Our Team

Ms. Kristy

Fun Facts:  I love connecting with people and thrive on rich relationships.  I enjoy yoga, roadtripping, the beach, dance parties with my four kiddos, girls nights, date nights with my amazing husband, massages, reading and going to school! I love music and play the piano, flute and enough basic guitar chords to sing Three Little Birds with my kiddos. I always have a new idea and love exploringing new project or passion (Pinterest anyone?).  I changed my major 7 times in college (everything from French, to Piano Pedagogy, to Pre-Med).  I was born and raised in Utah and am the oldest of 5 children.  I am chronically distracted, but almost always optimistic.  I love to have fun, learn new things and share my days with the awesome kiddos that come to my home each day.

Why I LOVE what I do: I started The Learning Tree Daycare and Preschool almost 10 years ago with one overriding goal:  to provide the highest quality of child care available.  For the six years prior to this I worked with the Division of Child and Family Services as a social worker for children and families.  I learned some really amazing things in my work with DCFS but was excited to move forward with a new project.  My two oldest children were 4 1/2 and 2 when I began my child care adventure.  During the time I was a working mom I had l some really great providers.  My goal was to take the good experiences I had and build the very best program that I could.  My program has grown and developed so much since I started and I am very proud of what The Learning Tree has become.  I also take great care to constantly be looking for ways I can improve our program.  My family and I have invested our heart and souls into this program as well as much of our time and financial resources.  I believe firmly that just like the children I care for, I have great capacity to learn and grow and reach a great potential as a provider and caregiver.  I love the children and families that I work with and am so grateful I get to do this every day!

My Qualifications at a glance: I have over thirteen years of experience working directly with children, in addition to six years working as a Social Service Worker for DCFS. I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and am currently working on my Master’s in Professional Communication through SUU.  I have 500+ hours in Child Abuse and Social work training and 500+ additional hours of additional training specific to Child Care and Early Childhood Education through classes and professional conferences. In 2014 I was named as the TLCCF/Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher of the Year. I am on Level 10 (out of 10) of the CCPDI Career Ladder and have earned 40 hour endorsement certificates in the Infant and Toddler Care, School Readiness, Family Child Care, Guidance and Emotional Wellness, Relationship Touchpoints and Theories and Best Practice.  I am a trainer for Care About Childcare and teach regular classes for other child care providers. I am also the newsletter editor and a board member for the Professional Family Child Care Association of Utah.