Care About Childcare Conference
Conference Schedule & Presenters

Sarah Armknecht

Sarah Armknecht is one of Help Me Grow Utah's ASQ Community Coordinators. In this role, Sarah works closely with Utah's state Office of Child Care to help childcare providers throughout Utah get access to the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. Sarah loves learning about early childhood development and feels strongly about its importance. She graduated from BYU with a bachelor's degree in family life and studied Human Development and Family Studies briefly at a graduate level at the University of Missouri. Sarah loves reading, has maybe the cutest nephew in the world, and enjoys being outside. She has lived in Utah most of her life and she loves learning more about the many things Utah has to offer in her role at Help Me Grow Utah.

Beka Call

Beka Call is a Utah State University graduate, Go Aggies! She is a mama, wife, and spends most of her free time outdoors with her little family. Beka is passionate about child welfare and working with the community.

Kristy & Joey DeGraff

Kristy DeGraaf has been advocating for and working with children for the past 20 years. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Professional Communication. Kristy started her acer as a social worker but decided to open her own program when she struggles to find good care for her own children. She is passionate about creating environments where children can thrive and feel loved by focusing on best practices and relationships. In addition to running her family child care program, she also currently works to support other providers @kristy.familychildcarepro on Instagram.

Joey DeGraaf is a recent addition to the program that has been his wife’s passion for 15 years. In 2022, he resigned from his position as Art Director in college athletics marketing to work with Kristy; focusing on program improvements and training other ECE and FCC professionals through Family Childcare Pro. Joey and Kristy have been married for 22 years, have four incredible children, and live in Southern Utah.

Amariah Gibbs

Amariah Gibbs is an Eastern Washington graduate, wife, and a dog mom to two wild mutts. She is focused on bringing humanity to the workforce by supporting working families with children in early childhood.

Monica Gurule

Monica Gurule started her career with youth at the Boys & Girls Club of South Valley later moving to Boys & Girls of Greater Salt Lake. She has spent her life serving and empowering youth ranging from three years to graduation. She is a mom of five girls and grandma to two dogs.

Vivian Hardy

Vivian Hardy has worked in the early care and education field since April of 1984. She provided regulated family child care with the Army while stationed in the United States and in Germany. As a family child care provider for more than 18 years, Vivian completed the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) accreditation process and became the first accredited family child care provider in Utah. She is an active observer and observer trainer for NAFCC, and has worked with accreditation since the launch of the current system in 1998. Vivian completed her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Weber State University in 2019. She is currently employed by Weber State University’s Care About Childcare office as a trainer, family child care specialist, and a program coach for family child care providers. She has five grown children who were raised in family child care. She loves being a mom, camping, hiking, and quilting. Vivian’s motto, “For our vulnerable children to have optimal developmental outcomes, we must support the individuals who care for children, both parents and caregivers.”

Joyce Hasting

Joyce Hasting started working with Care About Childcare – Utah Valley University in 2017. Her passion is making sure all children have at least one caring adult in their life. She is a strong advocate for all children who are cared for outside of their homes to have access to high quality childcare. She truly loves working for such a wonderful agency with great coworkers. Before joining UVU, Joyce work at Child Care Licensing as a trainer and inspector. Previously she had the opportunity to operate a large childcare facility in Utah county. Joyce received her education from Ricks College in Idaho and BYU in Provo. Joyce’s family is her true pride and joy. She has been married to her husband, Joe, for 36 years and is the proud mother of two sons and six true grandchildren. However, she claims many more who also calls her grandma.

Laura Hunter

Laura Hunter has been an advocate for young children her entire adult life. She has been a teacher of young children for 13 years, including 7 years as a mentor teacher in the Melba S. Lehner Children’s School. Laura has owned and operated her own preschool and served as a parent educator for several years. As a biological, foster and adoptive mother of six, she has been through a variety of trainings of children with trauma backgrounds. Laura holds a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Development and currently works as an early childhood consultant and coach for Care About Childcare – Weber State University. She is a passionate advocate for children and families. Laura loves reading, hiking, singing and playing games with her amazing family!

Crystal Knippers

Crystal Knippers is the program coordinator for Care About Childcare – Weber State University. She has worked at Care About Childcare for 22 years in a variety of positions. She is also an adjunct faculty member at Weber State University in the Child and Family Studies Department. Crystal has a Master’s degree from Utah State University. She has one young daughter and a dog that makes up her family. She enjoys spending time finding things that bring her joy – life is to be developed and enjoyed.

