Manager: Ingrid Pohl

Ingrid graduated from Emporia State University with undergraduate degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood. She then returned to ESU for a masters degree with an emphasis in administration in early childhood.

Ingrid then spent 10 years teaching in Garden City in their public school system in second grade and then moving to the Kinder Prep program. After earning her master's degree, she moved to Great Bend Kansas. With her new degree she served as the director of the child development center at Barton County Community College and then went on to own and operate her own child care center in the same town.

Later Ingrid moved with her 3 children to Assaria Kansas where she currently works as the Early Education Consultant for Smart Start of Saline County/Central Kansas Mental Health Center. Her job duties entail working with child care providers, child care centers and families whose children present challenging behaviors. In addition to this job responsibility she spends a great deal of time doing presentations in the area and around the state.

Manager: Elizabeth Caselman

Elizabeth graduated from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She then attended the University of Kansas Social Welfare Program and earned her Master of Social Work degree (MSW). During graduate school Elizabeth completed an internship with a Head Start program learning play therapy. Her second year internship with juvenile offenders helped her learn that she worked best with young children.

After graduate school Elizabeth earned her clinical license (LSCSW) providing intensive home-based services to children and families in the foster care system.

Elizabeth then moved to Salina Kansas and started working with the USD 305 Heartland Programs. In her current role, she provides play based therapy services to children and their families. She works with early childhood classrooms developing intervention plans and assessing the mental health needs of children birth to 5 years old.

Elizabeth is a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) and provides RPT supervision and consultation. She became interested in Bal-A-Vis-X (BAVX) for young children and began researching preventative strategies for children. She soon learned that in order to incorporate BAVX into her individual work with children and her work with classrooms she would need to research and develop a program.

Ingrid and Elizabeth have since partnered and formed Innovative Connections to teach others early childhood Bal-A-Vis-X. Elizabeth incorporate early childhood Bal-A-Vis-X daily in her individual work with children and the work she does with classrooms. Elizabeth feels this is a great "fit" for calming children, improving social skills, and teaching impulse control (among many other benefits).

Through their program development in the last two years, Ingrid and Elizabeth have piloted their early childhood program in 16 Head Start classrooms and with children and families in the community.