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CDC
Staff
 Sandi
O'Dell BA, MPA
Executive Director
I
am the Executive Director at CDC Region II. I lead and
support
all programs and staff, write and administer grants, and work closely
with CDC’s board of directors to make sure we provide high quality
programs that are responsive to local needs and that meet federal and
state policy requirements. I am committed to the work we do
and
want to help all our children and families have the tools and support
they need to succeed. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Special
Education and a Master’s degree in Public Administration, both from the
University of Wyoming.
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Part B
serving 3 to 5 year olds in Sheridan
The Part B services are
for preschool children from age three through five. These
free, educationally based, special education services include
cognitive, social-emotional, self-help, speech and language,
occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Children are
served in their classrooms as much as possible to help them learn
lifelong skills. Each child has an Individual Education Plan
to help them learn at their full potential.
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 Amanda
Dube ECSE
Part B Coordinator
I help the staff to coordinate
services for the preschool
children in our program. I have a Bachelor’s of Science in
Family and
Consumer Science with endorsements in Child Development and Early
Childhood Special Education from the University of Wyoming. I
have worked at the center for eight years
and enjoy the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our
families.
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 Mandy
Leach BS
Early
Childhood Teacher
I am an early childhood
classroom teacher. I received my Bachelor of Science degree
in elementary education from Black Hills State University in Spearfish,
SD. I was a third grade teacher for six years and recently
have transitioned to the preschool classroom. I teach four
sessions of children, both typically developing and developmentally
delayed. The Child Development Center has adopted a play based
curriculum, Creative Curriculum, for classroom use, and I utilize that
with the children in my class. My goal within the classroom
is to keep our children developmentally progressing over time by
helping our therapists work on individualized goals pertaining to
cognitive, motor, social, and speech areas.
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 Eva
McCrary BS
Early
Childhood Teacher, CDC South
I
have a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education from Haskell
University in addition to courses in Speech Language and Hearing from
the University of Kansas. I am currently working on getting
an
endorsement for Early Childhood Special Education from the University
of Wyoming. My job includes the implementation of individual
goals in the classroom. I provide help with developmental
screenings and assistance with individualized education plans.
I
will be working with children in the classroom and throughout the
community to provide services and work on goals to get them ready for
kindergarten.
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 Marcia
Young
Paraprofessional
I am a Paraprofessional in the
preschool
classroom. I assist classroom teachers, therapists, case
managers, etc. in helping children meet their goals. We work on many
skills such as self help, communication, motivation, motor skills,
academics, and social skills. I am very lucky to be able to
work
with such a great group of kids and staff.
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 Courtney Kinniburgh BA
Early Childhood Teacher, CDC South
I
am an early childhood classroom teacher at the Child Development Center
preschool. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary
Education with an early childhood endorsement from the University of
Wyoming in May of 2008. I have had one year of experience
teaching kindergarten and have a clear understanding of what is
necessary to help prepare my students as they leave the center and
enter kindergarten. My area of interest has always focused on
children in early childhood setting. I enjoy their curiosity,
honesty, and energy! I am very happy to be part of the Child
Development Center preschool team and I truly love being able to
witness the progress, growth, and changes everyday from these amazing
kiddos!
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 Janine
Demple
Paraprofessional
I
am a paraprofessional in the preschool classrooms. My job is
to
provide support to the teachers within the classroom, and to other
staff within our program. It is a priority to assist in
providing
a safe learning environment in which all of our children, both those
with developmental challenges and those who are normally developing can
be successful. I have worked with many children in different
environments in the last 27 years and find the CDC to be one of the
most rewarding!
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 Beth
Turner M.Ed. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
My
job as a Speech-Language Pathologist at the Child Development Center
involves helping children to communicate more effectively before they
enter Kindergarten. This may involve working on their
articulation
skills so that they can be understood by others or their language
skills, so they are able to express their thoughts clearly.
As a
Speech Pathologist in an Early Intervention program we provide children
the opportunity to gain important communication skills needed to help
them be effective communicators. I have a Bachelor
of
Science from St. Cloud State University and a Masters
in
Education from Utah State University. I hold
my certificate of clinical competence from the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association and am licensed to practice Speech
Pathology in the state of Wyoming.
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 Rebecca
White COT A/L
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
As
a part of the CDC team, my role as a COTA (Certified Occupational
Therapy Assistant) is to help children reach their maximum functional
potential in all aspects of their daily routine to include play,
school, and self-help skills. In Occupational Therapy, I
focus upon the development
of sensory, neuromuscular, perceptual processing, and motor
skills. I also teach children kindergarten
readiness
skills, especially in the areas of fine motor and visual motor
development. I have worked as a COTA for ten years.
I
attended college at Black Hills State University and Casper College and
hold degrees in Biology, Pre-Med, and as an Occupational Therapy
Assistant.
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 Jessica
Layher ECSE
Early
Childhood Special Educator
I
graduated in 2002 from Black Hills State University in Spearfish, SD
with a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education and Early Childhood
Special Education. I have been with the Child Development
Center
for five years. I help children and families in the CDC
classrooms, as well as children and staff at some of the community
preschools. I provide services in the cognitive, self-help,
and
personal-social domains for children who need extra help in these
areas. I find working with children to be a very rewarding
job and
truly love what I do every day!
