In this episode of the Quality Time podcast we welcome the iconic Dr. Jean Feldman. With nearly 50 years of early childhood experience, Dr. Jean brings a wealth of knowledge to our field. This week we are diving into the power of play! Tune in to hear Dr. Jean and your host, Colleen, discuss the importance of bringing joyful singing and simple silliness into early childhood spaces.

Welcome to season 2 of Step Up to Quality's podcast! In this back to school episode of Quality Time, Colleen and her two guests explore kindergarten readiness from various perspectives: early childhood educators, kindergarten teachers, parents, and of course the kids themselves.

If Season 1 of the Quality Time podcast were a baby, it would be all swaddled and ready to nap! We're officially done with Season 1...and we will see you soon for Season 2! Our host Colleen has some great things in store for us, including more national speakers and also more features on Nebraska providers. In the meantime, if you're interested in participating in Step Up to Quality, please refer to our Program Guide and blog, both of which have great resources for early childhood educators. Thank you to all who have listened to our first season and we can't wait to bring you more Quality Time this fall!

We know being a childcare provider is a difficult job. You are appreciated, you are supported and you deserve a moment just for you. Treat yourself to a mindful moment by listening to our second guided meditation episode on the Quality Time Podcast. This episode is brought to you by our coaching specialist and meditation expert, Lynne Cook.

We created the Quality Time podcast especially for early childhood educators in Nebraska. Our intention at Step Up to Quality was to uplift and support all the teachers, directors, administrators and others who educate our future leaders. We know it can be a difficult and exhausting job, so we went a step further and recorded some special guided meditation episodes, starting with the first one today. We hope you return to these again and again for a moment of calm and reflection. Special thanks to our coaching specialist Lynne who is our meditation expert and recorded these special episodes just for you.

As an Early Childhood Extension Specialist and Assistant Professor at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Dr. Holly Hatton-Bowers focuses on identifying and implementing effective ways of promoting well-being among early childhood educators, families and young children. In this episode, Dr. Hatton-Bowers talks about what self-care is, what it's not and why it matters. She acknowledges that self-care is critical to your well-being, but it also can be challenging to practice. She offers solutions, including relying on your community to fulfill parts of your self-care.

Jené Chapman, a Program Specialist with the Office of Early Childhood at the Nebraska Department of Education, discusses the successes and challenges of her experience in the field of child care and education. She talks about growing through professional development and helping providers overcome barriers to earn their Child Development Associate (CDA) credential in Nebraska.

One of the most difficult parts about being a child care provider is facing challenging behaviors and the lack of support in some instances. In this week’s Quality Time podcast, Charity Wright, teacher at Cathedral Daycare in Grand Island, talks about how she receives support from the Step Up to Quality program during challenging moments and the importance of taking time to reflect on what you are grateful for.

For this episode, we sat down with Angie Lang, director and owner of Bright Beginnings Child Enrichment Center in Scriber, NE. She talks with us about her experience achieving Step 5 status through Step Up to Quality, her relationship with her coaches and why it's important to have those cheerleaders in your corner as a provider. Coaches, leadership teams and observers want providers to succeed. Angie talks about the ways she felt that support during the process, and how important collaboration is in high quality early childhood education settings.

In this episode of Quality Time, our host Colleen discusses the importance of child care professionals continuing their education with Becky Morton. Becky has worked in the field of early childhood for over 10 years as a early childhood coach consultant at Educational Service Unity #3 (ESU3) and is an adjunct early childhood instructor for the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In order for child care professionals to be their best, they need access to quality learning resources. Becky shares that educators and providers should be encouraged to learn and explore their field in a space that is safe. This, in turn, results in a better environment for the children in their care.