true for those in poverty, where 

each day is a struggle to make ends meet. At the Women’s Fresh 

Start Project, a nonprofit organization in Lawrence, Kan., that 

works with women in crisis, we understand that if we truly wish 

to change our lives or our communities, we must start by looking 

inward and meeting our own needs. 

Hannah, a woman in Women’s Fresh Start Project’s 

employment program, proves every day how essential it is to 

make yourself a priority. 

Hannah is a single mom, raising two adorable kids, 2 and 11. She 

was recently homeless, but is now in a rotational housing program 

with several other families who sleep in a different location every 

week. She has no car, and so each day spends an hour walking and 

more than two hours on the bus just to take her son to day care 

— a day care she can barely afford even with a full-time job and 

government assistance. Hannah doesn’t get back from picking up 

her son until the evening. The rest of her night is spent getting her 

kids ready for the next day and doing household chores. 

It’s a grueling schedule that would exhaust most people, but 

Hannah is full of energy and hope for her and her family’s 

future. After a lifetime of neglecting her own needs, Hannah has 

learned the importance of taking care of herself. She gets up 30 

minutes early every morning to meditate. She texts her mom and 

aunt every morning to tell them she loves them and that they’re 

beautiful. In order to manage the unavoidable stress of her daily 

life, she attends counseling sessions. Every day she is careful to 

pack a variety of healthy snacks for her and her kids. 

Hannah has finally embraced the belief that she matters, and 

that ensuring that her own needs are met isn’t selfish. She also 

recognizes that when she is mentally and physically healthy, she 

is able to be more present with her kids and be a better mom. She 

strives to lead by example, so that her kids will never doubt their 

self-worth or hesitate to put themselves on their own priority list. 

At Women’s Fresh Start Project we hire women who have 

multiple challenges that prevent them from getting jobs. They 

might struggle with mental health or substance abuse issues. 

They might have been homeless or incarcerated. Many are single 

mothers. We provide stable, supportive employment while also 

teaching them the life and work skills they need to be successful 

and change their future. We help them become role models for 

their families, friends, and communities. You can donate to the 

project or purchase the handmade bath and body products made 

by our participants by visiting womensfreshstartproject.org n 


WHY SPARKS AND 

MINDSET MATTER 

Have you thought lately 

about your spark? The word 

spark refers to that thing that makes you 

excited to get out of bed in the morning. 

If you’ve never considered it before, you 

might take some time and self-examination 

to determine your spark. It’s a worthwhile 

exercise. Research has found that when 

youth know their spark and have people 

who support their spark, they are more 

likely to succeed at just about every 

measure of achievement (Benson, 2008). 

Whether its soccer or reading or Pokémon 

cards, youth are motivated in all aspects 

of their life when they get to connect to 

something that they love. We suggest that 

the same is true for adults. 

As adults, we often don’t spend time 

thinking about our sparks. We get into 

our daily routine and focus on the 

things we have to do. Stepping back 

and thinking about what really gets 

you excited can help you to succeed. 

Let’s say that you discover your spark is 

gardening. Ask yourself what you like 

about gardening. Is it the time spent 

outside? Is the act of weeding meditative? 

Perhaps you like the process of planting 

and tending to a seed, and helping 

something grow to its full potential. 

There is no right or wrong answer. 

The trick is finding a way to connect 

that spark to your work. Why is this 

important? Because it will provide a sense 

of personal buy-in to your work. Making 

that connection helps you feel personal 

satisfaction when you run across those 

inevitable bumps in your workday, or 

when you encounter those mundane tasks 

that are a part of every job. 

Your mindset also plays a critical role 

in helping you thrive in your work and 

life. In Carol Dweck’s (2007) research on 

what contributes to a person’s success, she 

found that there are two basic mindsets: 

fixed mindset and growth mindset. People 

with a fixed mindset believe that their 

intelligence, ability, talent, etc., are static; 

you are born with a certain amount and 

there’s not much you can do to change 

that. People with a growth mindset believe 

that through attitude and effort, you can 

always improve. 

Dogs are a great example of having a 

fixed mindset. They like having routines, 

they have their favorite person, and they 

might have their favorite toy or bone — 

and they don’t like to or want to deviate 

from these familiar things. It is important 

to remember that we all have those times 

when we can act the same way. 

