School-Age Child Care Specialist
Verlina takes Walt Disney’s quote “Keep Moving Forward!” very seriously. Unlike Lewis and Wilbur in "Meet the Robinsons", Verlina didn’t have a time machine or memory scanner available to go back in time to undo her mistakes and make sure everything turned out perfectly. So instead, she keeps moving forward by learning new things and trying her best to make every day count.
Verlina was born and raised in Ogden, Utah. After marrying the love of her life, Reuben, they moved to Davis county to raise their five children. She had the privilege of being a stay-at-home homeschool mom, surviving off her daily cuppa joe (which was usually reheated several times throughout the day) and the desire to raise great children who would become amazing adults. As we all know, children grow so fast – all five kiddos are now teenagers! - and she wishes she had a time machine to go back to when her children were young.
Verlina’s passion for children started in her home and led her to accept a position as a lead preschool teacher at a local childcare center. She earned her Child Development Associate (CDA) and soon began working as an assistant director of a licensed child care program, and later as a director. In 2015, she accepted a part-time position with Care About Child Care at Weber State University as an instructor, teaching classes to Utah’s childcare professionals and early educators. Verlina took a step sideways from directing childcare centers and found her way into afterschool programming working as the Assistant Director of Youth Programming at the YMCA of Northern Utah. She's excited to bring her experience and passion to UAN to support Utah’s childcare and afterschool professionals.
Outside of work you can find Verlina rewatching Meet the Robinsons, trying to keep up with her growing list of crafting projects she desires to make, moving piles of unfinished Suspense books from one bookshelf to another, applying paint to canvases with the hope that the image is recognizable, and laughing until she cries with her husband, Reuben, and their five teenagers.
Specialties: Licensed Child Care Programs, Challenging Behavior Support, Social-Emotional Learning
Favorite Drink: Cherry Coke and Coffee (but not together!)
