In the fall of 2025, PBS Wisconsin Education commenced its first Kindness Cohort with early learning educators. The program is centered around the Kindness Curriculum, developed by the Center for Healthy Minds at University of Wisconsin-Madison. The free-to-use curriculum includes well-being and mindfulness practices for both children and educators.

“The Kindness Cohort meets the needs of early learning educators because it provides strategies that cultivate compassion for themselves as teachers in addition to resources they can integrate into their learning communities,” said Jami Hoekstra Collins, PBS Wisconsin Education early learning engagement specialist. “Children look to the beloved adults in their lives as role models, so when educators feel supported, present and intentional in their teaching practice, their students reflect that sense of wellbeing.”

Four educators from Pope Farm Elementary School in Middleton, Wisconsin, participated in the cohort together. Karen Murphree, an instructional coach, was the first to hear about the opportunity.

“I value kindness, PBS has high-quality resources and Jami recommended the cohort – and I trust her,” said Murphree, who is also a former colleague of Collins. Kindergarten teacher Noel Vannieuwenhoven, principal Jessica Taylor and school counselor Alex Theiler joined Murphree.

From left: Noel Vannieuwenhoven, Jessica Taylor, Karen Murphree and Alex Theiler at a Kindness Cohort session in 2025.

“I was immediately interested in the program and signed up right away!” said Vannieuwenhoven. She’s a lifelong PBS fan. “I have such fond childhood memories of Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. I always wanted to go to Mr. Hooper’s store – he had the shiniest produce.” Her two daughters grew up loving characters like Elmo and Daniel Tiger. “What joy these shows gave me as a child and what joy they gave us as a family raising our daughters. I was hoping this cohort would tie in PBS shows and help me bring in some of that joy to my classroom!”

“Jami cultivated a learning environment that provided psychological safety and community. The content is intentional, designed well and accessible,” Murphree said of the experience.

“I would leave each meeting with a sense of calmness and excitement to implement new ideas into my classroom,” Vannieuwenhoven said. “I learned about new Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood clips to help my kiddos learn about calming down.” She also discovered new PBS KIDS shows like Weather Hunters and Carl the Collector, along with resources for infusing them into her practice.

Vannieuwenhoven has implemented multiple strategies and resources in her classroom this school year, including books she received through the cohort, daily mindfulness practices and an exercise to recognize kindness. “Each morning, we started with a kindness clip,” she explained. “When we noticed someone being kind, we ‘clipped’ that friend for their kindness. At the end of the day, we shared during closing circle time about all the friends we gave clips to and how we noticed their kindness. We then collected the clips and started again the next day.”

They did the kindness clip practice during the month of February, but Vannieuwenhoven recently noticed a student still has a clip attached to her nameplate at her table. “[She] just didn’t want to put it away. She wanted to see it daily to remind herself and others to be kind.”

The educators at Pope Farm encourage early learning professionals to apply for the next cohort. “In today’s world, we all need and deserve kindness. I was impacted when I learned that mindfulness is an act of kindness and self-care,” said Murphree. She recommends educators join with a colleague they can collaborate with to bring strategies and resources into their early learning spaces.

“I’ve attended a lot of trainings and professional development sessions, but this one was truly the most impactful — not only for my work with students but also for me personally,” Alex Theiler, a school counselor at Pope Farm said about the first session of the cohort, which was held in person. “So often, trainings can leave you feeling drained, but our hour together was the complete opposite — it left me energized and excited. I’m so grateful for that.”

PBS Wisconsin Education is accepting applications for the next Kindness Cohort through June 19, 2026. Monthly sessions are held July through October, beginning with an in-person session followed by three virtual sessions.