Alisa Morley

Alisa Morley grew up in Blanding, Utah in a family of six. She loved the people and her time there! She has lived in Price, Utah for 20 years, has six children, two grandchildren and loves spending time with her family. Alisa attended college at USU Easter in Price on a scholarship to play basketball. She loves playing sports, music, and going on adventures with her husband and children. Alisa received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Social Work, loves her current job as the Afterschool Director for Carbon School District, and feels that she has the best staff ever! Alisa is also an LCSW and enjoys meeting and working with many different people in her personal and professional life. Combined, she has had up to 10 foster children and foreign exchange students living in her home from several different countries. One of Alisa’s favorite sayings comes from hearing her father repeat it often – “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime!"

Lisa Mortensen

Lisa Mortensen has a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s of Education in Special Education from the University of Utah and has been working with children and adults with autism for more than 15 years. She teaches professional development courses for Care About Childcare, and is a certified Master IEP Coach and co-founder of Confidently Prepared. Lisa homeschools some of her children and cheers when the others make it out the door on time for school. She enjoys singing, playing piano, embroidery, reading, and dragging her family around to visit historical sites together. She lives with her husband and seven children near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Mary Ogan

Mary Ogan is currently working as an External Coach for the Pyramid Model Project. She brings 50 years of experience in Early Childhood Education (ECE), as a past teacher, program director, CDA mentor, and coach. Currently, Mary enjoys her time as an independent contractor supporting a variety of statewide and local ECE projects. Mary is looking forward to her involvement with the USU Pyramid Project, helping teachers gain new knowledge and how young children communicate and develop strategies to help children grow socially and emotionally.

Kristen Shultz

Kristen Schultz has led the Early Childhood Alliance since its inception in 2019. Prior to moving to Park City in 2016, she directed government funding and public policy for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity after spending ten years practicing government contract law with large national firms. Kristen’s career in law, public policy, and non-profit work has been made entirely possible by the fantastic childcare providers who cared for her three children.

Angie Toone

Angie Toone is a Utah native and has been working with youth of all ages for the past decade. She is very passionate about creating safe spaces for kids to explore the world around them and learn more about themselves. Angie received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in Sociology and is currently a Master’s candidate in the Human Development and Social Policy Program at the U. In her free time, Angie loves baking, horror movies, and going on adventures with her husband and son.

Janet E. Wade

Janet E. Wade is currently working as an External Coach for the Pyramid Model Project. Janet brings over 25 years of experience in Early Childhood working in Head Start and Early Intervention to the position. As an employee of the Health Department, Baby Watch Early Intervention Program, Janet was responsible for community collaboration and program monitoring. Following work at the state level, Janet moved to the program as Senior Director for Children’s Services with Easterseals-Goodwill, overseeing the Provo Early Intervention Program, the Pre-Ets Program and Occupational Therapy classes for young children. Janet is a founding member of the Utah Association for Infant Mental Health and The Autism Council of Utah. She is currently serving on the board of ABLE Differently and a member of the Conference Committee for the Utah Association for Infant Mental Health.

Janet Wahlquist Johnston

Janet Wahlquist Johnston currently serves as the Professional Development Coordinator and CCQS Specialist for Care About Childcare – Weber State University. Janet has worked with young children for more than 25 years, working in a variety of programs and positions, including Head Start preschool, State preschool, 2^nd and 3^rd grade, before and after school programs, and private child care. Janet owned her own early childhood enrichment center for several years, with the center offering preschool, mommy and me classes, Kindermusik, cooking, art, and themed parties. Janet believes in the importance of music and play in the lives of children, and works to be a voice for high quality early childhood programs everywhere.

Laura Wampler

Laura Wampler has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Utah State University and is working on a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology at George Mason University. She is a certified life and Master IEP Coach and co-founder of Confidently Prepared. She thoroughly enjoys buying books and occasionally reading the books she buys, as well as cross stitching and quilting. Her other favorite hobby is taking naps whenever possible. Laura lives with her husband and six children in Northern Virginia, just outside Washington D.C.

Brigette Weier

Brigette Weier brings over 30 years of experience in early childhood – in the classroom, as a director, mentor, and advocate. She currently serves as the director for the Care for Kids Network, dedicated to ensuring equitable statewide access for providers and families to resources for enriching, holistic and nurturing childcare and early childhood learning. The Care for Kids Network focuses on geographical, financial, and policy accessibility throughout Utah. Brigette lives in Sandy, is married to her high school sweetheart Mike, and is the proud mom of two grown children. She loves running, reading, puzzles, playing with toddlers, silly readings of Sandra Boyton books, messy learning and child centered, joyfully loud communities. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Divinity from Luther Seminary in Minnesota. She blogs at www.alutheransayswhat.wordpress.com.