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 Sara
Mullen ECSE
Early
Childhood Special Educator
I
have a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from the University of
Northern Colorado with an Early Childhood Special Education Endorsement
from the University of Wyoming. I
am one of the preschool teachers at the CDC in Sheridan. I
have been here for 14 years. I was lucky to get to work at
the
developmental center in Rawlins and Cheyenne before coming to
Sheridan. I have seen the preschool program really
grow. I
enjoy the children and staff I work with very much. I get to
travel to preschools and daycares in Sheridan to see
children. I
feel an important part of our job is to help our kids
get
ready for
kindergarten and have lots of fun learning.
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 Sarah
Finkle MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language
Pathologist
I
graduated from the University of Wyoming with a Masters in
Speech-Language Pathology in 2007. I work with children
needing
early intervention services due to a speech/language delay and/or
disorder. In addition to direct services, I work collaboratively with
all whose involvement is a critical part of providing the child with
opportunities to become as self-sufficient as possible.
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 Julie
Estes MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language
Pathologist
I received a Masters of Science
degree in
Speech–Language Pathology from the University of Wyoming. My
job as a speech-therapist at the CDC involves
helping children to communicate more effectively before they go on to
kindergarten. This may include working on their
articulation skills so
that they can be understood by others or their language skills, so they
can get their thoughts across to others. As a speech
therapist in
an Early Intervention program I am able to provide kids the opportunity
to gain important communication skills needed to help them be
successful in school.
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 Shelli
Szmyd OTR/L
Occupational
Therapist
I am an
Occupational Therapist providing services primarily to the three to
five year olds in our preschool, at home, and in the
community. My focus is on fine motor, visual motor, and
sensory skills to promote independence with writing, putting together
puzzles, and self-help skills such as feeding and dressing just to name
a few. I received my Bachelors Degree in Occupational Therapy
from Colorado
State
University.
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 Janelle
Coon MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language
Pathologist
As
part of the team at the Child Development Center my role is to work
with children to help them communicate at an age appropriate
level. This may include working on articulation to improve
how
others understand their words, or language skills to help children with
their understanding and ability to express themselves
clearly.
Early intervention helps children work on skills that will allow them
to be more successful in school. I have both a Bachelor of
Science in Communicative Disorders and Masters of Science in
Speech-Language Pathology from Utah State University. I hold
the
Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language
Hearing Association as well as a state license to practice in
Wyoming. I have worked with a variety of populations, but
feel
that working with preschool aged children is the most rewarding!
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 Rhonda
Wollen
Case Management Assistant and Screening
Coordinator
I am a Case Management
Assistant and Screening
Coordinator. As a CMA I am in charge of creating and
maintaining
all the children’s files both current and past for Part B and Part
C. As a Screening Coordinator I set all the days for our
screening and work with other agencies,
daycares, other preschools, etc. to do screenings at their
sites.
I also help organize the screenings held at the Buffalo Health Fair.
I have
worked at the Child Development Center for five years. The
best part
of my job is working with our children and their families. To
see
our kiddos grow, learn, and become confident and self reliant is truly
a
miracle that I feel blessed to be a part of.
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Part C serving
Birth to 3 year olds in Sheridan
The
Part C program serves children from birth to the age of three in family
focused, home and community based settings where children typically
spend their days. Early Intervention in the Part C program
offers
professional services including: occupational therapy, physical
therapy, speech/language therapy, and early education to increase a
child’s motor, communication, cognitive, self-help, and personal social
skills. Each family is assisted by a Family Service
Coordinator
in determining a plan for their child to increase his or her skills.
In addition to therapy services, developmental screenings are
offered throughout the year to all children from birth through the age
of three through this program at the Child Development Center.
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 Jo
Lynn Andrews MA CCC-SLP
Program Coordinator / Speech Language
Pathologist
I
work as the program coordinator and speech/language pathologist in the
Part C Program which provides evaluation and therapy services to
infants and toddlers from birth to age three. The Part C
Program
focuses on parent training and involvement as services are provided to
the children. I have worked with young children in our
community
through the CDC for 34 years. I
have a Master of Arts degree in Speech and Hearing Science from Ohio
State University in addition to graduate level courses in Special
Education and Speech Pathology through the University of Wyoming.
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 Tracy
Jones RN/FSC
Nurse,
Family Service Coordinator, and Parenting Support
My jobs
include School Nurse, Family Service Coordinator, and Parenting
Support. I have been with the Child Development Center
since 2005. I have an Associates Degree in nursing, and 20
years of on-the-job training in foster care parenting and parent
support. Twenty years of nursing in pediatric offices
provided me with good experience for my work at CDC. My own
special needs child has taught me much about the challenges that
families face and I am passionate about helping, teaching and
supporting other families.
