Douglas-Sarpy Extension

Early Childhood

Silhouette of three children jumping on a trampoline at dusk.

Professional Development Programs

Learn about our upcoming professional development opportunities for early childhood educators. Check out our schedule of upcoming online and in-person classes or schedule for us work directly with your program. 

Register for a Class
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Nature Based Learning

Need a few ideas for nature activities? Interested in completely redesigning your playground into a natural outdoor learning environment? No matter where you are in helping connect young children to nature, we are here to help!

Find out about Nature Based Learning
Adults outside placing eatable plant leaves and flowers on wooden plates and bowls on the ground covered with mulch.

Infant/Toddler Programs

Our early childhood team offers parent and child classes focused on respectful caregiving of infants and toddlers.

 

Learn about available Infant/Toddler Programs
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Early Childhood Statewide

To access the statewide resources for early childhood professionals and families:

Visit the Statewide Page
Children playing outside.

Meet Our Team

Avatar for Katie Krause
Katie Krause
Extension Educator
As a member of the Early Childhood team, Katie focuses on working with early childhood educators who work with children ages birth to 5, primarily in child care (center and in home) and preschool setting. Her primary area of focus is helping early childhood educators to improve the quality of their programs through programmatic and environmental improvements. She is especially interested in increasing teacher’s use of emergent curriculums and helping reconnect children and adults with nature through naturalizing indoor and outdoor learning environments. Katie leads a statewide team that focuses on improving the quality of learning experiences for children and youth.
Avatar for Janis Pierce
Janis Pierce
Extension Assistant

Connect with Katie Krause