It’s good to be back in her home again for Marcy Otten of Kalispell.

Otten, 47, recently moved from Missoula to take the position as the new executive director of Northwest Montana Head Start. Previously she worked as an education manager for the past five years, overseeing grant projects and doing a lot of professional development for teachers around the state.

“My long-term goal was to hopefully become a director. It happened a little sooner than I originally anticipated, but it’s been good,” Otten said. “I thought it was a great opportunity for me to get home, also still be able to work with kids, but yet also work with teachers and making sure we’re doing the things we need to do to ensure kids are successful in schools.”

Otten has always worked in childhood education. She has a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in early childhood special education.

“While I was going to school I worked at a preschool in Missoula and just kind of fell in love with it and never left,” she said, smiling.

There are certain aspects about this age group in which Otten finds joy.

“I love that they’re curious and so eager and they’re learning so many things at such a rapid rate and it’s not just academic stuff, but how to share and how to take turns and how to be part of a group and how to be a friend,” she said.

Unlike upper grade levels, early childhood education is not about teaching subjects; it’s about teaching the whole child whose brain is in the critical years of development.

Learning at this level is driven by children, according to Otten.

“Teaching early childhood is different than teaching fourth grade,” she said. “In early childhood you’re doing a lot of things. You’re following the children’s lead and you’re helping them discover things on their own.”

Young children often help adults discover a thing or two about life. When asked what life lessons Otten has learned from children over the years, she laughed.

“Not take yourself too seriously. Be flexible. Always be flexible. And have fun,” Otten said.

She knows a thing or two about having fun. If she has time to spare outside of work, the mother of two daughters in their 20s loves riding her motorcycle and enjoys floating rivers in the summer.

Otten has an approachable personality and laughter comes easily to her, particularly after she shares one of those funny stories that educators collect over the years. For instance, she learned from a young boy she wasn’t to become the next Vincent Van Gogh.

“I’ll never forget teaching eight years ago, I was doing a project with the kids where we had read a story about a frog, or something like that, so I was doing this activity where I was going to draw a picture from the story. So I’m drawing this frog, and I’m showing this frog, and this little guy he’s raising his hand and he keeps raising it. I said ‘What do you need buddy?’ and he said ‘teacher Marcy I don’t know about that frog,” she said with a laugh.

Her leadership philosophy is that a good job isn’t done alone.

“I think you have to have a good team of people around you. I think if you don’t have a good team things fall apart real quick,” she said.

A busy year is ahead for Otten. The first day of preschool is Sept. 12.

“This year we have two classrooms that will be full day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s like wrap-around care. There’s a portion of the day devoted to Head Start and the rest of the day is more free choice, so working families can have a place for their kids,” Otten said.

New standards are coming down the pipeline as well she said.

“We’ll have a lot of things to consider and look at and make sure we’re meeting,” Otten said.

One of her goals is that if funding were ever to become available she would like to expand services to infants and toddlers.

“There are lots of programs that have early Head Starts. We’ve never been funded for one, but we know it’s a huge need in this valley for infant care. There are places for sure, but the wait list is really long for [quality] infant care in this valley.”

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.