Reimagine Childhood Early Childhood Christian Network

I’m chatting with another of our summer keynote presenters today – Shaneil Yarbrough, affectionately known as “PJ” in her circles! You are going to love her.  PJ has a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education with a minor in early childhood education from Southern Arkansas University. Her professional career spans over twenty years within the education field, with children at the heart of her work. She is intentional about striving for effectiveness, empathy, and equality for all children and her colleagues.  She is currently a training advisor with the University of Arkansas Early Care and Education Projects (ECEP).  She’s a pastor’s wife and women’s ministry leader as well!  AND she’s written three books.  Y’all, she is well qualified and she has such a sweet heart for the Lord.  
In this podcast episode, PJ and I discuss the various roles and responsibilities of early childhood educators. She shares the many hats childhood educators wear, including (but not limited to) teacher, nurse, coach, safety supervisor, creator of the environment, promoter of diversity, facilitator of learning, and enjoyer of children. Together, we emphasize the importance of valuing childhood and nurturing the development of young children's brains, relationships, and spirituality. We also hone in on the value of finding balance and relying on God's help in wearing each hat.
One of the biggest takeaways from this conversation for me is that it’s so important for us to really LOVE being with children – to laugh at their silly antics, to marvel at their unique perspective as they discover their world, to join in on the pretend adventures!  Which hat is the most difficult for you to balance?  For me, it’s probably either the Creator of Environments or the Promoter of Diversity.  I can definitely have a good attitude most days, but it’s harder for me to create an inviting physical environment that is organized but still fun.  And, if I’m really honest, promoting diversity – really learning about the culture and traditions of others requires more intentionality than I wish it did.  It’s pretty easy for me to be comfortable with myself.  It’s harder to step outside of that comfort zone and be intentional about celebrating differences and incorporating new traditions.  What about you?  Which of these hats is almost always on – it just comes naturally to you?  And which one do you have to really be intentional about putting on?  We’d love to hear about it.  Send us an email at hello@earlychildhoodchristiannetwork.com or connect with us on social media!  We’d love to hear from you.
 
You can find PJ on her website at https://www.shaneilpjyarbrough.com/ 
As always, we would love to connect with you on Instagram and on Facebook

Our guest today is Stacy Benge.  If you’ve attended any of our summer conferences over the last few years, you’ve probably heard from Stacy! She is an early childhood speaker who approaches learning in the early years with practicality and common sense. Standing firm on the truth that children learn best through simple, authentic experiences, Stacy advocates for child-led play to build solid foundations for child development. In addition to a Master of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies, Stacy spent a decade teaching children ages birth to five and has spent the last two decades sharing her passion for child development with fellow early learning professionals with enlightening and informative presentations, and is the author of "The Whole Child Alphabet." We dive deep into the topic of school readiness versus child development.
Stacy and I start the conversation by discussing the importance of prioritizing child development and child-led play over school readiness and academic instruction. Stacy shares an emphasis on the need to focus on the foundations of literacy and other developmental skills before introducing formal instruction. She also shares with us her thoughts on the myth of pre-packaged curriculums and the importance of designing curricula around the interests and needs of individual children. Together, we highlight the significance of respecting and valuing children's play as a crucial aspect of their learning and development.
I just love Stacy’s passion and advocacy for whole-child-development. She really wants what’s best for children to be the top priority in our decision-making and in our daily practice in the classroom. I’m so excited for y’all to meet her in person at our summer state conferences this year.  She’ll be one of our Thursday keynote speakers! Stacy regularly shares helpful information about child development and best practices for the whole child. What I love about today’s conversation with Stacy is the regular reminder that children are learning All. The. Time.  Not just when they’re being “instructed.”  It’s wild to think about that – every single experience a child has is forming them into who they will eventually be. Trying to force them to learn to read or write before they are developmentally ready will actually slow down their academic progress later on and could lead to lifelong frustration with literacy. It’s mind-blowing to think about all the development that needs to happen before a child can successfully read and write.  My challenge to you is that you take a moment and just slow down…what are the children learning in your classroom right now?  How does that link to literacy?  I BET you can name 10 ways after today’s conversation!  
 
You can connect with Stacy via her Instagram or her website
Stacy also has a course in our Learning Library! 
As always, we would love to connect with you on Instagram and on Facebook
 

