I got involved with Leading for Children as part of the group that created Wyoming’s statewide framework for ensuring equity and quality for children. Leading for Children did a great job of making everyone feel that their voices mattered. Even though I kept thinking “I don’t run a daycare; my expertise is in pharmaceuticals!”, I saw how my experience as a parent has given me important knowledge to share. The Learning Network was a great place for sharing wisdom and helped me feel better about parenting.

I’m a college professor as well, and I’ve started incorporating the practice of staying present that I learned from LFC into my classroom. I also do this personally, and it helps me realize that sometimes my body is present, but my brain is not. Tuning into that was such a big piece for me. I also valued the acceptance of everyone’s ideas. It was a new way to listen, to be compassionate. And ultimately, the framework we created was pretty incredible; I hope that it’s used to bring everyone in early learning to a more equal ground.