Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners

What's early childhood education have to do with building a healthy, stable democracy? It turns out, quite a lot. That's because democracy depends on engaging with fellow citizens capable of empathy, critical thinking, cooperation across diverse communities, and caring for each other. These capacities are formed as young children play and learn the basics of human interaction: how to be nice to each other, work together, include everyone, and respectfully consider different experiences and points of view. NAEYC policy leader Daniel Hains and researcher Meghan Salas Atwell talk with advocacy expert Lucy Recio and Kylie Cooper, who leads a NAEYC-accredited program in Minnesota.

Learning in a multilingual, multicultural environment is great for a young child’s brain, forging strong language pathways and contributing to social-emotional development, cognitive flexibility, and creativity. And there’s no question little learners thrive in settings where they feel included and welcome. Alissa Mwenelupembe talks with Raúl Echevarría, co-founder of Communikids, whose programs immerse little learners in Spanish, Mandarin, and French.

Early childhood educators don't just teach children. They navigate complex social systems on behalf of families, connecting them to resources like food, shelter, mental health, and immigration services. NAEYC's Alissa Mwenelupembe talks with former NAEYC Governing Board President and Executive Director Jerlean Daniel and DC Public School kindergarten teacher Rahshita Lowe-Watson about supporting families struggling with basic needs.

It seemed fair to pay early childhood educators the same as K-12 teachers with similar education and experience. Taxpayers and policymakers in Washington, DC, agreed, setting up the Pay Equity Fund. The move increased ECE salaries by $15,000 per year, stabilizing the workforce and opening more childcare slots for families. NAEYC’s Daniel Hains talks with DCAEYC Executive Director Berna Artis and Mathematica Senior Researcher Owen Schochet about what’s working, what’s threatened, and what DC’s experiment signals about the fate of similar pay equity efforts around the country.

For decades, researchers in early childhood development have documented evidence that young children learn best while doing what they do best: playing. CEO Michelle Kang explores the importance of play in helping little learners build foundational skills in literacy, math, and more, in a conversation with author, Temple University Professor, and Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.

Three NAEYC CEOs, spanning 25 years of leadership, reflect on what it means to lead the early childhood education field through periods of upheaval, uncertainty, and change. As NAEYC kicks off its centennial year, CEO Michelle Kang sits down with two of her predecessors to talk about where the early learning field has been and where we are going.

Host: Michelle Kang, NAEYC CEO

Guests:

1. Mark Ginsberg, President, Towson University (NAEYC CEO 1999--2010)
2. Rhian Evans Allvin, Founder, Brynmor Early Education & Preschool (NAEYC CEO 2013--2022)

How important is play to a child’s brain development? Why do Americans pay so much for

child care while educators earn so little? How can families and policymakers work together

to shape the future of early learning?

NAEYC, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, presents Small Talk:

Big Ideas About Little Learners. CEO Michelle Kang and her colleagues

dive into conversations that matter now -- to little learners and the big people who show up

for them, bringing you stories of struggle, inspiration, and hope for our children’s future.

Learn more at https://www.naeyc.org/smalltalk.