In this episode of The Preschool Podcast with Jo and Maddie, our hosts talk about one of the biggest challenges in childcare: burnout. WebMD describes burnout as “[A] form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It’s a result

Episode 1 - Process vs Product

Feb 14th, 2023 32m 5s

In the first full episode of The Preschool Podcast with Jo and Maddie, our hosts discuss one of their favorite topics in early childhood education: Process vs Product. What does it mean to focus on the process rather than the product when it co

Episode 0 - Meet Jo and Maddie

Jan 31st, 2023 34m 23s

Welcome to the introductory episode of The Preschool Podcast with Jo and Maddie! Get to know our new hosts as they share their journeys into early childhood education: their first days on the job, the struggles they faced, and their personal ph

Revisited: Creating a Culture of Community in Your Preschool

Dec 6th, 2022 34m 55s

In this episode of The Preschool Podcast, we're revisiting our first-ever Preschool Podcast episode from July 2016! Ron Spreeuwenberg has the pleasure of interviewing Debbi Sluys the Director of Growing Together Family Resource Centre in Blenhe

Revisited: Focusing on play before pencils with Tania Ferrandino

Nov 29th, 2022 27m 3s

On this week’s episode of the Preschool Podcast, we revisit an episode from last year with Tania Ferrandino, Occupational Therapist and Senior Professional Learning Producer at Learning Without Tears. Tania dives into the importance of play in

Outlook on the childcare industry for 2023: interviews live from NAEYC!

Nov 22nd, 2022 13m 17s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are changing things up a bit! Last week, our team was on the ground in Washington, DC for the NAEYC Annual Conference! We met with tons of our partners, friends, customers, and new connections and had an

All about assessments with Christina Bretz

Nov 15th, 2022 24m 53s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we welcome Dr. Christina Bretz, Senior Professional Learning Developer at Learning Without Tears. We chat about preschool assessments: what they are, how to administer them, and provide meaningful results to

What is an invitation to play? with Julie Hansen

Nov 8th, 2022 15m 25s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we chat with Julie Hansen, Early Years Consultant and Founder of Inspired ECE. We discuss invitations to play and how educators can best facilitate these in their classrooms. Win a $50 gift card by providing

Spark a revolution in early education: speaking up for ourselves and the children with Rae Pica

Nov 1st, 2022 23m 27s

This week on The Preschool Podcast we welcome back Rae Pica, Early Childhood Education Consultant and Author. Rae is a reoccurring staple on the podcast and this time we are discussing her latest book: Spark a Revolution in Early Education: Spe

Reimagining early childhood education with Dr. Shira Leibowitz

Oct 25th, 2022 25m 50s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we chat with Dr. Shira Leibowitz, CEO of Discovery Village Childcare Center and Preschool and REVABILITIES™ Educational Leadership Training Center. We discuss reimagining early childhood education and advocat

How purposeful conversations with children build connections and promote learning

Oct 18th, 2022 17m 25s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are joined by Rebecca Rolland, Speech-Language Pathologist, Lecturer, and Author. We discuss how to have purposeful conversations with young children and the impact these have on their growth and developme

Leveraging culturally responsive literature in early learning classrooms

Oct 11th, 2022 23m 11s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are joined by Hilary Price, Professional Learning Literacy Advisor at Learning Without Tears. We discuss how to leverage culturally responsive literature in early learning classrooms. Enter to win a $50 gi

The importance of the classroom learning environment

Oct 4th, 2022 20m 41s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we welcome Samaya Khattak, Vice President of Education and Quality at Busy Bees North America. We discuss the importance of the classroom learning environment and how to run a high-quality early childhood edu

The crucial role parents and educators play in children's early sex education

Sep 27th, 2022 26m 5s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are excited to chat with Ariél Saint White, Founder of My Little Yoni. We discuss the crucial role parents and educators play in children's early sex education and the importance of having these conversati

Moving away from passive use of technology by young children

Sep 20th, 2022 25m 18s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we welcome Gail Lovely, Independent Early Learning Specialist. Gail joins us to discuss how to move children away from passive technology use and focus on the wiser uses of tech - interactive and collaborativ

Early intervention and detection of autism

Sep 13th, 2022 32m 53s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we welcome Chantal Lavergne, Founder of Fun Sensory Play and Blogger. Chantal shares the story of her daughter's autism diagnosis, the importance of early intervention, and how it inspired her to start her bu

Supporting educators and young children through Scholastic's the United States of Readers Program

Sep 6th, 2022 20m 24s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are excited to welcome Judy Newman, Executive Vice President and President of Scholastic Book Clubs. We discuss the importance of reading and literacy skills in early childhood education, along with the Un

My experience as a male early childhood educator

Aug 30th, 2022 21m 42s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are honored to have TJ Borile, RECE join us to discuss his journey as a male entering the early childhood education field. TJ has been an educator for 8 years. Prior to that, in the corporate world, he fel

Gender expression in early childhood

Aug 23rd, 2022 33m 39s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are excited to welcome Samuel Broaden, Trainer/Consultant at Honoring Childhood. Samuel is passionate about giving children the best childhood possible. He aspires to be the adult that he feels would have

The importance of social-emotional skills, mental health, and wellness in a childcare classroom

Aug 16th, 2022 21m 25s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we sit down with Denise Cesare! Denise is an Educator, Speech Language Pathologist, Social Emotional Learning Specialist, and Published Author of Moments in Motion with Love. Denise joins us to discuss the im

Creating space in your day as an insurance policy for retention

Aug 9th, 2022 29m 55s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we welcomed back Chanie Wilschanski, CEO of Schools of Excellence. We discuss how to create space in your day as an insurance policy for retention, growth, and maintaining a positive mental state.

Speech and language in the early years

Aug 2nd, 2022 19m 3s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we welcomed Sydney Bassard, Speech-Language Pathologist. Sydney has been an SLP for over three years. During university, her brother was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, which inspired her to fall in love wi

Developing emotional literacy through early childhood education and children's books

Jul 26th, 2022 27m 22s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are excited to welcome Janet Foster, RECE. Janet is a Professor and Coordinator of the ECE program at Fanshawe College and an Early Years Specialist at Tools for Life. She specializes in emotional literacy

Using technology in early childhood intervention

Jul 19th, 2022 26m 1s

This week on The Preschool Podcast, we are honored to welcome Ram Puvanesasingham, Founder of Gepeto Labs. Ram is passionate about implementing a digital curriculum to assist specialists in early childhood intervention. We discuss how parents a

STEAM art activities that spark creativity and imagination

Jul 12th, 2022 17m 20s

The week on The Preschool Podcast we are excited to welcome Lucy Song. Lucy is the proud author of Awesome Art Activities for Kids: 20 STEAM Projects to Spark Creativity and Imagination. We discuss her favorite STEAM art activities for children