Young children are a great example of 

growth mindset. Learning to crawl or walk, 

they try new pathways and never give up. 

They are always learning new things. Young 

children try and fail and then try again. 

There are instances when we are better 

at growth v. fixed mindset, and it often 

can change from day to day. The most 

important thing is that you notice these 

times or instances, and take time to 

reflect on the “why” of the fixed mindset 

moments and instead “how” having a 

growth mindset might look. 

Think about lifting weights at the gym, 

and how fixed v. growth mindset affects 

success. When lifting weights at the gym, I 

never add up the total number of pounds. 

I just keeping adding weights to the bar 

until I fail at the lift, keeping in mind that 


BRIDGET PATTI 

Research Project Specialist 

at the Center for Public 

Partnerships and Research, 

University of Kansas 

REBECCA GILLAM 

Associate Director at 

the Center for Public 

Partnerships and Research, 

University of Kansas 

the last weight I was able to pick up was a 

successful lift. This is because as soon as I 

know how much weight is on the bar, I get 

a fixed mindset about the numbers. In my 

head, I hear, “Wow that is really heavy,” or, 

“There is no way you can pick that up.” If I 

focus on those thoughts, I might fail before 

I even touch the bar, even if the reality is 

that I have successfully lifted that weight 

many times before. By purposefully not 

knowing how much weight is on the bar, 

I force myself to have a growth mindset. 

Some days, I might lift 10 pounds more 

than I did the day before, and sometimes it 

is 10 pounds less, and that is OK. At some 

point I will always fail, but at least I picked 

up the bar. 

Whether we think about them or not, 

sparks and mindset play an important role 

in our daily lives. Embracing your spark 

and recognizing your mindset can lead to 

greater happiness, satisfaction, and success 

in work and life. 

For more information on sparks, visit 

www.search-institute.org. For more 

information on mindset, visit www. 

mindsetonline.com. n 

Kansas 

Association 

for the 

Education 

of Young 

Children 

Professional Organization 

Grows Leadership Skills 

By Michelle Gilbert, KSAEYC President-Elect 

Early Care & Education Specialist, Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas, Topeka 

Professional organizations bring people with diverse backgrounds together 

for a common purpose. The Kansas Association for the Education of Young 

Children (KSAEYC) strives to link early childhood professionals from around 

the state to network, share resources and to promote high-quality early learning 

experiences for children and families. By engaging with other members, early 

childhood professionals have opportunities to develop and strengthen their 

individual philosophy about how children learn. They also are able to grow their 

communication skills and learn to advocate for issues that affect the children and 

families in their care. These are all characteristics needed to be an effective leader 

in our field. 

This leadership is important, according to Dr. Jennifer Francois, Assistant 

Professor at Kansas State University and KSAEYC Board Member. Dr. Francois 

states, “As professionals in the field of Early Childhood Education, it is essential 

that we possess effective leadership skills. One way that that we, as professionals, 

can learn how to be leaders is through membership and active participation in 

professional organizations. They are a great tool for building a person’s capacity 

to serve as a leader in their community or field of study. 

“Professional organizations not only allow us to become better advocates for 

children and families, but they provide us a way to connect with others who hold 

those same beliefs and values. By having opportunities to engage in these types 

of conversations, we strengthen our own ability to be effective communicators 

around issues that are important to children and families.” 

As a professional organization, KSAEYC supports annual Week of the Young Child 

efforts in local communities. When early childhood professionals work together 

to plan and implement a variety of activities to celebrate young children and 

families, they are displaying leadership in action. They are learning to negotiate 

and solve problems in a group setting, articulate the importance of their work 

to those outside the field, and think on their feet when plans change without 

notice. In many cases, the Week of the Young Child events are also an opportunity 

to recognize professionals for all they do throughout the year on behalf of our 

youngest learners. Celebrating and highlighting excellence in the field helps other 

early childhood professionals envision what high quality can look like and strive to 

do the best in their own classroom or home. 

According to Beka Meitler, Early Childhood Instructor and KSAEYC Board 

Member, “Engaging in professional organizations has supported my growth 

as a professional in the field, and allowed me the opportunity to assist other 

developing, young professionals in understanding the commitment we have to 

serving children and families with best practices in mind.” 

