In her 39 years as an educator, Libby Culver never fancied herself a businesswoman.
“I’ve never thought of myself as being in business. However, I know that what I do supports business,” she said. “We are the funnel.”
As coordinator of Early Childhood Education for Durango School District 9-R, Culver is responsible for creating safe spaces for children in La Plata County to grow and develop.
In 1980, Culver moved to Durango and was looking for a preschool program for her 2-year-old son. Through her search, she found a job opportunity at New Horizons Preschool.
Culver worked at the school for 12 years, then took an opportunity with the Southern Ute Community Action Program to provide low-income families with literacy education and guide parents through supporting their children’s education. After eight years with SUCAP, she received an opportunity to continue her work in the county with 9-R. As a teacher, she enjoyed supporting both children and parents.
“All of our classes are nurturing, positive and supportive for kids and their parents,” she said. “We are in a partnership with parents. It’s our responsibility to be there for kids. It’s really not about teaching them; it’s all about helping children develop a love for learning, and gain the executive function skills they need to be successful.”
To strengthen her ability to form those partnerships with parents, Culver became a Love and Logic instructor. Love and Logic is a research-driven philosophy dedicated to giving parents techniques and tips to help children develop positive patterns and healthy relationships.
“I was trying to find a way to give parents the tools they need because they love their children a great deal, they don’t know how to put that love into action,” Culver said.
This experience helps Culver in her current role as coordinator of Early Childhood Education, where she is responsible for organizing preschool and kindergarten programs as well as registering children for school. She opened 12 preschools in the Durango community school district, which serves just over 200 children.
“I coordinate all of the preschool programs, but I also work on transitioning kids into kindergarten,” Culver said. “I go to the preschools to talk to them about transitioning into kindergarten, so we can make that situation easier.”
Culver handles financial administration and professional development opportunities for teachers in the school district. She also shares her advice and encouragement with teachers from time to time.
“It takes really positive, wonderful people that are working with those kids every day,” she said. “Teachers try to differentiate instruction for their students and they have all these kids who come in at different levels. It is a teacher’s job to know what her kids need and how to best meet those. My job is to empower, to support, to encourage and give tools to those teachers.”
Over the years, she has crafted creative solutions for teachers and pushed boundaries to ensure preschool programs are creating a safe and successful learning environment despite budget challenges. For 14 years, she was a board member of the National Even Start Association, where she worked on curriculum on a national level.
She established a Child Care Crisis Committee in partnership with Durango Chamber of Commerce to look at the costs of child care, wages for child care workers and reasons for the decline in child care providers. The group is testing solutions, such as providing child care classes for high school students, and guiding residents through the process of opening a licensed day care facility in their homes.
“All kids are kids, and they are important to me,” Culver said. “It’s my job to be sure that we provide the very best for them. This is a small pond, and it is an opportunity to do great stuff in my own little town.”