On a warm summer day in Vermont, children and educators are engaged in activities outdoors at a nature-based early learning program. On a wooden stage in one area, they are dancing and laughing. In another corner, children carefully pick berries and leaves off a plant to make soup. And another small group carefully tends to their chickens, which are born and raised by the children and educators. Throughout the group, one thing is clear—there is joy, curiosity, and learning, facilitated by the adults, for children to confidently explore and learn through play.

One of the best parts of my job is visiting early learning programs around the country and joining the fun, not as a special guest, but as a participant. I love walking into a setting to find educators absorbed in their work, guiding young children as they embrace the joy of curiosity, exploration, and creativity. In the program above, the children described to me the “soup” they were making and what else they were going to add before they were done.

Whether they are sitting on the floor constructing with blocks, dressing up in costumes and making up stories in the pretend play area, or simply asking questions to nurture children’s inquisitive nature, I appreciate those educators who might have a lesson planned for the day but who know that sometimes the best learning happens when you nurture children’s natural curiosities and have the flexibility to follow along and support their interests.

Educators understand the balance between observing and documenting a child’s progress toward important learning goals and remaining focused in the moment, facilitating learning, helping children resolve issues when things are hard, but resisting the urge to do it for them. That’s because joyful learning and teaching is not about everything being happy and fun every moment. It’s about engaging in activities that really interest children—activities where they and the adults who guide them never stop learning, thinking, wondering, and building. It’s about finding the joy in teaching and learning and, when finding it proves difficult, creating it.

At NAEYC, it’s our honor to learn with you, to listen to your concerns and gather your best ideas, and to advocate for you and for the children and families you serve. Thank you for all you do to build our future.

Michelle Kang
NAEYC CEO

Photographs: courtesy of VTAEYC
Copyright © 2025 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.