Eric Unrau graduated in 1990 with an associate’s degree in early childhood education—the first man to complete the program at Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“I had always kind of struggled in school, but finding something that I had a passion for made all the difference,” he recalls. “I graduated with distinction. The next summer, I applied for a group supervisor position at the college’s child development center, and I spent the next 25 years working there with 4-year-olds, their families, and the college students in the child development program.”

Today, Eric is a lecturer and the lead teacher at the Ruth Staples Child Development Lab at the University of Nebraska. In 2023, he received the Sally Wysong Award for excellence in early childhood education from the Lincoln chapter of the Nebraska Association for the Education of Young Children. Here, he shares observations from 35-plus years in the field.

You’ve spent more than three decades as an early childhood educator. What are the biggest changes you’ve observed?

When I started, everything was thematic based. We planned around set themes and holidays. Today, we’re letting children take the lead. I love that switch. We coach our teacher candidates about this type of planning. A lot of them are going to go on to teach in public schools, and this is a real paradigm shift.

The evidence is clear about the benefits of balancing child- and teacher-directed experiences. But what does this look like in practice?

Our student teachers spend five hours every day at the Child Development Lab. At the beginning of the semester, they each get an iPad to use to observe what children are interested in. They bring their observations into our weekly planning meetings, where each student teacher and each lead teacher share two observations they made about the children from the past week. Using this information, we do curriculum webbing to see what interests the children share. These common interests are used to plan their weekly activities.

We also plan with the children. We have a floor book that we use with them to document what they see and say. We collaborate with them, and that’s how we plan for the next week. For example, when we visited Harden Hall’s prairie grass area, we knew that a professor had brought in four cows to “mow” the grass. Before we went, we talked with the children about what they might see and prepared ourselves for any questions they might ask. After our visit, we recorded the children’s comments, questions, and areas of interest in our floor book.

Families are part of this planning and learning too. Our teacher candidates do home visits, and families do a self-assessment of their children when they start in the program. We use that information to set learning goals for each child. The more we can engage families, the better. We’re in this together.

You’re a proponent of outdoor education. How do you incorporate that at the Ruth Staples Child Development Lab?

We spend as much time as possible outdoors. In the late spring, summer, and early fall, families drop off their children in our outdoor classroom. This includes a garden area, climbing structures, a mud kitchen, and a climbing wall. We’re on a college campus, so we use all of the walkways to explore the children’s learning environment. We typically eat outdoors. Nap time is sometimes outdoors. We call this place-based learning experience. I’ve had a chance to present at conferences on it, including with Dr. Michelle Rupiper at the 2016 NAEYC Annual Conference.

Is there a particular activity that you love doing with children?

Woodworking! I started doing this with young children early in my career. There is something about working with tools that is very satisfying for children. I think the fascination comes from being offered something to use that is usually a “don’t touch” for them. Woodworking is safe for children when we’ve taught them how use these materials safely. Anything that a child has an interest in, let’s find a way to let them use it without saying no.

You were the first male graduate of Southeast Community College’s Early Childhood Education Program. Are there specific challenges associated with being a man in early childhood education?

First let me say that I would never have lived this dream without all the amazing women who work with our youngest children and who have welcomed me throughout my career. But supporting my family financially has always been a challenge. This isn’t just for men, but for anyone who works with young children.

Compensation is an issue NAEYC continues to address. Has pay affected your professional arc?

People who work with children don’t do this for the money. We need early childhood educators to be adequately compensated. But I wouldn’t trade this work for anything. When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. By my late 20s, I was wondering what I was going to do for a “real” job when I came across an opening at a child care center. I’d always loved being around younger children and their families. I applied for the position, and the first step was to fill out a questionnaire. I had no idea how to answer any of the questions! The next day, I went to Southeast Community College and enrolled in its child development program. At the end of my second semester, I started working at the college’s onsite center. I knew this was what I wanted to do.

What’s next for you?

I’m in the winter of my career. The children mistakenly call me Dad, but more and more—it’s Grandpa. That might just be the highest of compliments!

Photographs: courtesy of Eric Unrau
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