This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

Skip Navigation skip menu and banner
University of Wyoming

Cooney wraps up distinguished early childhood career

   A desire to understand the factors that facilitate effective early childhood education led Peggy Cooney to doctoral work and, ultimately, to an equally important role: preparing the next generation of leaders in that field.
Cooney, [professor] of elementary and early childhood education, retired at the end of the fall semester and closed out a distinguished academic career that focused on helping students of all ages succeed.
Peggy’s decision to pursue a career in early childhood education surprised no one in her extended family. The second of seven children, Cooney enjoyed caring for her younger siblings and demonstrated a strong aptitude for working with youngsters. Obtaining a bachelor of science degree in child development (Cornell University), and even a master’s degree in elementary education (University of Wisconsin-Madison), led to work that came naturally to her.
As director of the University of Wyoming Child Care Center, Cooney developed an interest in obtaining research skills needed to explore burning questions about the factors that create quality early childhood school experiences. She enrolled in the UW College of Education’s doctoral program in curriculum and instruction, learned the skills, explored early questions, and earned a PhD in early childhood education (1994). She also landed a tenure-track teaching position in the department after graduation.
Cooney’s expertise spans the university’s teaching, research and service functions.
Her research interests have blossomed into internationally renowned qualitative work that offers insights into a variety of early childhood-focused questions.
“You can research young children better if you do qualitative work,” she says, “because the variables are mixed up – you can’t tease them out or control them.”
Play has become a critical focus area for much of Cooney’s research, a subject that is frequently misunderstood and undervalued as a learning platform.
“Play is different in an educational setting than it is in a home setting,” Peggy says. “That is why there [are] a lot of misconceptions about how important it is.”
One of Cooney’s most pivotal roles in the last 12 years has been teacher/mentor to undergraduate and graduate students interested in early childhood careers. She describes responsibilities in this area as threefold: as a visionary, as a giver of experiences, and as an advocate for children and families.
“Children can’t be taught in isolation,” Cooney says. “There have to be connections between their home life and their school life.” The ability to communicate with families is critical for early childhood educators.
Advocacy also requires that teachers make decisions that put the child’s needs first.
“Good teaching is being able to put yourself in the child’s world, to see how they’re connecting or disconnecting with their school, the content, and their peers,” Peggy says.
Early childhood educators should “always see the classroom from the child’s perspective. The room looks different if they look at it through the eyes of the children, and that’s how they make the decisions that will support the children.”
Collaborating to design a high-impact academic program for early childhood educators-in-training may be one of her most important contributions to the university and her profession. A point of pride is the early childhood education program’s emphasis, built into all classes, on [field experiences] in a classroom setting.
“Content doesn’t sit alone,” she says. “It has to be applied.” Each core class in the program includes a practicum that provides opportunities to practice what they have learned.
Cooney’s service impact also looms large. She co-founded with colleagues both the UW Symposium for the Eradication of Social Inequality (now the Shepard Symposium on Social Justice) and the University of Wyoming’s Early Childhood Play Institute. Both programs contribute to areas of great passion for her; they also have become well-established opportunities to explore critical issues and provide professional development.
“Anything we do that seems like it’s going to improve things for the college or the university has to be institutionalized,” she says. “If it doesn’t get institutionalized, then it’s not sustained.”
Being comfortable with passing beloved programs to others has always been part of the process.
“My goal was to always be part of planning something important, but then being able to step aside and having other people get excited about carrying it on,” Cooney says.
Peggy looks forward to retirement with anticipation and openness to whatever adventures present themselves. It is likely that, alongside the extra opportunities to spend more time with family members, she will find ways to continue her advocacy on behalf of friends old and new.