NAEYC Marks Centennial with New Podcast on Early Education’s Future
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NAEYC Marks Centennial with New Podcast on Early Education’s Future
Nation’s Largest Early Childhood Education Association Introduces Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners
WASHINGTON (March 5, 2026) —The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) introduces a new podcast that both builds on its 100-year history and explores contemporary issues in early childhood education. On Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners, NAEYC CEO Michelle Kang and her colleagues host conversations that matter now to young children and the people who show up for them—parents, educators, advocates, and policymakers.
Launching with its first episode on March 19, Small Talk features voices from the early learning profession, including people who work with children from birth through age 8 every day across the country and those who have built the profession into what it is today.
The eight-episode pilot season explores topics like why play is so important to the development of children’s brains, how early learning providers create welcoming places of learning for all children, and how states are responding to federal budget cuts impacting young children, their families, and the early education workforce.
“There are so many timely issues we want to explore, and NAEYC’s members around the country have so much expertise and lived experience to share,” said Kang. “So we want to shine a spotlight on that and help people understand the urgency of educating young children, supporting their families, and standing up for this incredible workforce of early childhood education professionals who bring their passion and their joy to work every day. A podcast allows us to reach a broad audience of people inside and outside the field who care about our children’s future.”
In the launch episode, Kang sits down with two of her predecessors--Rhian Evans Allvin and Mark Ginsberg -- to reflect on a century of progress in early learning and discuss the work still ahead.
“Hearing from the leaders who came before me reminded me that while the work of advocating for early educators and children is urgent, we have a long history of challenges and successes that we can draw on as NAEYC enters its second century,” Kang said. “I’m excited for people to listen.”
The podcast is accessible at NAEYC.org/SmallTalk and all podcast channels, where listeners can subscribe, listen, and read transcripts.
About NAEYC
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. In 2026, we celebrate 100 years of advancing a diverse, dynamic early childhood profession and supporting all who care for, educate, and work on behalf of young children. Today, the association comprises tens of thousands of individual members of the early childhood community and 50 Affiliates across the country, all committed to delivering on the promise of high-quality early learning.