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
Sep 3, 2019 • 26min
Systems Thinking For Positive Outcomes
Child care can be an isolating field where professionals are siloed in their work. In this episode, Lisa Guerrero, Co-Founder of Positive Spin, shares her work on systems thinking to bring more connection between professionals in the field. She talks to us about shifting from a mindset of being subjected to the system with no agency, towards seeing each person as part of a system of leaders that can have an impact and lead positive change. Resources: Positive Spin LLC Positive Spin Facebook
Aug 27, 2019 • 26min
Financial Health for Child Care Businesses
Financial health directly impacts the ability for a child care business to provide quality programming and grow. In this episode, Kathy Ligon, CEO of Hinge Brokers, shares her top 5 elements that child care business owners should monitor to achieve good financial health - occupancy rates, tuition rates, discounting, expenses and rent. She also talks about the benefits and challenges that child care owners might face when growing the business. Resources: Hinge Brokers You can email Kathy at info@hingebrokers.com
Aug 20, 2019 • 23min
Entrepreneurial Leadership In Early Education
Child care is an entrepreneurial field. In this episode, Anne Douglass, the founding Executive Director of the Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation, talks about the concept of entrepreneurial leadership and how it applies to all levels of the sector. She shares the goals of the Institute, the mindset required to become an entrepreneurial leader, the skills to develop, and concrete steps that early educators can take to improve their childcare programs! Resources: Institute for Early Education Leadership and Innovation Connect with Anne at anne.douglass@umb.edu
Aug 13, 2019 • 25min
The Joy Of Movement For Young Kids
Early childhood is an important time for kiddos to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed for a healthy life ahead. Mary Lynn Hafner, Physical Therapist and author of The Joy Of Movement, shares her passion for movement and strategies for age-appropriate activities to support physical development. She explains how to incorporate exploration, discovery, selection, repetition, and imitation when working with young kids as well as how patience is key as each individual will develop at their own pace! Resources: The Joy Of Movement [Book] Free Lesson Plans
Aug 6, 2019 • 24min
Inspiring Professional Growth
Continuous professional development is so important, especially now as the sector is going through a labor crisis. In this episode, we chat with Susan Macdonald about her upcoming book, Inspiring Professional Growth. She shares some pointers on vision-focused professional development, professional accountability, supporting the growth of different staff members and achievable goal-setting. Resources: Inspiring New Perspectives Inspiring Professional Growth [Book]
Jul 30, 2019 • 30min
2019 Child Care Sector Risks, Priorities & Outlook
How is your child care business doing relative to your peers? This year, HiMama partnered with Kris Murray from The Child Care Business Success Company on the report. This is the fourth consecutive year that labor is listed as the biggest organizational risk in the industry. We discuss the impact of leadership, culture, and how to have and live your core values. Resources: 2019 Child Care Benchmark Report The Child Care Success Company Child Care Rockstar Radio Child Care Success Summit 2019
Jul 23, 2019 • 19min
Developing Social Competency In Young Children
Socioemotional skills are developed when children are young. Positive relationships have a big impact on how children grow into productive adults. In this episode, Christine Schmidt, shares the 7 Cs of social competency which are curiosity, control, conflict resolution, coping, confidence, communication and community building. She also offers some practical tips on how to create an environment that encourages children to build their skills. Resources: Developing Social Competency In Young Children 2 CR Solutions
Jul 16, 2019 • 23min
Learned Optimism In Early Childhood
Making Lemonade is a book that teaches optimistic thinking in an early learning context. We had the opportunity to chat with Laura Colker and Derry Koralek, co-authors of the book, about their belief that learned optimism is key to helping young children grow into healthy and well-rounded individuals. They share their passion for the subject and some practical activities that educators and parents can incorporate into their routines. Resources: Making Lemonade Learned Optimism
Jul 9, 2019 • 19min
Demystifying Accreditation For Child Care Programs
Getting accredited is becoming the standard as parents are getting more knowledgable on the importance of early childhood education. In this episode, Storm Webb, Executive Director of the National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA), talks about different things that providers should be thinking about before getting accredited, how the accreditation process works and shares trends that she’s noticing in the field. Resources: NECPA Website NECPA Resources Connect with Storm at stormw@necpa.net1
Jul 2, 2019 • 18min
Visual Learning As A Teaching Practice
Teaching young children should be a fun and creative process. In this episode, Stuart J Murphy, children’s author, shares his experience developing his book series, Math Start and I See I Learn. He gives us tips on combining and engaging story, illustration and the learning material through visual learning. Stuart emphasizes that children learn through contextualizing their experience and why he’s passionate about using stories as a teaching tool. Resources: Check out Stuart’s Website I See I Learn book series MathStart book series
