Illinois Early Learning Project

Dr. Sallee Beneke, an associate professor of early childhood education at St. Ambrose University, joins the Illinois Early Learning Project to discuss implementing the Project Approach in inclusive early childhood classrooms.

On this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Emily Dorsey, project director of the Illinois Early Learning Project. She joins us to discuss strategies for helping children with the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder succeed in inclusive early childhood classrooms.

We talk with Dr. Jenna Weglarz-Ward, an assistant professor in early childhood education and early childhood special education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, about the inclusion of infants and toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays in child care settings.

We talk with Dr. Natalie Danner, the LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck Endowed Chair of Montessori Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, who gives us an introduction to the Montessori approach in early childhood education.

On this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Christine Spence. Dr. Spence is an Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focuses on high-quality supports for families and providers participating in early intervention and early childhood special education systems. She joins us to talk about listening to family's voices in early childhood programs.

On this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Deserai Miller. Dr. Miller is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Special Education and teaches in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on provisions of trauma-informed care through special education service delivery and the preparation of professionals across multiple disciplines related to trauma-informed care. She joins us to discuss strategies for supporting young children who have experienced trauma.

On this podcast we interviewed Dr. Catherine Corr from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Corr is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education. She joins us to help us understand the impact of trauma on the lives of young children.

This podcast, based on a blog written by Dr. Rebecca Swartz, discusses what young children learn from block play.

https://illinoisearlylearning.org/blogs/growing/busy-blocks/

This podcast contains an interview with Dr. Michaelene (Micki) Ostrosky about supporting young children's friendships. Dr. Ostrosky is the head of the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

On this podcast, we are joined by Michelle Patt. Michelle Patt is an early childhood educator, consultant, and writer. Her work emphasizes learning through exploration and experimentation. She writes about the integration of art and science into preschool classroom activities to encourage children's problem solving and innovation. Michelle is preschool supervisor at Howard Area Community Center, a Preschool for All and Head Start braided program in Chicago, Illinois. She joins us to discuss strategies for encouraging young children to engage in purposeful play. She blogs about her work at Explore Inspire EC.