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 Sarah
Harper FSC/EI
Early
Interventionist and Family Service Coordinator
My
job as an Early Interventionist at the CDC involves helping to identify
and to assist children with their individual needs. As a
Family
Service Coordinator, I support families and children receiving
services in our program and advocate for them in the community at
large. I have a Bachelors degree from Wesleyan University and
a
Masters of Fine Art from the Rhode Island School of Design. I
received my Certificate in Early Childhood Education from Sheridan
College and I am currently working on my Early Childhood Special
Education Endorsement from the University of Wyoming. It
brings
me great joy to partner with the CDC team and families to help children
grow, learn, and succeed every day.
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| Both Part B and
Part C in Sheridan |
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 Debbie
Cole
Business
Manager / Human Resource Assistant
I
have worked for the Child Development Center for 14 years and in
Business Administration for over 30 years. My job
responsibilities
include bookkeeping/payroll, tracking of income/expenditures for
auditing purposes, and having employee records in place for our
contracts and licensing through state and local agencies.
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 Dawn
Rogers OTR/L
Occupational Therapist
I am an Occupational
Therapist here at the
Child Development Center. It may sound as though I might
"find a
job" for your child, however, what I really do is take purposeful
activity that is meaningful to your child such as playing, drawing,
picking up small pieces of food with their fingers, sitting up, holding
a toy, or swinging on a swing - to name a few examples - and lead it
toward functioning independently in a child's environment.
That
environment may be home, daycare, or preschool; but I help them to do
these things with greater independence and gain strength. The
help I provide may involve fine, visual-motor, and sensory skill
assistance. My job is very rewarding, as I have the
opportunity
to work with amazing children from the ages of birth to six
years. My education consists of a Bachelor in Occupational
Therapy from The University of North Dakota and an Associate Degree in
Health Science from Kalispell, MT.
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 Theresa
Winnop MS PT
Physical Therapist
I
provide physical therapy services to children birth to six years old at
the Child Development Center. I am new to the center, but
have
provided therapy to children in the public school system and at private
clinics for 15 years. I’m very excited to help children gain
independence with all their mobility. This includes crawling,
walking, jumping, climbing, strength, and balance. We work on
these skills at home, daycare, preschool, and outdoors. Where
else can you play at the park as part of your job? I also
educate
families and caregivers on how to do some of these activities on a
regular basis. I have a Master’s of Science in physical
therapy
from the University of Colorado and a BS in exercise physiology from
the University of Wyoming.
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 Lynn Gordon MS, LPC, NCC
Developmental Guidance Counselor
A
child’s development is the foundation that guides all parts of their
lives. Just as a child learns to walk, speak and learn, they
develop in the areas of emotions and feelings, social interactions, and
behaving in the world around them. Helping a child develop and
grow in these areas fosters good self-esteem, supports their
interactions with others whether it be friends, brothers, sisters or
adults. It helps them move forward in their lives. As the
Developmental Guidance Counselor, I consult with parents, teachers, day
care programs, preschools, and other community agencies to provide
guidance and counseling for the children in our program. I have a
Masters degree in Educational Psychology and a Bachelors degree in
Elementary Education, both from the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with National
Certification and hold licenses in Wyoming and Utah. I am also a
certified teacher.
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Toni Becker BS-SE
Information Clerk and Educational Support Technician
I currently schedule
screenings and perform general office tasks. The other half of my work involves
evaluating children’s developmental stages and I am beginning to assist our Speech
Pathologists. I am a certified Elementary Education and Special Education
Teacher in the state of Wyoming and am working toward a master’s
degree in Speech-Language Pathology. I appreciate the opportunity to assist in
the process of preparing Sheridan County’s children to be more successful in
school, as well as in life.
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 Judy
Verplancke ECSE
Early
Childhood Special Educator
I
currently work as the early childhood special education teacher and
case manager with the Part B (3 to 5 year olds) program in
Buffalo.
I’m also attending graduate school to finish my endorsement and pursue
a master’s degree.
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 Cassey
Dyess BA, EI, FSC
Family
Service Coordinator / Early Interventionist
I
am the Family Service Coordinator and Early Interventionist for the
Part C program (0-3 year olds) in Johnson County.
I am a certified Elementary Education teacher in the state of
Wyoming.
Currently, I am pursuing my master’s degree in Special
Education. Working with children and assisting in their
healthy development through appropriate play is a job I truly
enjoy. I look forward to helping their families locate the
resources that are available within our community.
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 Joey
Killian M.S. P.F.
Physical
Therapist
I am a new Physical
Therapist at the Buffalo CDC. I have a Masters in Physical Therapy from
the University of the Pacific and a Bachelors of Science in Biology
from Fresno State University. I have been a physical
therapist for 16 years mostly doing neuro rehab.
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 Jenn
Drake
Information
Clerk
I am an Information
Clerk for the Buffalo CDC. My job duties include general
office work, such as answering phones, filing, making appointments, and
doing vision screening follow-ups. I also bill Medicaid and
track donations for the Buffalo Building Campaign. I received my
Associate of Arts degree from Sheridan College and also attended the
University of Hawaii majoring in Finance.
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 Anita Walker MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
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