For more information about the Kansas Association for the Education of Young 

Children and how you can get involved, please visit www.kaeyc.net. n 


COMMUNITY INITIATIVE SPOTLIGHT 

Rising to the Challenge 

Partners 4 Success (PS4), is an employment 

readiness program that addresses student mindset, 

decision-making skills and other skill set gaps, 

including confidence and self-efficacy. An initiative 

of the Salina Adult Education Center and part of 

USD 305, P4S assesses students’ strengths and 

weaknesses and invites community employers and 

volunteers to work with students to improve skills, 

learn to juggle work-life balances and to rise to life’s 

challenges. 

Through P4S, the Salina Adult Education Center 

team members have the opportunity to work closely 

with area employers. Staff recognize that employers 

are searching for key components in their new hires, 

including: 

•§ 

attending work regularly and showing 

up on time, 

•§ 

communicating effectively, 

•§ 

evaluating one’s performance 

and growing from feedback. 

P4S works because of employer involvement. It 

is community employers who educate and empower 

students through feedback on applications, resumes, 

and mock interviews. Employers also provide tours 

at their facilities and participate in guest panels in 

class. The employers and other partners work with 

the P4S students to help them make sustainable life 

changes that benefit their families, employers and 

the community. 

Rebecca Rhaesa, long-time instructor and 

coordinator at the Salina Adult Education Center, 

designed the P4S curriculum for adults motivated to 

move out of poverty and into a life with living wage 

employment. Primary student needs have been 

identified, including the need to: 

•§ 

build self-esteem, 

•§ 

understand workplace norms and expectations, 

•§ 

identify and manage their ability to create good 

and bad outcomes, and 

•§ 

intentionally create a positive future. 

P4S is a six-week course that gradually increases 

from three to eight hours a day. The curriculum is 

research based, focusing on emotional intelligence, 

growth mindset and neuroscience. It combines 

performance and problem solving concepts from 

many disciplines, including behavioral psychology, 

education, business, human resources and computer 

science. Its “in the trenches” experience—teaching 

adult life and work skills as well as math, reading 

and writing skills—is a core part of the program. 

KELLY MOBRAY 

Director of Adult Education, 

The Salina Adult Education Center 

Kelly Mobray has been the Director of Adult Education 

at the Salina Adult Education Center for 14 years. 

Previously, she spent two years at Kansas City 

Kansas Community College. She holds a Bachelor’s 

of Fine Arts in communication and a Master of 

Science in counseling with a concentration in 

student personnel services from Emporia State 

University. Kelly has served in leadership roles for 

the Kansas Adult Education Association and the 

Emporia State University Alumni Association. 

Locally, she is involved with Altrusa, Circles Big 

View Team, Salina Human Resources Management 

and the Smoky Valley ESU Alumni chapter. Her 

greatest joy is her family, which includes her 

husband, Todd, her 9-year-old daughter Rylee, 

and her 3-year-old son Maxx. 

Core Salina P4S employers participate 

in class and, where there is a good fit, 

hire P4S graduates at the end of the 

class. Some of those employers include 

Crestwood, Schwan’s, Kasa Companies, 

USD 305, Salina Regional Health 

Center, Affordable Home Health, and 

Acoustic Sounds. 

Other community partners crucial 

to the success of P4S include Hays 

Academy of Hair Design, Catholic 

Charities, Circles of the Heartland, 

Consumer Credit Counseling, 

Greater Salina Community 

Foundation, Salina Area Technical 

College, Community Corrections 

and the Department for Children 

and Families. As of this article, 

Salina P4S has endorsed 46 

participants in seven classes. 

More than 70 percent of those 

endorsed are currently working 

quality jobs. P4S also has been 

replicated under the DCF 

GOALS initiative in parts of 

Kansas, including Topeka, 

Wichita, Garden City, Liberal 

and Dodge City. n 


More than 70 percent of those endorsed 

are currently working quality jobs 

70 % 

Leadership Developers 

The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is a non-profit organization committed to 

fostering leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous Kansas communities. 

It’s not difficult to see the challenges facing our world today. Look around you. 

Situations crying out for more leadership are everywhere. Most of us have someplace 

in our lives where we’d like to see greater leadership, more action and better outcomes. 

That’s where KLC comes in. 

For more information visit www.kansasleadershipcenter.org. 


Youth 

Making a 

Difference 

Council 

By Holly Poindexter, South Central Community Foundation 


Youth select grants and learn 

the importance of philanthropy 

In 1994, a group of philanthropists in Pratt, Kansas, established a much-needed 

community foundation. The South Central Community Foundation (SCCF) 

is designed to address needs on a local level. This Foundation covers seven 

counties: Barber, Comanche, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Rice, and Stafford. SCCF 

is headquartered in Pratt and offers many unique opportunities for charitable 

support. 

In 2002, SCCF received a Youth Philanthropy grant from the Ewing Marion 

Kaufman Foundation in conjunction with the Coalition of Community 

Foundations for Youth. This grant formed what is now known as SCCF’s Youth 

Making a Difference (YMAD) Council. 

Today, 15 years later, YMAD involves high school students from SCCF’s 

seven-county service area. These young people select grants for their respective 

communities while also learning the importance of philanthropy and its affect 

in rural areas. Our program is the only one of the original five grantees from the 

Kaufman Foundation to enjoy long-term success. 

Engaging youth in the grant review process is important for many reasons to 

SCCF’s Board of Directors and staff. For one thing, the youth offer a different 

perspective than the adult committee members. In addition, many of them have 

spent their entire childhood in their communities and are well-versed in the needs 

and wishes of each county. 

SCCF Program Director Holly Poindexter makes it a priority in the YMAD 

program to teach the youth how to effectively research a grant proposal and to ask 

themselves when deciding what grant to fund: How big of an effect will this make 

for the dollars being spent, and is the program sustainable? 

As of 2016, YMAD has awarded more than $280,000 in grants. Even with their 

busy schedules, the youth make time to read more than 130 applications in a twoweek 

time frame. 

“We allow the youth to grant nearly 50 percent of our available grant dollars,” 

said Bekki Pribil, SCCF Executive Director. “It’s important for these young men 

and women to know we respect their research and ultimately, their selections.” 

YMAD members also are educated about how non-profit organizations work 

and why we need the help of the communities and individual donors. While 

volunteering time is incredibly important to SCCF, those serving on YMAD 

understand that without monetary donations, there would not be grant money to 

award. 

Proof of the program’s success was confirmed when YMAD was recognized for 

their hard work and awarded the 2015 Bob Carter Companies Outstanding Youth 

in Philanthropy National award. 

“It was a great honor to be recognized at the AFP National Philanthropy Day in 

New York City,” said Pribil, “Being recognized on a national platform cements 

the fact that Youth Making a Difference IS an incredibly impactful program!” 

Please contact us for more information or to complete an application 

for YMAD: SCCFKS.org, 620/672-7929 or email sccf@sccfks.org. n 

Holly Poindexter, a native of Kiowa, KS, is a 2012 graduate of Emporia State University 

and received a BS in Business with an emphasis in Marketing. She discovered the 

nonprofit world in 2013 at South Central Community Foundation (SCCF) in 

Pratt, KS. After spending 6 months as the Coordinator of Marketing for Pratt 

Community College, she returned to SCCF in 2017 to take over as Program 

Director and Marketing Manager. With an interest in leadership and rural 

communities, Holly has completed training at the Kansas Leadership 

Center (Wichita, KS) and was a 2016 graduate of the Pratt 

Leadership 2000 Class. 

Establishing Trust 

Trust just might be the foundation for 

all relationships. Whether you are a new 

parent searching for child care, a 5-yearold 

entering kindergarten, or a boss hiring 

a new employee — a certain level of trust 

is necessary for meaningful interactions 

and relationships. Trust must be built 

and earned over a period of time through 

communication. Relationships that 

support building trust and produce results 

don’t just happen; they require conscious 

effort. These intentional efforts start with 

a few common-sense approaches around 

authentic communication. 

Have a mutually beneficial attitude to 

build a relationship and trust. 

Communicate in person and ask for 

feedback. 

Ask open-ended questions. 

Be an active participant and share your 

own experiences. 

Answer questions openly and honestly. 

Invest time in communicating regularly 

and often. 

Be a good listener, communication is a 

two-way street. 

Remember, trust-building is 

relationship-building! 


