333 episodes

The Preschool Podcast, brought to you by HiMama, is a platform for learning from leading professionals in early childhood education. If you work in a daycare, childcare or preschool setting, The Preschool Podcast will provide you with both practical advice for managing your organization, center or classroom, as well as thought provoking content and insights about the field of early childhood education.

Each week, we chat with leaders in early childhood education, from teachers and educators in the classroom with innovative curriculum approaches, to directors who are excelling at empowering their team, and leaders outside of the child care environment that are passionate about making a positive impact on outcomes for young children.

Our goal with The Preschool Podcast is to provide knowledge and inspiration to the future leaders of early childhood education by speaking with experienced and insightful leaders in the world of preschool and early learning today. At HiMama, it is our belief that leadership within early childhood education is crucial to the future of the childcare sector and, of course, the future of our most important asset in this world, our youngest children.

The Preschool Podcast Ron Spreeuwenberg

    • Education
    • 5.0 • 43 Ratings

The Preschool Podcast, brought to you by HiMama, is a platform for learning from leading professionals in early childhood education. If you work in a daycare, childcare or preschool setting, The Preschool Podcast will provide you with both practical advice for managing your organization, center or classroom, as well as thought provoking content and insights about the field of early childhood education.

Each week, we chat with leaders in early childhood education, from teachers and educators in the classroom with innovative curriculum approaches, to directors who are excelling at empowering their team, and leaders outside of the child care environment that are passionate about making a positive impact on outcomes for young children.

Our goal with The Preschool Podcast is to provide knowledge and inspiration to the future leaders of early childhood education by speaking with experienced and insightful leaders in the world of preschool and early learning today. At HiMama, it is our belief that leadership within early childhood education is crucial to the future of the childcare sector and, of course, the future of our most important asset in this world, our youngest children.

    Episode 3 - Burnout in Early Childhood Education

    Episode 3 - Burnout in Early Childhood Education

    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 of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress. … Burnout happens when you’re overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with life’s incessant demands.”
     
    Sound familiar?
     
    Jo and Maddie start the episode by sharing their own experiences with burnout, then consider other professions with high burnout rates and how they compare with early childhood education. From there, they discuss why burnout happens and how childcare providers can avoid it with suggestions from HiMama’s Early Childhood Education Blog and the HiMama Helps Webinar Series.
    Join the conversation and share your thoughts in Circle Time!
    Additional Resources on Burnout:
    [Blog Post] Overcoming burnout in childcare
    [Webinar] Addressing staff burnout at your childcare center
    [Webinar] How to break burnout in 2021

    • 30 min
    Episode 1 - Process vs Product

    Episode 1 - Process vs Product

    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 comes to making art with young children?
    Jo and Maddie start with a definition taken from our Circle Time Facebook Group:
    Product-focused art has a right way and a wrong way to work on the project and typically requires a specific skill and technique to reach that end goal.
    Process-focused art is when a child is given an open-ended project and they have the opportunity to express themselves through their work.
    From there, our hosts dive into their own experiences with artwork in the classroom and share their personal educational philosophies. (Spoiler: Jo and Maddie are both Team Process.) Plus, ideas for process-based projects for holidays, communicating the benefits of process art with parents, and striking a balance between giving children the freedom to explore their creativity and preparing them for kindergarten and beyond.
    Join the conversation and share your thoughts in Circle Time!

    • 32 min
    Episode 0 - Meet Jo and Maddie

    Episode 0 - Meet Jo and Maddie

    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 philosophies of education.
    This episode also includes a Lightning Round where Jo and Maddie quiz each other on such hard-hitting questions as, “Coffee or Tea?” “Infants or Toddlers?” and “Circle Time or Free Play?”
    Check it out, let us know what you think, and share your answers to our Lightning Round questions in the comments!

    • 34 min
    Revisited: Creating a Culture of Community in Your Preschool

    Revisited: Creating a Culture of Community in Your Preschool

    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 Blenheim, Ontario. Debbi discussed what has changed in early childhood education since she first started in the field. And what has made Growing Together such a successful organization, in particular, the progressive culture that encourages discussion, learning, leadership, and a sense of community.

    • 34 min
    Revisited: Focusing on play before pencils with Tania Ferrandino

    Revisited: Focusing on play before pencils with Tania Ferrandino

    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 early childhood education rather than focusing on an end goal such as children writing their names.

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

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

    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 absolute blast! While there, we caught up with our fellow educators and asked them about their outlook on the childcare industry for 2023. Today on the podcast, we are sharing their responses!

    Check out this episode to hear from previous podcast guests such as Ron Grady, Samuel Broaden, Senate Alexander, Jane Ann Benson, and more!
    Want to win a $50 gift card? Fill out our brief podcast feedback survey here!

    • 13 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
43 Ratings

43 Ratings

Ronnie Biggest ,

Value Add

What do you get when you combine the perspective of an engineer with a start up mentality and a focus on ECE... the preschool podcast!

The host asks good discovery questions that don't pander to guests and keeps it short, sweet and to the point on an array of relevant, practical matters in the space.

micehal ,

My continuing education

I love hearing a unique perspective and approach each week to improve my knowledge and techniques in early education. Always interesting and something new to be gained!

Director101 ,

So much insight!

The content is incredible. From the speakers to the topics and even the way its produced. Love everything about this. Whoever is behind this is absolutely incredible

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