Dr. Julie Sallquist
It was volunteering at homeless and domestic abuse shelters that really fueled Julie Sallquist’s passion for early childhood education.
Her graduate work and early career at Arizona State University had been focused on promoting children’s positive development through research. But applying that research to education settings is what really motivates her. As a volunteer with Free Arts of Arizona from 2006 to 2008, she did just that, teaching art and serving as a reading mentor to young children who’d been traumatized by domestic abuse and homelessness.
“These experiences fueled my passion to promote early learning and the importance of birth to age 5 as a period of significant development. It also reinforced my knowledge that little children are so observant and will pick up on all behaviors (positive or negative).
“I witnessed firsthand the effects of children experiencing trauma and life stress, and how these children changed their behaviors through the structure of the positive programs they were involved in. I was blessed to be one small part of these children’s lives and to offer them my positive attention, warmth, and love.”
In 2010 she applied that passion in another way when she was appointed to a four-year term on the Southeast Maricopa Regional Partnership Council. The council is an arm of First Things First, a publicly funded ECE organization in Arizona. Julie served as a member for three years and the chair the last year.
“During this time, I became increasingly interested in improving the quality of education in early learning centers across the state of Arizona and improving the overall quality of life for children birth to 5.”
While she was finishing her term, her principal at Emmanuel-Tempe asked her to serve as Emmanuel’s preschool director and to guide the school through the state licensure process. “It was definitely a joy to help the school in such a positive way and to work with a very supportive principal and staff,” she says. “The challenge was to make sure we had all the details to meet state regulations, but with the help of many people we passed our initial inspection the first time around.” The preschool has since doubled in enrollment.
Then in 2015, Dr. John Meyer, director of graduate studies and continuing education at MLC, asked her to share her gifts with ECE teachers in WELS. She’s teaching the ECE course Development of Young Children. She explains that course participants
(a) generate training programs that help staff foster children’s development,
(b) gain an understanding of theories and empirical findings related to children’s development,
(c) synthesize scholarly research journal articles and apply discoveries to developmentally appropriate practices within the preschool environment, and
(d) investigate children’s development through live classroom observations and then critically think about their findings.
Like all MLC’s graduate courses, Development of Young Children is offered online, which Sallquist sees as a great boon: “Course participants across the country have access to the course materials, and they can network with teachers and directors across the country as well. We build a strong classroom community of support through an exchange of ideas and encouraging words.”
Professor Sallquist is excited about this new turn in her life and ministry.
“I love the idea of teaching teachers, who in turn train and teach more teachers. The impact is exponential. It’s amazing how God really has brought opportunities to me at the right time, and it’s been my prayer that I may serve and use my gifts to his glory according to his will.”
She’s eager to share her enthusiasm for putting research into practice. “My greatest passion,” she concludes, “is to promote the science behind child development in order to better understand how to encourage the positive development of each child through developmentally appropriate practices in the classroom. My philosophy mirrors our Lord’s: ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.’”
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Meet Professor Julie Sallquist
Family: She and her husband, Eric, have three children: Jacob (6), Colton (4), and Lauren (2). They are members at Emmanuel-Tempe AZ.
Education:
BA Psychology – Trinity University-San Antonio
MA Psychology – Arizona State University (ASU)
PhD Psychology (developmental psychology emphasis) – ASU
Career/Ministry:
2004-2009: associate/assistant research assistant, ASU psychology department
2009-2012: assistant research professor, ASU School of Social and Family Dynamics
2010-2012: ASU Sanford Research Fellow
2012-2013: director, Emmanuel Lutheran Preschool-Tempe
2015-present: adjunct professor, Martin Luther College
Interests: Julie cofounded a moms’ group at Emmanuel called MUMS (Mothers Understanding Mothers). She also enjoys volunteering at her children’s schools, gardening, Star Wars and Lego movies, and Christian music. She reads mostly professional and children’s books related to her field, and on the side she’s reading Bonhoeffer’s The Cost of Discipleship. She loves fishing with her dad on his boat, the Barbara Ann, named after her mom, who passed away in 2003—and she verifies that she does bait her own hooks and remove her own fish!
Written by Laurie Gauger
