S1. Episode 5: Nichole Parks and Joelle Wheatley - The Power of Collaboration - Pt 1.
Part 1 of 2, The Power of Collaboration is continued in Season 1, Episode 6.
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 shared their experience leading a 6-month learning network with 30 Wyoming early childhood professionals and parents that resulted in the creation of Wyoming’s Coherent Path to Quality, a new vision of quality for the State of Wyoming. What they learned from the experience of leading a large, collaborative group (virtually) and ensuring that they stayed true to their purpose can provide insight to educators and leaders.
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About our guests
Nichole Parks
Nicole is the ____. Her philosophy is that by nurturing the growth and development of program leaders, we create pathways to sustainable quality and develop programs deserving of our children. During her 23 years in early childhood education she taught preschool, served children and families as the Infant and Toddler Director of a NAEYC and state accredited program, and served as a mentor for directors leading their programs through quality accreditation.
Joelle Wheatley
Joelle, also a member of the Leading for Children organization, is committed to transforming outcomes for children and their families by fully supporting the adults in their lives. She designs and implements a strategic vision for the organization to ensure that Leading for Children is consistently delivering high-quality professional learning experiences to educators and caretakers. Joelle has worked in strategy and evaluation for nearly 20 years.
Show Notes
Check out the links below to documents and resources mentioned in this episode
Leading for Children
https://leadingforchildren.org
Creating Equity for Children Statewide: Reflections on the Wyoming Learning Network (Blog Post)
https://jablonandparks.medium.com/creating-equity-for-children-statewide-reflections-on-the-wyoming-learning-network
2020 Cowboy State Virtual Conference Archive sessions by the Leading for Children team and Wyecplc facilitators
https://www.wyecplc.org/index.php/professional-learning-library/cowboy-state-virtual-conference-archive/2020-cowboy-state-virtual-conference
The Five Commitments of Optimistic Leadership for Children: A Reflective Practice Journal by Judy Jablon Nicole Parks and Laura Ensler
In a groundbreaking approach to creating a more equitable system to ensure all children thrive, the team of early childhood experts at Leading for Children identify five core commitments for everyone within the early childhood ecosystem: think impact, cultivate self-awareness, nurture relationships, refine communication, and activate curiosity. We know that children learn by modeling the behavior of adults around them and when the adults embrace these five commitments, they can foster equitable relationships that set positive examples for children.
