Join Our Team
Waldkinder is now hiring. Come with a deep love of the natural world, experience working with young children, and a positive attitude. Must have a valid Driver's License, current First Aid/CPR, and 21+. Training provided. Bilingual Preferred.
Ali Cottle
Ali was born and raised in Carbondale, leading a busy and full life, primarily outside! Raised as an avid outdoors kid, Ali’s parents had her camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, skiing, riding, and caring for horses, and just getting dirty each and every day! She attended Mt. Sopris Montessori School, the Carbondale and Aspen Community School(s), Colorado Rocky Mountain School, and then earned an AAS in Early Childhood Education through both, Mid-State Technical College and Colorado Mountain College (CMC) in 2016. Ali is currently enrolled in the BAS Leadership and Management degree program through CMC.
In high school Ali traveled around the world competing in kayak competitions, earning a spot on the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team three years in a row. Then, at 18 years old, she joined the Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol as an EMT where she worked for nine years. While there, Ali additionally handled and trained her black lab, Jane, to be an avalanche search and rescue dog. She has worked for numerous outdoor programs up and down the valley including but not limited to; The Aspen Ski Company, Blazing Adventures, Ute City Farms, and The Pine Creek Cookhouse (driving the horse-drawn sleigh). Ali joined the Waldkinder teacher-family in June of 2016 and has been a consistent member of our team since then. Her love and knowledge of the outdoors including a deep understanding of safety and enormous respect for risk and hazard are infectious and inspiring.
“I have always been drawn to the philosophy and ideals of Waldkinder. Allowing children to explore the environment in their own way while learning to identify and manage risk is crucial to healthy growth and development. Children need to play, interact, discover and experience the world in their own way and at their own pace. When provided with the time and natural setting to do so, it is my belief that children will inevitably grow into confident, capable, empathetic, tenacious and respectful individuals.”
Rebecca Segal
Rebecca was born in Michigan, where she learned to love nature by roaming the forests and beaches. She attended Western Michigan University, studying Earth Science and Environmental Resource Management. The North Woods of Minnesota beckoned her with a job as an educator at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center.
While there, Rebecca attended the University of Minnesota in Duluth where she obtained a certificate in Environmental Education. She has worked at a number of nature centers teaching children of all ages, including the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies here in the Roaring Fork Valley. She is currently working toward her Early Childhood director certification at CMC. Rebecca has taught preschool for 11 years, 8 with Waldkinder.
Rebecca and her husband Jason live in Carbondale with their two teenagers who are encouraged to frolic freely in the forest! She loves hiking, biking, reading novels and naturalist guides, gardening, and yoga.
"I love being outside with the children. There is no better place to be truly present in the moment! They are more calm and relaxed when they are in nature. So am I! We have time to explore, learn about ourselves and the environment and how to take care of both. Working the Waldkinder way, I have learned that children are so much more capable than we give them credit for. Instead of recoiling, they are excited to meet new challenges! And with love, consistency and encouragement will rise to any occasion."