The Preschool Podcast

Trauma impacts young children into their adulthood. In this episode, Holly-Elissa Bruno, author of the book Happiness is Running Through the Streets to Find You, which is about using trauma to help children heal. She shares practical tips on how to talk to children about the feelings that come with traumatic experience and building trust in an authentic way.   Resources: Happiness Is Running Through The Street To Find You Holly-Elissa Bruno's Website

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of anxiety and uncertainty for childcare business owners. In this episode, we have an honest conversation with Evelyn Knight, business owner and coach about the changes she has made in running her center in the last couple of weeks. She emphasizes the importance of keeping an optimistic and creative mindset to maneuver through the current moment and continue delivering value to her parents.  Resources:  Child Care Business Professionals The Child Care Business Coach Facebook Group

As parents and educators, the COVID-19 virus has caused a lot of change, anxiety and uncertainty in the last week. In this special episode, we talk to Dr. Dina Kulik, pediatric emergency medicine doctor at SickKids and founder of KidCrew about the reality of the virus, the real importance of social distancing, and practical tips to maintain our sanity as we keep updated with the development of the virus.  Resources:  Dr. Dina’s Website KidCrew Website Dr. Dina’s Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn

The Early Years Study 4 report revealed that Canada ranks 33rd out of 35 of OECD countries for the number of young children who regularly attend an ECE program. In this episode, we host Mrs. Margaret McCain, author of the report, for a discussion on the socioeconomic consequences of underinvesting in ECE. We also talk about how the early years affect the economy and what an implementation plan would look like to invest enough to get Canada up to the average OECD early years enrolment rate. Resources:  Margaret and Wallace McCain Foundation Website The Early Years Study 4: Thriving Kids, Thriving Societies Report  

Rebranding an existing child care has its challenges. In this episode, Melaina Drissell, who has been in the shoes of different stakeholders at Columbia Montessori School, shares her experience updating the not for profit school’s brand which has been around for 53 years. She gives us valuable insights into her process of taking input from different people on her team and in the community and turning them into action. Resources:  Columbia Montessori School Website

The world is becoming more global in this day and age. In this episode, Cennydd John, CEO of Hatching Dragons, the first bilingual early years program in the UK, shares why he started his school and how creating the opportunity to start the global conversation at the early years level could change the face of education as we know it. Resources:  Hatching Dragons Website  Cennydd’s LinkedIn

The developmental domains in early learning are all interconnected. In this episode, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek shares how capable young children truly are and how adults can encourage development in the early years through being curious with children. She also shares some real-world examples of how she applies her research when working with children to give them a rich learning experience. Resources:  Kathy Hirsh-Pasek Website Temple University Infant Lab Ultimate Block Party

Teaching and coaching might sound like the same thing, but they can actually be quite different in their approaches. In this episode, Constant Hine from Horizons In Learning explains how she uses transformational coaching to help ECEs bring the best out of themselves, who can then go on to do the same for the children in their care! Resources: https://constanthine.com/ https://www.redleafpress.org/Transformational-Coaching-for-Early-Childhood-Educators-P2436.aspx

Activating a young child’s curiosity and creativity can have a huge impact on how they approach their learning when they are older. In this episode, we interview Sheng Lan, Co-Owner of a unique family-run center called Zida Academy that focuses on music, arts, and sports. Sheng shares his belief that exposure to a variety of activities at a young age will develop a strong sense of internal motivation to learn and lead to better outcomes beyond preschool.  Resources:  Zida Academy Website

Bullying amongst young children can be hard to identify and address. In this episode, Jeremy Rubenstein, CEO of Box Out Bullying, shares why it’s important to define bullying correctly and how to use age-appropriate strategies to equip children with the socio-emotional skills to call-out bullying. He also shares practical steps on how teachers can establish areas in their classroom that children can use to process their emotions. Resources:  Box Out Bullying Website Follow Box Out Bullying on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter - @boxoutbullying

