About Us
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a connected community of family childcare providers and early childhood educators that are dedicated to creating high quality, developmentally appropriate programs for children. We believe as we support each other and share understanding we can provide the best care for children in our own communities.
Our Mission
From the beginning our mission has been to provide high quality early childhood education by collecting the best practices from all aspects of education and translate it into a simple and easy way of understanding to those in the early childhood and childcare professions.
Kristy & Joey
Kristy DeGraaf
Kristy is a digital content creator and a childcare influencer. She got her start because of the need for high quality childcare in our area over 15 years ago. She has a bachelors degree in physiology and a masters degree in communication from Southern Utah University. She has been working with kids for over 20 years. In 2014 she was awarded the Terri Lynne Lokoff National Teacher of the Year Award because of her commitment to play based education and the appropriate development of young children. She became a board member of the PFCCA (Professional Family Childcare Association of Utah) and was awarded the Helene Marks Select 25 Award in Utah. In 2015 Kristy opened another childcare in Cedar City directed by Joey’s sister which Kristy managed until 2018. In 2019 Kristy finished her master’s degree and opened a new childcare center at Southern Utah University called the Center For Hope which she ran until 2021. At this time Kristy became more involved with early childcare advocacy in the State of Utah. In 2022 she helped pass laws in the State to increase the numbers for licensed providers. Kristy was featured on PBS speaking out about the need for quality licensed childcare programs and how government needs to help bridge the gap between child care costs and what parents can afford. She is currently working with Care About Childcare, trying to bring more awareness to State and Federal legislatures.
The majority of Kristy’s messages can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Tic Toc. With Instagram being the platform of choice. Kristy lives with her husband Joey and their four children in southern Utah. They love to travel and explore the world class red rocks of Utah.
Joey Degraaf
Joey is a graphic designer by trade and has always loved the field of creative communication. He has a bachelors of fine art in graphic design from Utah State University. He has spent most of his career at Southern Utah University working in the creative departments there. During that 15 years at the college, Joey has always been behind the scenes completing projects and working with the kids from time to time at Kristy’s childcare. In 2022, Joey decided he wanted to move from Higher Education to Early Education and help Kristy build her brand as a childcare coach. He has been actively involved with her since then and you might even catch a glimpse of him presenting at a conference or two.
“The National Association for the Education of Young Children is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality learning for all Children. We partner with the efforts made by NAEYC.”
“We support NAFCC and have presented at several of their conferences. NAFCC collaborates with local, state and national organizations to increase awareness of family childcare in the United States.”
Getting outside is one of our most favorite things to do. In the past two years we have transformed our backyard into something that reflects the values of Nature Explore and we are working to get certified.
Living in the Red Rocks of Southern Utah
Mesa Arch in Canyonlands NP
Exploring the landscapes in Utah is one of our favorite past times. We live in one of the most majestic places on earth and our whole family can’t get enough of the outdoors. We especially like visiting the National Parks as these wonderful areas have been set apart to preserve the most amazing features the United States has to offer. We are close to including a wonderful retreat where we will be combining these stunning landscapes with childcare education and we can’t wait to unveil this new oppertunity.
Delicate Arch in Arches NP
Just a few miles up the highway from Canyonlands is the town of Moab and right outside of the city limits is Arches National Park. This park boasts the most arches in a region with over 2,000 natural bridges. The most prominent is Delicate Arch, which is an icon for the State of Utah. If you get a chance to see this landmark in person it will take your breath away.
Nature and play are extremely important in our lives and especially for young children. We hope that reading this will inspire you to get out and explore some of the wonders around where you live.
Get Out and Explore Your World
We have so many ideas we want to share with you. Our newsletter has a bunch of tips and insights, like our newly founded HYK Club (Hiking Young Kids) to ideas for sensory and loose parts.
Subscribe!
Subscribe to kristydegraaf.com to receive special discounts on our courses, free insider tips and ideas and much much more!
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact