Jamie Morrison Ward is the owner of Curricula Concepts, Inc.  She earned her Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education and Master’s in Reading from the University of Central Arkansas. Jamie has over 20 years of experience in early care and education in a variety of roles- Head Start teacher and center director, Arkansas Better Chance Program Administrator for the AR Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, Adjunct Instructor for AR State University-Beebe and University of Central Arkansas.

Currently, her focus is on training early educators and caregivers on the importance of engaging families of young children. And, she has aligned her personal passion around health and wellness with her professional work with early educators and families. Jamie is called upon to provide consulting in all aspects of early care and education. She is a consultant for Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.  Jamie has partnered with many organizations to complete work related to family engagement and other aspects of early education: Council of Chief State School Officers, AR Head Start State Collaboration Office, University of Arkansas-Early Care and Education Projects, Arkansas Children’s Hospital,  UAMS-Department of Family and Preventive Medicine/Research and Evaluation Division, and Nemours Children’s Health System to name a few.

Jamie has presented at numerous state, regional, and national conferences. She is the President of the Arkansas Association for Infant Mental Health, Past President and Policy Chair of the AR Early Childhood Association, and a current member of the following organizations/associations:  Arkansas State Parent Advisory Council, AR Equity Leaders Action Network, AR State Professional Development Steering Committee, Southern Early Childhood Association, and National Association of Early Childhood State Specialists. For self-care, she enjoys walking her dog, Lucy, and CrossFit!

Deborah joined Curricula Concepts, Inc. in 2014 as the Program Coordinator. Prior to Curricula Concepts, she served in a multitude of positions with the Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education and was a Curriculum Coordinator for a developmental preschool. Deborah has almost two decades of experience in the early childhood field and has served as the AECA Vice President of Communications.

She is on the Children’s Council at Cabot United Methodist Church. Deborah lives in Sherwood with her husband and two daughters. In her personal time, she loves to read and might be a Pinterest junkie.

Sara joined Curricula Concepts, Inc. in November of 2021, and is very thankful to be a part of the amazing team. Sara earned her Bachelor’s degree in marketing/management from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She loves organizing and keeping others organized. Professionally, she strives daily to ensure efficiency and coordination with business processes. Sara enjoys working as part of a team and has a passion for helping others. Sara gained over 11 years of experience in early care and education with the Arkansas Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. She was grateful for the opportunity to engage with families and educators daily.

Sara and her husband live in Little Rock with their 9-year-old son. She loves spending time with friends and family at the lake, is passionate about living life authentically, and prioritizes her faith. Sara volunteers daily at her son’s school, opening car doors for children when they arrive. She values the daily positive interaction with children and their families.

Amy joined Curricula Concepts in 2017 and is excited to be a part of this amazing team. She started in the early childhood field 26 years ago working in a toddler room while in college. That has led to a variety of experiences working with children. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education, P-4 from The University of Central Arkansas and has been blessed to use that in many ways. She had a preschool in her home when her children were young which she absolutely loved. She has worked with the public school systems and most recently has spent the last 4 years working for AETN as the Early Childhood Education Coordinator.

Most of her adult career has been spent pursuing her other passion, which is health and wellness. Amy spent 14 years at Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center as the Program Coordinator. She ran the group exercise program, personal training and community outreach events. She also spent many years assisting local schools to develop before and after school physical activity programs for the children and helped classroom teachers find more ways to integrate physical activity in to their daily routines. She currently serves as the Chair for the Early Childhood and Schools Workgroup for Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention, ArCOP, as well as other Early Childhood Obesity prevention advocacy work.

Amy has been married for 23 years to a stellar guy and has three amazing children. She has one daughter in college in Utah, pursuing a career in Communications with an emphasis in PR and Marketing. Her middle daughter will attend UCA in the fall, tackling a Mathematics degree and doing the STEM Teach program, and her son, the baby of the family, will enter high school next year and loves music, tennis and books.

Amy’s personal hobbies include loving her family, loving to exercise and teach others about health and wellness. She loves to bake, garden and dream big.

She is looking forward to getting to share her love of family and love of education with all of you.

In her free time, you can catch her at CrossFit or the lake, where she will be spending time with her husband, Casey, and their baby girl, Ruby Mae.

Katie is a Professional Development Coordinator who joined the team in September 2022 and is excited to continue learning new resources, working with a wonderful team, and sharing her passion for early childhood development with people across the state. She holds a degree in Early Childhood Education P-4 and a Master’s in Reading from the University of Central Arkansas. She also has an ESL certification from Henderson State University. Katie comes from a long line of educators who have instilled in her the importance of being a lifelong learner. She knows learning starts long before academic curriculum is taught, and the importance of early childhood development in all areas is extremely beneficial in seeing long term growth.