A Journey of Relating 

By Alice Eberhart-Wright, Child and Family Specialist 

From the time we first discover there are other people in the world, we begin a lifetime 

journey of relating. With the help of my trusty librarian friends, I found these books 

that deal with behaviors and skills we want to help develop in 

our children to help them 

navigate a future full of 

positive relationships. 

Nobunny’s Perfect 

As hard as we try not 

to label children as bad 

or good, toddlers and preschoolers learn the 

concepts very early and soon are playing bad guys 

and good guys. In Nobunny’s Perfect, by Anna 

Dewdney, every bunny starts out being good, but 

one bunny soon begins to do things that other 

bunnies don’t like. The bad bunny doesn’t share, 

he is rude, he hits and kicks, he screams and 

shouts or slurps and burps. He even bites! Often, 

he does this when he’s mad or sad. Things get better when two bunnies 

try harder to get along. They share and don’t tease, follow rules, and just have good times 

together. This book is a tool to help us promote healthy social skills and discuss actions 

that no one likes. It supports the message that there are 

no bad children, just children who need to work on 

behaviors that will help people look to them as good, and 

pave an easier path as they grow and develop. 

Pip and Posy, The Bedtime Frog 

The Pip and Posy books are nice books about peer 

relationships for children old enough to be invited to a 

friend’s house to play. Pip and Posy, The Bedtime Frog, by 

Alex Scheffer, illustrates how a good friend works hard 

to help a friend who is upset. Posy has a great time at 

Pip’s house until it’s bedtime, and she realizes she has left 

her stuffed froggy at home. Pip listens and tries to 

find a substitute that will work but several offerings 

just won’t do the job. Posy wails as Pip keeps trying. 

Finally, Pip sacrifices his own sweet piggy that he 

always sleeps with. Posy calms down and goes to 

sleep. Like Pip, good leaders listen, empathize, and 

respond. If we teach our children these skills when 

they are young, they learn to practice them without 

our direction as they grow up. 

Grace for President 

Although it is a picture book, Grace for President, by 

Kelly DiPucchio, and illustrated by Le Uyen Pham, is 

a good choice for older children, maybe first through 

fourth grade. In the story, candidate Grace listens to 

people and works hard to show her classmates that she will do things that are important 

to them. The other candidate focuses only on his own sports talents and academic skills 

and loses by a few electoral votes. Because the book explains how the Electoral College 

works, it is also good for adults who need a review of that process. If a child is not ready 

for the electoral vote information, that’s OK. The message is equally powerful if the story 

is told with a little revision and a simple vote count. n 


Kelly Harlow (left) 

Cornelia Stevens (right) 

O.W.L.S. Studio at TOP 

Early Learning Centers 

Cultivating Curiosity in Children 

At the TOP Early Learning Center in Wichita, early childhood 

educators have created a special studio to encourage curiosity as a 

learning tool. When the studio was created, it was given the name 

O.W.L.S., which is an acronym for Open Windows Learning Studio. It 

operates as a school within a school. The studio initially was inspired 

by principals in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Schools there facilitate learning 

using these fundamental principles: 

1. Children are capable of constructing their own learning. 

2. Children form an understanding of themselves and their place in 

the world through their interactions with other children and adults. 

There is a strong focus on developing social skills by encouraging 

children to work in groups, where each child is an equal participant. 

3. Children are encouraged to use their words as they discuss their 

experiences. They are listened to with respect, believing that their 

questions and observations provide an opportunity for learning and 

discovery. 

4. The environment is the third teacher and is recognized for its 

potential to inspire children. The studio is filled with natural 

lighting, free from clutter and includes materials that encourage 

curiosity and creativity. 

5. The adult’s role is to mentor and guide children, listen to their 

thoughts and ideas, find what interests them and then provide 

them with opportunities to explore these interests further. The 

projects aren’t planned; they emerge based on the child’s interests. 

6. Children express their thoughts and creativity in many ways. There 

are a hundred different ways of thinking, discovering and learning, 

and each one of these ways must be valued and nurtured. 

We recently expanded the approach used in the studio and have 

merged the Reggio philosophy with science, technology, engineering, 

arts and mathematics, or S.T.E.A.M. 

Educators first used the acronym S.T.E.M., but later realized there 

are many benefits to incorporating the arts. S.T.E.A.M. is designed 

to integrate S.T.E.M. subjects and the art of design into education. 

