“Once you feel the benefit of professional support, you want to create this experience for others”: a Q & A with Emily Beckstrom

As RBPD manager with the TARSS program, Emily Beckstrom plans professional development events and opportunities for coaches who work with early childhood educator. In this Q & A, she shares how her own experience with a skilled coach shaped her subsequent career.

Talk a little about your background in early childhood.

Emily Beckstrom

EB: After working in museum settings for many years, I made the decision to go to graduate school to focus on studying child development, and in 2004, I earned an MS from Erikson Institute in Chicago. I was fascinated to learn about the history, major theories, and best practices of early childhood development. The second year of my graduate program was spent working in the field. I applied what I had learned in my coursework while being supported in regular reflective practice by Erikson faculty. This definitely planted the seed for me that adult learners really benefit from having a “guide on the side,” rather than just a “sage on the stage!”

I missed my graduation from my master’s program, because I was in the hospital with my first baby! I often joke that my daughter, and later, her two brothers, taught me infinitely more than the books I read in school. When my children were little, I continued to work in informal education, doing contract work to support several creative projects at local and national children’s museums and children’s theaters. One of my proudest achievements was to collaborate on an early childhood storytelling project that fostered children’s language and critical thinking skills, while also protecting play’s important place in the early childhood curriculum. I also worked as a coach with the Center for Inclusive Child Care and with Minnesota Reading Corps.

What is your role at CEED?

I joined CEED in 2023 as a CLASS® observer, conducting observations throughout the state of Minnesota. I also co-led the revision of the Minnesota Early Childhood Indicators of Progress (ECIPs). In 2024, I accepted the position of Relationship-Based Professional Development (RBPD) manager with the TARSS program, which required me to pivot to a different set of responsibilities.

In this role, I assist with everyday operations, longer-term planning, and helping to ensure we meet all of our contract deliverables for the TARSS project. I also manage professional development opportunities for coaches and RBPD specialists, like the RBPD Credential training and the RBPD Fall Retreat. I really enjoy working with the TARSS team! It’s a collaborative, super-caring group of people all focused on how to best meet the needs of our state’s trainers and RBPD specialists.

What is RBPD, and how does it help the person who is receiving this type of support?

In a nutshell, RBPD helps early childhood practitioners focus on professional learning through one-on-one interactions with an RBPD specialist, coach, consultant, or mentor. The job title of the person providing RBPD can vary, but their goal is always to improve children’s developmental outcomes by increasing practitioners’ knowledge, skills, and abilities.

I was the very lucky recipient of RBPD support in one of my previous professional roles. My coach was extremely skilled, not only in the coaching process but also in encouraging professional growth in a really guided way. Her influence on my own coaching cannot be overstated! Once someone “feels” the benefit of this kind of professional support and what you feel capable of doing with this support, you want to create this experience for others. The real benefit of RBPD support is that coaching not only affirms where you are currently, but also gives you new ideas to try and accountability for making the new ideas happen.

What don’t people know about working in early childhood?

Anyone who works in the field knows this, but people who have never worked with young children may not understand how hard early childhood practitioners have to work. Balancing the emotional and cognitive needs of a wide range of developmental ages and stages, while also following ALL the guidelines for best practice, is a very tall order. The depth of the work (beyond supervising children, it involves curriculum, assessment, documentation, family engagement, just to name a few!) is often not recognized. Neither are the pressures that practitioners feel. Whenever I’m in a classroom or family child care setting, I wish I could give the practitioners a giant, sparkly badge or crown–something to show the folks who don’t get to see the preparation, patience, and pivoting ability involved in this work. I want people to understand that practitioners are doing incredible things under often incredibly challenging circumstances!

What are some pursuits you enjoy outside of work?

I love to be with my family, although our kids are teenagers and college-aged, so we rarely see them! I also love to cook, read fluffy-but-well-written books, and travel. I am also learning to salsa dance.

Related subjects

Tags: , ,