The Preschool Podcast
Ron Spreeuwenberg
The Preschool Podcast, brought to you by HiMama, is a platform for learning from leading professionals in early childhood education. If you work in a daycare, childcare or preschool setting, The Preschool Podcast will provide you with both practical advice for managing your organization, center or classroom, as well as thought provoking content and insights about the field of early childhood education.
Each week, we chat with leaders in early childhood education, from teachers and educators in the classroom with innovative curriculum approaches, to directors who are excelling at empowering their team, and leaders outside of the child care environment that are passionate about making a positive impact on outcomes for young children.
Our goal with The Preschool Podcast is to provide knowledge and inspiration to the future leaders of early childhood education by speaking with experienced and insightful leaders in the world of preschool and early learning today. At HiMama, it is our belief that leadership within early childhood education is crucial to the future of the childcare sector and, of course, the future of our most important asset in this world, our youngest children.
Each week, we chat with leaders in early childhood education, from teachers and educators in the classroom with innovative curriculum approaches, to directors who are excelling at empowering their team, and leaders outside of the child care environment that are passionate about making a positive impact on outcomes for young children.
Our goal with The Preschool Podcast is to provide knowledge and inspiration to the future leaders of early childhood education by speaking with experienced and insightful leaders in the world of preschool and early learning today. At HiMama, it is our belief that leadership within early childhood education is crucial to the future of the childcare sector and, of course, the future of our most important asset in this world, our youngest children.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 31, 2020 • 40min
How To Work Through Trauma With Young Children
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
Mar 24, 2020 • 27min
How To Keep Your Childcare Business Going Through The COVID-19 Pandemic
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
Mar 18, 2020 • 33min
*SPECIAL* COVID-19 & Kids: Facts, Fiction, Practical Tips
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
Mar 17, 2020 • 25min
Thriving Kids, Thriving Society
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
Mar 10, 2020 • 24min
Insights From Rebranding A NFP Child Care
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
Mar 3, 2020 • 30min
Global-Minded Early Education For Better Future
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
Feb 25, 2020 • 22min
Encouraging STEAM Thinking In Early Childhood With Language
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
Feb 18, 2020 • 26min
Transformational Coaching for Early Childhood Educators
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
Feb 11, 2020 • 26min
How to Cultivate A Learner's Mentality Using STEAM in Preschool
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
Feb 4, 2020 • 25min
How To Equip Children With The Skills To Stop Bullying
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