Katie has ten years of experience in a first grade classroom. Getting to know her students was always the most important goal while teaching. She quickly realized that so many needs needed to be met before expecting young children to learn. Providing a safe environment where children were able to understand one another, support one another, and feel emotionally understood was her favorite part of teaching. She fully believes that once a child feels respected and loved, then the learning takes off. Throughout her experience as a public school teacher, she upheld the importance of making connections with parents and members of the community to increase opportunities and experiences for everyone involved. Being able to provide a wide range of resources to better help the development and growth of our little ones excites her the most.

Katie is originally from Hot Springs, but now resides in Greenbrier with her family. She is happily married to her husband, Skylar, and has two little girls, Elle Kathryn and Hollis. Being a mother was her biggest dream, and she feels so blessed to have little hands to hold. She has a large extended family and truly cherishes every memory made. She also enjoys the company of her friends, traveling, walking, staying active, shopping for a good deal, and journaling. She considers a good checklist her best friend, and she sometimes forgets that not everyone is a hugger.

Sarah truly has a passion for people. Her social work career began with the Department of Human Services after which she worked for Fayetteville Schools as a Pre-K Family Service Manager.

Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Arkansas and is also a credentialed Family Service Worker. She is a member of the Arkansas Early Childhood Association and the Arkansas Association for Infant Mental Health. Sarah has trained hundreds of Early Childhood professionals and families across the state of Arkansas.

Sarah is a native of Fayetteville and lives there with her son. She enjoys being creative and spending time with her family! She is active in her church as an infant/toddler teacher and is involved in social justice efforts in her community.

Hailing from Southern California, Susanna holds an Exercise Science degree from Towson University in Baltimore, MD and a master’s degree from the Clinton School of Public Service. She’s incredibly passionate about mentorship, coaching, youth and child development. During her 3 years as the College & Career Program Specialist at UA Little Rock Children International, she coached individual students, in-school groups, and large groups of teachers around the topics of goal setting, teamwork, and pursuing their passions.

Susanna is excited to join the Curricula Concepts team where she’ll put her health, coaching, and public service skills to use through the Be Well Care Well Arkansas program. Our childcare workers give so much of their time, energy, and love to our kiddos, so she’s excited to help them prioritize their own health and well-being. She’s honored to walk hand in hand with our providers and can’t wait to see the life-changing results that come from it!

In her spare time, Susanna’s an avid creative and hobbyist. From handmade crochet scarves to coffee infusions, DIY-ing to interior design, yoga to hiking with her partner – she loves being active and creative! Recently she realized a lifelong dream of becoming a 200hr Certified Yoga Teacher!

Tori has owned and operated her own successful Teams of Tomorrow (TOT) franchise for the past 10 years. This experience has offered her a unique insight into the world of early care and education. Her TOT program is offered in 30+ childcare facilities across central Arkansas where she has forged relationships and impacted the lives of owners, directors, teachers, parents, and children. She’s excited to continue making an impact through her new Curricula Concepts role as a Well-Being Coach with the Be Well Care Well Arkansas program.

Tori and her husband Ty live in Greenbrier with their 15 year old twins. She loves spending time with her family, is passionate about sports, and can be found most nights and weekends at a ballfield or gym supporting her kids.

Michelle is ecstatic about working with the Curricula Concepts team, since December 2021, and developing new relationships, ideas, and routines to implement in her personal and professional life daily. She is an entrepreneur and has been an intensive volunteer with years of personal experience encouraging, uplifting, motivating, and inspiring others.  She is always inspiring others to keep progressing and maintaining at every level and area of their lives. She has worked with children of all ages and from various social backgrounds through public and private schools, volunteering with after-care programs, and affiliation with local churches.

She earned her Associate’s degree in Education as well as a Bachelor’s in Professional Studies from Arkansas Technical University (ATU) in May 2019.  She has also held a Child Development Associate Certification since 2010.  She has been a faith-based motivational and positive affirmation coach naturally but officially earned her certification as well as class valedictorian in 2018 from the Life Coach School of Arkansas.

She resides in Jonesboro with her three talented, beautiful, and creative children Alex, Chanyla, and Caleb. She can be found spending her time being a serial entrepreneur to an online boutique(inherited from her mom since her death);QueenVonBling.com, and a nonprofit after school program; Leap Forward. She also enjoys entertaining family and friends’ downtime, reading motivational passages or books, streaming a good show, or introducing a new yet positive routine into her busy schedule.

Although she grew up in southeast Arkansas, Haley currently lives in Jonesboro with her husband of almost 6 years. Jonesboro has been her home since graduating Arkansas State University for her Bachelor’s in Spanish in 2011. Although Haley loves the Spanish Language and Culture, her professional career consists extensively in coaching gymnasts, tumblers, and cheerleaders and also managing gymnastics/cheer programs. She now is a USA Gymnastics Judge and has her own business as a floor and beam routine Choreographer. Through her years of coaching, she has not only loved being encouraging and supportive to those athletes, but also she loved pouring her passion for the sport into those coaches she managed as well.

Haley is so excited to be able to use her coaching skills but in another light… by instilling her encouragement and support into early childhood teachers and staff who help mold the lives of young children! She is so excited to be able to use that positive coaching energy on those early childhood educators within her sites as their Well-Being Coach in the Be Well Care Well Arkansas Program. She wants everyone to feel a contagious energy from her and then exude that into their daily lives too. 

Haley has a special place in her heart for dogs, especially yellow labs. She and her husband hope to get a puppy again sometime soon. They share many interests like waterfowl hunting, fishing, St. Louis Cardinals baseball games, kayaking, going to the local farmer’s market, and long road trips to explore new places. If you see Haley around, you will almost always see her with something purple like a piece of clothing, an accessory, or bag… She might be slightly obsessed!

Tess joined the Curricula Concepts team in December of 2021! She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Hendrix College. Prior to joining Curricula Concepts, she spent the last five and a half years working with the Department of Human Services. Her most recent role was a program coordinator with the Early Intervention program, providing support and services for children birth to three with developmental delays or developmental needs and their families.

Tess is passionate about working with children and families and working collaboratively with others that help to support children and families. She truly enjoys helping to support those around her and connecting people to resources that exist in their communities. The Be Well Care Well program offers such a unique opportunity to work with Early Childhood Education staff in Arkansas by supporting their health and wellness. These staff have always played such an important role in our society, but navigating COVID has highlighted the importance of educators and the need for caring for ones self both at work and beyond.

Tess is originally from Cambridge, Massachusetts but has lived in Fayetteville for the last 7 years. She loves to travel, whether to the beach or to the snow and anywhere in between!

Allison joined Curricula Concepts in December of 2021 and is super excited to make big, positive impacts in the childcare communities with an amazing team. Her passion for helping others with their well-being started soon after she started prioritizing her own well-being. She began reaping the benefits and realized health goes way deeper than just physical health. She wants nothing more than to be able to help others with their own wellness goals, show them how our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health all intertwine, and how they deserve to be addressed together for us to experience the best outcomes. She believes childcare workers are often overlooked even though they make some of the biggest differences in children’s lives. She looks forward to building relationships and showing her appreciation for them by guiding them on how to fill their cup first so they can continue to make big differences in children and their families.

Allison pursued her national personal training certification while earning her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition. She worked as a Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor at Conway Regional Health and Fitness Center for over 2 years before she pursued further to obtain her master’s degree in Nutrition. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas’s combined Master of Science and Dietetic Internship Program in August of 2021 and is now a Registered Dietitian after passing the national CDR exam in December.

She is family oriented, loves God, enjoys thrifting, exploring in nature, lifting weights, and hanging out with her pet cat, Steve.

Pam is a well-being coach who works with individuals ranging from 3 years of age to 65+ to help them achieve their health goals. She joined Curricula Concepts in February 2022 and is excited to be working in a field that helps others with their health. Pam earned her certificate in Health Coaching in July 2021, from Dr. Sears Wellness Institute.

She found her passion for this field of work about five years ago when she saw the benefits of changing her diet and lifestyle after suffering from many health issues. She finds joy in seeing others achieve their health goals and seeing their confidence rise.

When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, her kids, and her six grandkids. Pam also loves to craft, go to estate sales, and read.

Wyletta Dilworth-Johnson is a Camden native, she graduated from Camden Fairview High School in 1997. Wyletta furthered her education at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia Arkansas (B.S. Criminal Justice (2003) and Grand Canyon University in Phoenix Arizona (Master of Science Mental Health and Wellness with Emphasis in Family Dynamics (2021). She is the proud mother of two amazing boys Darius (21) and Tristan (12). Wyletta is also employed with Independent Care Management as a Lead ABA Therapist for children with Autism. For 18 years Wyletta has dedicated her life to demanding autism awareness and acceptance, she believes that everyone is unique in their own way and that no one should have the power to dictate your happiness. She is the founder of Autistic Voyage-Autism Fairy (Annual Autism Events/Strong Autism Moms Support Group), a motivational speaker, a poet, and an author of 4 published books. Wyletta’s most recent book is titled “How Can I Complain,” a message that conveys the importance of being grateful for the little things because those little things are someone else’s dreams. She is currently working on “Bridging the Gap” between Autism and The Fire and Police Department (ALETA) and Jason Alan’s Barber College, bridging the gap creates a platform for conversations regarding acceptance, awareness, safety, and concerns for all parties. Wyletta’s motto is to uplift, encourage and inspire. Her hobbies include doing nothing, smiling, watching The Golden Girls, shopping (purses & shoes) and creating wonderful memories with family.