This is a very special episode with Joshua McVey, a HiMama parent and employee. Josh shares his experience using a child care app and how having insight into his son’s activities in child care has supported his experience as a single dad. He also talks about how he’s gained an appreciation for the hard work that educators put in every day from his experience as a parent and working with child care professionals through HiMama. Resources:  Connect with Josh at joshua@himama.com HiMama Blog

The Buffalo Zoo runs a Reggio-inspired preschool program that uses the zoo as a learning environment. In this episode, we get the opportunity to chat with Anna Ileto, Program Specialist, about what it means to run a program that collaborates with zookeepers. She also shares her experience and tips on how teachers can leverage a child’s natural curiosity about nature as a stepping stone to teach them preschool skills.   Resources:  Buffalo Zoo Preschool Welcomes Fall The “Pet Project” - Channel 7 Feature 2019 Fall Newsletter The Spider Project  

The Early Childhood Educator of The Year Award recognizes early educators for their hard work and the impact that they have on their communities. Nery Payne, 2019 ECE of The Year, shares her story about being kidnapped with her son in her home country, finding her way to Canada, and how she found her passion for working with children through that experience. She shares how she built her curriculum using online resources and how a can-do mindset is all you need to build a rich environment for children to learn in. 

Early education can be emotional and stressful. In this episode, we interview Richard Cohen, consultant and coach about how he uses his meditation practice to support his professional work. We also discuss how this translates to being more present when playing with kids and why that is important in this line of work. Resources:  Richard’s website Contact Richard at richard@richardcohen.com

The Early Learning Neighbourhood Collaborative (ELNC) is making strides in the Grand Rapids community by supporting accessible early childhood education with its model that prioritizes local learning environments, cultural competence, and involving dual-generations in the early learning process. We chat with Dr. Ezeh, CEO of ELNC, about her drive, vision, and strategies to empower low-income communities with the resources needed to support their youngest and most vulnerable. Resources:  ELNC

Early childhood years are formative for emotional development and affect people into their adult years. In this episode, we interview Dr. Tamar Jacobson and explore how our own childhood experiences inform the way we think about children when we discipline them. Dr. Jacobson shares the importance of reflecting on how we react to children as adults and why it’s important to consider the influence of our own childhood experience!  

Planning age-appropriate activities is key to having a successful preschool program. In this episode, Cheryl Hatch, founder of the blog Preschool Plan It, shares her tips for working with preschoolers. She emphasizes the importance of contextual learning, scaffolding and supporting preschoolers through this learning stage!   Resources: Preschool Plan It Preschool Directors Facebook Group

Working with children with autism and ADHD often means working intimately with their families. In this episode, we have a conversation with Umesh Jain, child psychiatrist at SickKids Hospital, about the biology and psychology of children with autism. He shares tips on how to identify children with autism in the early years, and how to work with families to support their development.  Resources:  Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance Autism Society of Canada

Turnover is one of the biggest challenges of running a child care business. In this episode, Marnie Forestieri, CEO of Young Innovators, shares how she implemented an innovative business model that encourages ownership, promotes accountability and has improved her staff turnover, program quality, and income. If you’re a child care entrepreneur looking for a new way to improve your business, this is a must listen for you! Resources: Young Innovators Academy Website The Kumon Dropouts: Using Maker-Centered Education to Help Your Child Discover Their Interests [Blog] Follow Marnie on: Facebook InstagramTwitter

Caring for toddlers is one of the more challenging stages of early childhood development. In this episode, we chat with Raelene Ostberg, Founder of Thriving Together, about how toddlers are often difficult to work with because they are misunderstood. She shares her tips for reframing our approach of engaging with toddlers to work with them in a constructive way. This is a MUST listen if you’re working with toddlers in any capacity as an educator or a parent! Resources:  Thriving Together Diffusing Nighttime Stress Get Toddlers to Listen! Naptime Nuggets (YouTube Playlist)   Zero to Three Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning