Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners

How important is play to the development of a child’s brain? 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? Welcome to NAEYC’s podcast, Small Talk: Big Ideas About Little Learners, where we dive into conversations that matter now – to little learners and the big people who show up for them.

Season 1: 100 Years of Early Childhood Education

Season One Trailer Transcript

Listen to Small Talk right here or wherever you get your podcasts. Our Season 1 trailer, launching during NAEYC’s centennial year, features multiple voices from the early childhood education field – real NAEYC members who work with real children every day.

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Leading for Change: Rhian Evans Allvin and Mark Ginsberg

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.

Listen to Episode One

The Power of Play: Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

When it comes to engaging and developing a child's mind, there's nothing more powerful than play. CEO Michelle Kang sits down with the expert on play-based learning, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.

Listen to Episode Two

Pay Equity: Berna Artis and Owen Schochet

It was a first-in-the-nation experiment to establish a Pay Equity Fund, using local tax dollars to boost the income of early childhood educators in Washington, DC, to equal the pay scale of K-12 public school teachers. And it worked. The supply of early educators rose, teacher burnout subsided, and programs opened more daycare and preschool slots for families. But what happens when the money runs out? NAEYC’s Policy & Advocacy lead, Daniel Hains, talks with DCAEYC Executive Director Berna Artis and Mathematica Senior Researcher Owen Schochet about the fund’s success and what its fate signals about efforts around the country to improve pay and benefits for ECE professionals.

Listen to Episode Three

Between Power and People: Jerlean Daniel and Rahshita Lowe-Watson

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.

Listen to Episode Four