When the preschoolers visit the studio, they are invited to explore 

one of the learning labs or participate in the featured S.T.E.A.M. 

activity of the week. This past school year, students have enjoyed 

pendulum painting, catapult painting, observing the reaction of 

mixing baking soda with vinegar, and drawing with a color bot. The 

arts might get a child interested in a project. 

S.T.E.A.M. focuses on questions, children seeking their own answers 

and valuing their own opinions. It celebrates experimentation by 

trying and failing. It is so important for kids to be comfortable with 

failure. Our best innovators have failed many times but got back up 

and tried again. S.T.E.A.M. is interactive and hands-on. Children are 

not being told what to make. Instead, our students are creating from 

their imagination and learning from the process! n 


DOROTHY HARPOOL 

Director of Student and 

Community Initiatives and 

Marketing Lecturer, W. Frank 

Barton School of Business, 

Wichita State University 

Dorothy Harpool has conducted training 

seminars both for public and in-company 

audiences on behalf of the Center for 

Management Development at Wichita 

State University for more than 20 years. 

She is an award-winning Wichita State 

University Instructor and has taught 

courses in marketing, entrepreneurship, 

consumer behavior and design thinking. 

The Impact of Kindergarten on Professional Success 

Recently I discovered my kindergarten 

report card in a storage box hidden deep 

in my storeroom. I smiled when I saw 

the “subjects” on that card. Most were 

not academic in nature; they were all 

about being emotionally intelligent. Is 

what we learned in kindergarten the key 

to becoming a successful professional? 

Research indicates organizations thrive 

when emotional intelligence is embraced. 

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the 

ability to recognize and manage your 

own emotions while recognizing and 

understanding the emotions of others, 

even if those are not ones you share. An 

encouraging aspect of EI is that it can 

be improved dramatically in a relatively 

short period of time. Your IQ was 

established when you were 2 years old, 

but your Emotional Intelligence Quotient 

(EIQ) can improve today. 

Emotional Intelligence is based on 

four dimensions: self-awareness, selfmanagement, 

social awareness, and 

relationship management. People with 

a high EI don’t eliminate their emotions; 

rather, they have learned to use those 

emotions in a productive way. 

One key to increasing emotional 

intelligence is to recognize when your 

emotions are driving your actions. I 

call emotion-based behavior “caveman/ 

cavewoman” behavior. When faced 

with any situation, humans feel before 

they think. High EI people learn how to 

move from a purely emotional status to 

a more rational one. They have learned 

to be aware of emotions such as anger or 

irritation before those emotions get them 

into trouble. 

Recognizing your emotions is only 

the start of improving your EI. We have 

all heard the advice “think before you 

speak,” a statement that reflects the selfmanagement 

component of emotional 

intelligence. High EI people don’t just 

think before they speak, they think 

before they hit the send key. Buying time 

helps improve your EI and reduces the 

appearances of caveman/cavewoman in 

the workplace. 

We were taught in kindergarten the 

importance of sharing and working 

together — both skills vital in the 

workplace. High EI employees are great 

team members and recognize that every 

employee plays a role in the organization. 

We can increase our EI by observing and 

listening. Stepping back and noticing 

people’s tendencies and preferences can 

lead us to more effective interactions. We 

need to be aware that we are not the only 

one in the sandbox. 

High EI workers are effective 

communicators, because they recognize 

that the best communication strategy 

Keys To Improving 

Emotional Intelligence 

•§ 

Be aware of your emotions 

•§ 

Think before you speak (and also before 

you hit send) 

•§ 

Be a listener — not just a talker 

•§ 

Recognize that not everyone thinks/feels 

like you do 

•§ 

Include people 

•§ 

Catch people doing things right 

•§ 

The workplace is the like the playground 

— remember to play nicely with others! 

is one that is based on the receiver of 

the message — not the convenience of 

the sender of the message. Statements 

like “I win/you win” or “Let’s get this 

done together” are reflective of a high EI 

employee. “I win/you lose” is what a low 

EI manager would say. High EI managers 

recognize it is important to catch people 

doing things right instead of just looking 

for mistakes employees have made. 

They use their EI skills to build strong 

relationships. 

