Our staff
Our highly qualified teachers know that young children learn through their relationships and through their experiences. For this reason, our teachers create a warm and nurturing learning environment in both our indoor and outdoor classrooms, and strive to cultivate each child's sense of wonder, curiosity and capacity.
Ms. Kaley
School Director
Hi, my name is Kaley. I have been in the field of education for 20 years, with the majority of my experience being in Early Childhood. In my early career, I worked in the classroom, working with infants through PreK. After a few years in the classroom, I phased into an Assistant Director position. I found being in leadership roles to be very inspiring and continued to seek out similar positions. Working in leadership roles, I get the best of both worlds. I get to work with the students and lead teachers. I love getting to be in the classroom and being able to witness the curiosities and wonder as children learn new things, and I love leading teachers and inspiring them in their teaching path. I have worked with many different curriculums and philosophies. My most recent work, in Denver, was working as a School Director in a Reggio Emilia school for four years. Reggio has resonated with me the most both as an educator and as a parent. I love that the Reggio philosophy is based on building relationships with students, co-workers, and families. It also focuses on community, collaboration, social emotional learning, as well as outdoor and project-based learning -- where themes are child-inspired, and teacher-supported, based on the students' interests and curiosities. I am excited to carry over the love of nature, curiosity, collaboration, place-based and child-led learning, to my new journey here at NRCCS Early Childhood Center.
My family and I moved to Steamboat in the fall of 2021, from Denver. It has been one of the best decisions we’ve made. We had been looking for a chance to get out of the city for quite a while. The education for our two daughters has always been a very important factor in where we live. I found it harder than I thought to find something that aligns with our family values. While looking at different mountain towns, I was very happy to find the NRCCS community. My daughters' just finished up their first grade and second grade school year, and absolutely thrived. This past year I worked as a Para at the K8 and enjoyed getting to know everyone and becoming a part of the community. I will treasure the connections and relationships I have established at the K8. When the opportunity presented itself for me to come back to the Early Childhood world, I jumped on it. Even though we are in separate buildings, we will continue to build relationships with the students and teachers at the K8.
In our spare time, my family and I enjoy hiking with our dog, camping, checking out hot springs, or hanging out at a river or lake–swimming or kayaking. We also love going on mini or long family road trips as often as possible. My other passion is plants.
I am looking forward to getting to know you and your child, and being a part of this wonderful community!
My family and I moved to Steamboat in the fall of 2021, from Denver. It has been one of the best decisions we’ve made. We had been looking for a chance to get out of the city for quite a while. The education for our two daughters has always been a very important factor in where we live. I found it harder than I thought to find something that aligns with our family values. While looking at different mountain towns, I was very happy to find the NRCCS community. My daughters' just finished up their first grade and second grade school year, and absolutely thrived. This past year I worked as a Para at the K8 and enjoyed getting to know everyone and becoming a part of the community. I will treasure the connections and relationships I have established at the K8. When the opportunity presented itself for me to come back to the Early Childhood world, I jumped on it. Even though we are in separate buildings, we will continue to build relationships with the students and teachers at the K8.
In our spare time, my family and I enjoy hiking with our dog, camping, checking out hot springs, or hanging out at a river or lake–swimming or kayaking. We also love going on mini or long family road trips as often as possible. My other passion is plants.
I am looking forward to getting to know you and your child, and being a part of this wonderful community!
Ms. Jewels
Hi, my name is Jewels and I am so delighted to become a part of the NRCCS team! I am relatively new to Colorado, having moved from Vermont back in January of 2021. So far, living in the Yampa Valley has been an amazing experience! I moved to Colorado after college to pursue teaching opportunities and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. In Vermont, I attended the University of Vermont (UVM) and majored in elementary education with a minor in environmental studies. My program at UVM has allowed me to grow as both an individual and as an educator because it gave me experiences in a variety of classrooms from kindergarten to fourth grade. My experiences outside of school as a ski coach at the Steamboat Winter Sports Club, as a camp counselor at organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, and as an Early Childhood Education Teacher have also helped build my confidence and develop my skills.
One of my most rewarding experiences was working as an Early Childhood Education Teacher, and I am so excited to continue my work with this age group. I was drawn to the North Routt Community Charter School because of its dedication to outdoor learning, and I hope to incorporate this into my own teaching. I grew up ski racing, hiking, kayaking, and playing sports like soccer, so the outdoors holds a particularly dear place in my heart. I aspire to reach each child’s needs by offering a diverse array of perspectives, incorporating evidence-based practices, implementing place-based learning, and using trauma-informed practices. Aside from my professional goals, I would love to live abroad, hike some 14ers, and eventually get a dog. I look forward to meeting you all and having a great school year.
One of my most rewarding experiences was working as an Early Childhood Education Teacher, and I am so excited to continue my work with this age group. I was drawn to the North Routt Community Charter School because of its dedication to outdoor learning, and I hope to incorporate this into my own teaching. I grew up ski racing, hiking, kayaking, and playing sports like soccer, so the outdoors holds a particularly dear place in my heart. I aspire to reach each child’s needs by offering a diverse array of perspectives, incorporating evidence-based practices, implementing place-based learning, and using trauma-informed practices. Aside from my professional goals, I would love to live abroad, hike some 14ers, and eventually get a dog. I look forward to meeting you all and having a great school year.
Hi, my name is Karen and I am happy to join the team at NRCC Preschool and community! Early Childhood education is a passion of mine and I am very excited to continue to teach and interact with all the children that are enrolled at this preschool. My education and experience has always been related to working with children. I earned my associates degree in Early Childhood and have 20+ years of experience. I believe I have held every position within a childcare center from teacher to director, which has educated me to be a well rounded person! In addition to my degree I continue to participate in workshops and online classes to stay active in my learning so I can provide the best opportunities for the children that I am caring and teaching for.
My family relocated to the western slopes in 2017 from Wisconsin, and we currently reside in Wyoming. My husband and three boys work at Three Forks. My husband and I have been blessed and raised 3 successful sons. Our oldest son, Connor has his engineering degree, our middle son, Jacob is a heavy equipment operator and our youngest son, Tanner is completing his senior year in high school and will continue on to earn his welding degree. We are fortunate that they all live and work in the same area so we can continue to have family meals together. As a family we enjoy spending time outdoors on our side-by-side, dirt bikes, and camping. I personally do enjoy some quiet time sometimes too!
I look forward to getting to know you and your child and being a part of this community in North Routt.
Hi, my name is Karen and I am happy to join the team at NRCC Preschool and community! Early Childhood education is a passion of mine and I am very excited to continue to teach and interact with all the children that are enrolled at this preschool. My education and experience has always been related to working with children. I earned my associates degree in Early Childhood and have 20+ years of experience. I believe I have held every position within a childcare center from teacher to director, which has educated me to be a well rounded person! In addition to my degree I continue to participate in workshops and online classes to stay active in my learning so I can provide the best opportunities for the children that I am caring and teaching for.
My family relocated to the western slopes in 2017 from Wisconsin, and we currently reside in Wyoming. My husband and three boys work at Three Forks. My husband and I have been blessed and raised 3 successful sons. Our oldest son, Connor has his engineering degree, our middle son, Jacob is a heavy equipment operator and our youngest son, Tanner is completing his senior year in high school and will continue on to earn his welding degree. We are fortunate that they all live and work in the same area so we can continue to have family meals together. As a family we enjoy spending time outdoors on our side-by-side, dirt bikes, and camping. I personally do enjoy some quiet time sometimes too!
I look forward to getting to know you and your child and being a part of this community in North Routt.
