PLAYFUL CONCEPTS LLC

"In honoring children as brilliant and unique human beings full of potential, awe and wonder, our role is to remind them of who they are, helping them discover their inner qualities and strengths. Believing all humans to be loving, caring, kind, and compassionate, I strive to promote children’s curiosity, imagination and joy, fulfilling their potential and bringing their greatness to the world "

Younghee, Professor, Coordinator of the Early Childhood Development program, School of Education, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, Oregon. Dr. Kim teaches in the Early Childhood Development, Education Studies, Master of Arts in Teaching, and MSEd Leadership in Early Childhood Programs at Southern Oregon University. 

She received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Oregon in the area of early intervention/early childhood special education. Prior to coming to SOU in 1999, Dr. Kim taught in the Early Child Education Program and the Master of Arts in Teaching program in the School of Education at Oregon State University in Corvallis. Recently, she keynoted at the Korean Society for Holistic Convergence Education conference and taught several workshops for the preschool-Kindergarten directors, teachers, and parents with Paula, Rebecca and Michelle in South Korea. 

Younghee's main areas of interest and ORO approved trainings include:

- Holistic early childhood education

- Multicultural family collaboration and engagement

- Alternative assessment approaches for young     children with special needs

- Whole child development

- Nature-based learning

- Whole teacher inner development  

- Strength-based core reflection approach

- The human potential 

- Presence and compassion

- Contemplative practices in teacher education

- Multicultural and diversity education 

- Early learning through play

- Observation and evaluation of teaching

- Community-based service learning

- Project-based learning

- Sustainability in early childhood

"My mission is to live wholeheartedly, uplifting myself and others to live our dreams in beauty."

Paula Founded and Directed The Secret Garden Preschool and Kindergarten which recently closed after 20 years, an adjunct faculty member at Southern Oregon University, and Rogue Community College. For close to 40 years she has been working with children and families in a variety of capacities, including Parent/Child Facilitator, Handwork/Art Teacher, Educational Support Practitioner, Games/Integrative Movement Teacher, and Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher and Mentor.

Paula advocates for the effectiveness of holistic practices in education and nature-play-based early learning, while encouraging educators on their path of inner-development to incorporate nature, creativity, hand-work, and soul filled reflective practices into their daily life.

Paula's main areas of interest and ORO approved trainings include:

- Holistic practices in education

- Sustainable Well-Being

- The Foundations for Learning - understanding and working with learning and behavior differences

- Nutrition for the early years

- Fostering Creativity

- Hand crafting for children and adults

- Adults on a path of inner development

- Games for children of all ages

- Language and Literacy through Play

- Developmental movements

- The foundational senses: touch, balance, self, life

- Waldorf practices in education

- Working with challenging children

- Mediation

"To be grateful each day I am welcomed into the lives of children, their families, and friends. To recognize the sacredness and wholeness of being and life. To reseed and prepare the next generation of early childhood educators as pedagogical leaders."

Rebecca has over 35 years in the early childhood field. After serving as the Founder and Director of Roots & Wings Community Preschool for 25 years she

joined The Community Preschool at SOU as its Director in addition to adjunct faculty in the ECD program. Ms. Tree received her Master’s in Education from SOU at the age of 62, proving that learning is a life-long endeavor and as long as we breathe we should be engaged in meaningful work.

Rebecca's main areas of interest and ORO approved trainings include-

- Piaget’s Schema as a tool for observing, reflecting and planning that supports the authentic child

- Rhoda Kellogg’s theory and pictorial evolution of children’s art as it applies to literacy development

- Examine and recognize the contributions of Friedrich Froebel in today’s early education programs

 - Honoring all forms of play and the spirit of childhood as a human right- Examine our own image of the child/childhood: unraveling the biases 

- Reflect how our image impacts how we relate to children 

- Moving from data keeping to seeing the meaningful and significant in children’s interactions

- Developing a personal or business mission statement that drives our work

- See beyond the factory definition of early learning: i.e.‘standards’ versus ‘standardization’, ‘democratic frame’ versus ‘economic frame’.

Michelle owns and operates Imagine That…Creative Children’s Centers in the Grants Pass area. Her programs have received the Preschool Promise grant to support child care programs for preschoolers and partnership grants from the Oregon Childcare Career Development (OCCD) to support work with infants and toddlers. Currently, Michelle is an adjunct faculty member teaching ECE classes at Rogue Community College, and she participates in the local ECE director’s cohort.

Michelle has a private consulting business which specializes in early learning environmental designs, and she is a passionate advocate for the importance of PLAY as an early learning tool, creative arts and outdoor learning. 

(Michelle loves playing and spending time outdoors with her twin grandsons.)

Michelle's main areas of interest and ORO approved trainings include:

- Setting up certified childcare facilities

- Resource for childcare workers

- Environments

- Redesigning outdoor and indoor environments

- Fostering creativity

- Creating a labyrinth