Chelsea Bartling’s path to leading the Plambeck Early Childhood Education Center began two decades ago, when she arrived at the University of Nebraska at Kearney as a first-year student and took a job at the former Child Development Center on campus.
The position shifted her academic focus from social work to early childhood education.
“I fell even more in love with early childhood education. Young children have a wonderful way of brightening even the hardest of days,” she said.
Bartling earned a bachelor’s degree from UNK in 2009 and later completed a master’s in PK-8 school principalship in 2023. After teaching in Grand Island and Kearney, she came back to the university in 2020 and stepped into the Plambeck Center director role supporting children, families and staff.
For Bartling, UNK isn’t just a workplace – it’s home. She and her husband, Tim, both started as student workers on campus and built their careers here, raising their daughter, Maddie, in the same community. Maddie attended the UNK Child Development Center from infancy through age 5 and still visits the Plambeck Center, where she eagerly helps in the classrooms.
“We’re a true UNK family,” Bartling said, and the Plambeck Center has become part of that tradition – a place where her personal and professional lives continue to grow together.
What inspired you to choose a career in early childhood education?
I have always had a love for children. As the youngest of three and an “oops baby,” there was an age gap between my sisters and me. I became an aunt at just 10 years old, and that early experience deepened my love for caring for children.
My mom, who is also a teacher, has always been one of my greatest inspirations. Seeing the difference she made in her students’ lives motivated me to pursue a similar path. I’ve never regretted that decision. It truly shaped who I am today!
Tell us about your role as director of the Plambeck Center:
As director, I’m able to draw on my classroom experience to connect with and support my teaching staff. Having been in the trenches myself, I understand both the joys and the challenges that come with the job – the rewarding moments as well as the exhausting ones. That perspective allows me to better support my team and meet their needs.
In this role, I also have the privilege of working with families in a new and meaningful way. I’m able to walk alongside them through both the good and difficult times, offering guidance and support. I truly feel I have the best of all worlds – working with students, families and staff alike. I’m passionate about making positive changes that benefit everyone, and I believe deeply in a team approach. The success of what we do each day comes from the dedication of my staff and the incredible support from UNK.
What is your favorite part of the job?
I absolutely love those aha moments – the ones that remind you why you do what you do. When a student takes their first steps, says their first word, writes their name or asks a friend to play, it is pure joy!
I also love seeing teachers light up when they overcome a major challenge with a student or family. Then there are the student workers, experiencing the classroom for the first time, who find success and realize they want to become teachers themselves. And those moments with parents when they feel overwhelmed by a behavior or situation and together we find a solution are just as meaningful. These experiences, big and small, are what it’s all about. They’re the moments that truly make a difference in the world.
What makes the Plambeck Center special?
We really are one big family. Like any family, we have our moments, but at the end of the day, we’re united by a shared purpose – supporting our students and their families in every way we can. No matter the challenge, we come together to find solutions and move forward as a team, the Plambeck Center family.
What also makes us special is that we’re not just a child care center, we’re an education center. Learning begins the moment our students walk through the door. In the infant room, we start introducing Pyramid Model strategies that help children learn to solve problems and regulate emotions independently by the time they reach pre-K. Our toddlers explore Handwriting Without Tears wood pieces, learning how to build letters, shapes, numbers or even how to draw a person. During meals, they practice passing food and using their words to ask for “more please.” Learning happens all day, every day, and it’s truly a beautiful thing to witness.
Talk about your themed weeks. What has been your favorite theme so far?
We love hosting themed weeks for our students. They add an extra layer of fun and excitement to the classroom. The kids absolutely love seeing the adults be silly and let loose. Watching their teachers dressed up and having fun creates such a special connection.
It’s hard to choose a favorite because I’m really just a big kid at heart and love joining in on the fun. I’ve attended more than a few meetings in some pretty silly outfits but it’s always worth it for the kids! One of my favorites is our Winter Spirit Week, with themes like Ugly Sweater Day, Favorite Holiday Character and Santa’s Helpers. I especially love it because winter can be such a cold, gloomy time, and it brings so many smiles and laughter.
I also enjoy our Dr. Seuss Week, when we dress up as characters from his stories while the classrooms dive into book studies. And of course, our Week of the Young Child in April is another highlight. I’s all about celebrating our students and the joy they bring every day.
How do you involve UNK students at the Plambeck Center?
We hire UNK students to work at the center as student assistants where they support classroom teachers and gain valuable hands-on experience working with children. We also collaborate with a variety of campus departments to provide opportunities for observations, class visits and volunteer work.
Some of our partnerships include UNK educational programs such as elementary education, early childhood education, speech-language pathology, social work, family studies, art, music and business, as well as University of Nebraska Medical Center programs such as medical, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Additionally, UNK Fraternity and Sorority Life, student organizations and student-athletes also visit the center. We’re always exploring new ways to engage students and expand their involvement with the center.
Tell us about your family:
You could say we’re a true UNK family. My husband, Tim, and I came to Kearney for college and never left. We got married in 2008 and planted our roots right here. Both of us grew up in small towns and immediately fell in love with the welcoming atmosphere of UNK and the Kearney community.
Tim began working at UNK as a student employee in Institutional Technology Services and later accepted a full-time position with Online Education after graduation. Today, he serves as the director of academic technology and has been part of the UNK family for 19 years.
In 2013, we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Madelyn. Ever since Maddie could move, she’s had a passion for dance and a love for children. With a mom who’s a teacher, she’s been surrounded by kids her entire life and has developed such a natural ability to connect with them.
When I joined UNK, Maddie was thrilled. She loves visiting the center whenever she can and enjoys helping in all the rooms, especially with the infants, who have quickly become her favorite. It’s amazing how naturally she takes to it all.
Dance is another one of her greatest passions and a wonderful way she expresses herself. I am truly in awe each time I get to watch her step on that stage. She often shares that joy with students, teaching them new moves and even serving as a helper teacher at Dance Works, where she gets to teach some of our Plambeck Center students as well.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
We love to go camping as a family. Whether it is right outside of town at Fort Kearny or in South Dakota, we love to check out and relax by the fire. We can disconnect, play games, hike, read or just sit by the fire, share stories and maybe fall asleep in the warmth.
