In this episode of Quality Time, we get the chance to talk with Mike Stiehl. Mike is a coach for Step Up to Quality and has worked in the field of early childhood education for more than 40 years. Mike discusses what it's like being a male in a female-dominated workforce, what his job entails and how he got to where he is today.

In this episode of the Step Up to Quality podcast, we welcome Jill Garrett. Jill is an early childhood program manager in Omaha. We talk to her about her Step Up to Quality experience and how she got her and her team to achieve a Step 5.

In this episode, we had the opportunity to talk with Denita Julius! She is a family child care home provider and is rated at a Step 5 in Step Up to Quality. Denita discusses how elevated early childhood education opportunities are not just limited to those who work in a classroom. In fact, more than half of all Step 5 programs are family child care home providers!

We dive deep into the T.E.A.C.H. program with T.E.A.C.H.’s very own Julie Warford. The letters stand for Teacher Education and Compensation Helps, and the program helps those pursuing a degree in early childhood education to financially reach their goals. Julie talks all about how the T.E.A.C.H. program provides recipients with the ability to learn and achieve their dreams debt-free.

In this episode, we welcome Heather Schimdt, who explains the importance of coaching in both the classroom and family child care homes. Everyone has the opportunity to learn more and grow to their full potential. Step Up to Quality allows child care providers to reach their full potential.

In this episode, we dive into the two observation tools provided by Step Up to Quality for classrooms with Traci Strazdas. The two choices are the CLASS (Classroom Assessment Scoring System), and the ERS (Environment Rating Scales). Both of these observational tools are important to understand because they improve the interactions between adults and children. But how do providers decide which to use? Do they use either of them or both? We will answer these questions and many more in this podcast.

The Step Up to Quality team shares a breakdown of what the program is all about and why providers want to be a part of quality early childhood education in Nebraska. Guest stars Lauri Cimino, Lynne Cooke and Jenny Fleming discuss what it's like to participate in Step Up to Quality, and the progress they see in each provider's quality of care. The team also addresses the eagerly-awaited revisions to the program, which are being rolled out throughout 2022 and 2023.