Are you looking to have a positive 

effect on your organization? Examine and 

improve your EIQ. High EI employees 

are certain to be an invaluable member 

of any team. Really, we learned what we 

need to know back in kindergarten. n 


Child Care Provider Coalition of Kansas 

Child Care Providers Coalition of Kansas (CCPC) is a nonprofit 

organization founded by and for Family Child Care Providers in 

Kansas. Voting membership is open to all licensed family child 

care providers in Kansas. Supportive memberships are also 

available for child advocates, agencies supporting early childhood 

education and families. 

CCPC is governed by a diverse board of directors representing 

all of Kansas. Our goals include promoting professionalism in 

Family Child Care, strengthening local associations and support 

systems for providers, and advocating for the needs of family 

child care providers on different local and state committees and 

commissions. CCPC also supports regulatory requirements that 

protect the health and safety of Kansas children. 

CCPC provides a network for providers to mentor, collaborate, 

and encourage each other. The organization supports strength and 

unity and recognizes the beauty of diversity in family child care as 

well as the daily challenges providers face. 

Child Care Providers Coalition of Kansas’ annual professional 

development conference includes educational speakers. It’s also a 

forum to recognize providers with awards for Kansas Child Care 

Provider of the Year and the Hunter Award for those outstanding 

individuals/community. 

Members receive a bi-monthly newsletter that includes state 

and national information. For more information about CCPC, 

visit our website at: http://www.ccpcofks.com or email us at 

ccpcofks@gmail.com 

CORINNE CARR 

President of Child Care Providers 

Coalition of Kansas 

Corinne Carr is currently serving as president of CCPC. She has owned Special Blessings 

Child Care since 1992. She holds an Associate in Applied Science in Early Childhood 

Education from Butler Community College, a CDA from the Council for Professional 

Recognition, and NAFCC accreditation to meet high quality standards in child care. Her 

outdoor classroom, “Outdoor Adventures,” is certified through Nature Explore and New 

Dimensions Research Foundation. 

She is involved in her local child care organization, HOPS (Helping other Providers 

Succeed); and was appointed as a council membership representative in 2014 and 2015 

to the National Association for Family Child Care, Region 12 (Kansas, Nebraska and 

Colorado). In 2015, she was recognized as an Emerging Leader by Exchange Magazine. In 

2015, she joined the KDHE Child Care Licensing Systems Team as an adviser. In 2016, she 

joined the T.E.A.C.H and WAGES$ Advisory Council, the Quality Links, QRIS Monitoring 

Work Group Team, and the Quality Links Peer Learning Group. In 2016, she was honored 

with the Advocacy Award through the National Association for Family Child Care in San 

Diego, Calif. 

“My passion is to help others, for those who have helped me along the way. Through my 

enthusiasm for the field of family child care, I have become involved in many local, state 

and national organizations as an early childhood professional. I will continue to be of 

service on the CCPC board as a past president. I am inspired to inspire others!” 

“Belonging to a professional organization or network and 

informally networking with other providers has been associated 

with higher scores on measures of global quality and provider 

sensitivity.” (Kontos, Howes, Shinn, & Galinsky, 1995; Doherty et 

al.,2000) 


NON PROFIT ORG. 

U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID 

SALINA, KS 67401 

PERMIT NO. 122 

PO Box 2294, Salina, KS 67402-2294 

www.ks.childcareaware.org 

Call Toll Free 1-855-750-3343 

NEW Texting Program! 

Child Care Aware ® of Kansas has launched a NEW Texting Program. 

The program is divided into two campaigns, one for providers and one for parents. 

When a subscriber enrolls in a campaign, he/she will receive 

approximately 3-4 messages* a month. Enrollment can be completed 

on a cellular phone and via our website at www.ks.childcareaware.org! 

CHILD CARE PROVIDER CAMPAIGN 

Texts about family engagement, 

child development, healthy recipes, 

activity ideas, safe sleep, training updates/ 

opportunities and more! 

To Enroll: Text CCAKS to 59925 

PARENT CAMPAIGN 

Texts about child development, 

healthy recipes, illness prevention, 

activity ideas, emergency planning 

and more! 

To Enroll: Text KSKIDS to 59925 

*DATA/MSG RATES MIGHT APPLY

2017 Summer Kansas Child

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