home | about | admissions | families | testimonials | contact us
Staff
Our teachers are the most crucial element of The Elm Tree. Without nurturing, attentive and dedicated staff members the best curriculum and environment in the world would amount to very little.
All of our lead teachers are trained in Early Childhood Education and are Group Leader qualified. Our goal is to retain high quality teachers who have a passion for the field of Early Childhood Education and who understand modern, contemplative teaching methods.
When hiring, we follow the regulations of Colorado State Licensing Standards, so we complete background checks on each new hire and require that all staff members complete a First Aid and CPR training course within the first month of employment. Regular, on-going training in the field of Early Childhood Education is provided. Sometimes this is done on-site during one of our Professional Development Days. Other opportunities for training are made available to our teachers within the local area using the resources of colleges such as Naropa and Front Range Community College and through agencies such as the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County.
Our Teachers
Sarah Edwards
Sarah first landed in the field of Early Childhood Education while undergoing a major life transition including a move to "the valley" from the Rocky Mountains of Estes Park.
A Bachelor's Degree in Biology had not served to find her the kind of work she wanted to do, work that involved the heart and that could create positive change within the community. Taking care of young children combined her love of music, art, healthy living, sustainability, gardening and the power of being present in every moment. Sarah started working at The Elm Tree in October, 2007 and simultaneously began working on her Early Childhood Director's Certificate at Front Range Community College.
In the fall of 2009, after working for two years as a teacher, Sarah became the owner of The Elm Tree. She feels very blessed to be doing exactly what she is intended to do in this life and it is her hope that each child's experience at Elm Tree is one full of wonder and beauty.
In her time away from work she enjoys playing the piano, mandolin and guitar, yoga, gardening, photography, salsa dancing, building lego creations with her son, and going hiking with their big, hairy dog.
Kenny Yingling
Kenny began working at The Elm Tree in September of 2006, as he was finishing his senior year at Naropa University. He has since graduated with two degrees, one in Early Childhood Education and one in Traditional Eastern Arts with a concentration in T'ai Ch'i Ch'uan. He had orginally planned on working with older children but discovered he was at his best when working with toddlers.
Outside The Elm Tree, Kenny fuses his love of working with young children with his love for sports as a little league sports official, working mostly with the Denver PAL league. As a Colorado native, he also enjoys snowmobiling in the winter and lying by the water in the summer. His dream is to still be working at The Elm Tree when your children's children are ready for early exploration.
Dorje Dolma
From age 5-10 Dorje was herding yaks, cows, sheep and
goats in the western part of Nepal, elevation 15,000 ft. Her mother gave birth to 11 children, but five did not survive due to the cold weather and lack of nutrition. As the oldest, Dorje had to take care of the animals, her siblings and work in the field. Since there were no hospitals, her mother gave birth to all of Dorje's siblings at home and she took on the role of midwife. As Dorje grew older, caring for her siblings and parents became her responsibility.
In 1996 she was adopted by a wonderful family in Boulder and has lived here for almost 16 years. Over the years she had been fortunate enough to help put four of her siblings in Nepal to school as well as pursue her own education. Dorje graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2008, receiving a BA in Studio and Fine Arts. She found college to be quite challenging as she didn't start formal schooling until she was 10 years old. She is amazed at the magical beauty and unpredictability of life. "One moment I am in a remote village chasing a snow leopard with rocks to protect my goats and the next I am studying for finals on an apple computer."
She loves teaching and caring for children, and feels it will always be a big part of her life. Dorje helped start a non-profit in Boulder to provide education, health, shelter and food for children in Nepal, India, Tibet, South Africa and Boulder. To her it is extremely important that all children be loved and educated and sees such a great need around the world with so many struggling to get food, love and education.
Devon Corbet
Devon spent her childhood years outdoors in the woods of New York State; playing, watching and creating. It is still where she most likes to be.
Following her undergraduate study of Anthropology with a focus on the biodiversity of Madagascar, Devon explored a variety of ecological research jobs. Her first teaching experience was working as an environmental educator for Hawk Watch International. This looked like camping out atop a mountain in New Mexico for fall hawk migration, while handling live hawks and explaining the program to site visitors.
With that, she was hooked on education and returned to New York. She earned her Masters in Early Education at Pace University while working at an under-served elementary school in Brooklyn, New York City.
In the summer of 2009, she moved to Boulder with her husband and young son. While in Boulder, she has learned to balance home life and work life, somewhat successfully, earned her Yoga Teacher Certification with an emphasis on reaching under-served populations through yoga, taught elementary school-aged children at Whittier Elementary and now is working at The Elm Tree. She is very interested in working with people of less than three years in age. Through them, she feels that she is learning some of the hows and whys of human development, how to see and support fairness and clear communication. She is especially fond of playing outside, no matter the weather, and doing yoga with the kids.