Today I’m chatting with Dr. Mimi Larson, Executive Director of the Center for Faith and Children and Assistant Professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Mimi, a scholar-practitioner and advocate for children's spirituality, brings over 25 years of experience in ministry and curriculum development. She focuses on children's faith formation, in particular, how young children make meaning of their faith. Most recently, she has been exploring children's engagement in sacred play in worship environments. She holds advanced degrees from Wheaton Graduate School, Covenant Theological Seminary, and Concordia University. What I really love about Mimi is her desire to equip everyone who spends time with young children – whether a parent, a Sunday morning volunteer or an early educator - she wants everyone to understand and value the importance of bringing the spiritual into our everyday.
In this episode, we discuss how physical spaces impact learning and spiritual development in young children. Mimi gives us a wonderful insight into the importance of both the physical environment, such as furniture and toys, and the overall atmosphere and relationships within the space. We explore what it looks like for educators to create a welcoming and safe environment that is child-centered and conducive to learning and the importance of integrating spiritual elements into the classroom, such as prayers, blessings, and discussions about God's creation. Together, we offer advice for schools that share space with Sunday school and emphasize the importance of teamwork and communication. Children are valuable in society and we need to prioritize and value them in our actions, not just in our words!
I just love listening to Dr. Larson’s calming and peaceful voice. She has such a heart for children and forming faith within them.  I especially loved her practical tips for being intentional in considering a child’s perspective when we’re setting up classroom spaces. Sit on the floor and look around; get on your knees and look around. This is what children see. Is it helpful for their learning? Is it inviting and welcoming? Is it appropriate? In case you sped through the promo, I want you to know that Mimi will be one of our keynote speakers this summer at our state conference in Austin and Dallas. I really hope you’ll join us at one of those locations as she talks about the 8 ways we can nurture young children’s faith. 
When was the last time you sat down on the floor in your classroom?  What did you see? Send us an email at hello@earlychildhoodchristiannetwork.com
 
As always, we would love to connect with you on Instagram and on Facebook

Today’s guest is Sarah Scrivens. Sarah has over 15 years of diverse experience in the education field. She has served as an early childhood consultant, preschool director, and classroom teacher. For the past several years, Sarah has provided educators across the nation with professional development and instructional coaching through Building Brains. Sarah is passionate about spreading the importance of early childhood education.  She’s also mommy to 2 littles – ages 1 and 3 - so she is in the trenches with young children on the daily!
In this episode, we discuss the many benefits and uses of play-dough in early childhood education! Playdough is a versatile tool that can be used for various age groups and across different subjects. Sarah shares with us the importance of oral language development and how playdough can be used to encourage conversation and build brain connections. We also provide ideas on playdough for fine motor skill development, social-emotional skills, math, literacy, and science. Today Sarah provides tips and ideas for incorporating playdough into different activities and themes, as well as the importance of environmental print and labeling in the classroom. Together, we find just how important it is for educators and parents to engage with children through the creativity of playdough.
Sarah mentions several resources that we have linked below for you, and we’ve created a fun one-page PDF with the playdough recipe and lots of ideas for add-ins or tools to use in your classroom! How many ways can you think of to use playdough to reinforce a story you’re reading to your class this week? I hope you’re inspired to try something new!
 
Connect with Sarah via her website or social media! 
 
As always, we would love to connect with you on Instagram HERE, and on Facebook HERE.
 
Episode Resources: 
Playdough Recipes and tools download
Plastic Cutting Mats
30 Million Words: Building a Child's Brain
CLI Infant-Toddler Classroom Environment Checklist
Texas PreK Guidelines
 

Patty Shukla is an award winning American singer, songwriter, musician, author, and keynote speaker.  She specializes in music tailored to early childhood curriculum. Her expertise stems from her pioneering work in educational and interactive music videos on YouTube since 2009, captivating millions worldwide on her youtube channel. Patty is part of the worship team at her church and spent years leading children’s choirs!
When she's not performing or composing, Patty travels extensively, sharing insights as a keynote speaker at educational workshops, both nationally and internationally. 
We think you’ll hear her excitement for integrating learning into every song she produces. Monica even got to participate LIVE in a song called “Wiggle It”.  
Patty shares her personal story of how music helped her non-verbal son develop language skills and excel academically. She emphasizes the importance of incorporating movement into music to engage children and enhance learning. Patty also discusses the benefits of using music in special needs classrooms and the value of parent engagement through music resources. She encourages teachers to create playlists of educational songs on platforms like YouTube to share with parents. The episode concludes with a discussion on the power of traditional childhood games and the importance of reintroducing them in early childhood classrooms.
Patty is passionate about using the power of music and movement to help young children learn skills across all learning domains. We loved that she reminded us about using music to build an inclusive environment with the children who might have some different abilities.  We know music is a powerful tool in our classrooms.  We hope this episode challenged you to be a little bit more intentional in which music you choose.  
 
Patty has LOTS of resources on her website including CDs and DVDs, she has a Youtube channel with TONS of built in playlists and it’s all easily searchable.  She even has an App if you’re looking for a totally ad-free way to access her content on an apple device.  We’ve linked everything in the show notes for you.  And you might want to check out our newsletter and our blog this week as Monica shares even more information about the benefits of music in your classroom. Find all of our recent blog articles at  Earlychildhoodchristiannetwork.com/blog/ 
 
Patty’s Resources:
Website - https://pattysprimarysongs.com/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@pattyshukla
CDs/DVDs - https://pattysprimarysongs.com/shop/
App (Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, and Apple App Store) - https://pattysprimarysongs.com/apps/
 

 Today, I get to have a conversation with Sharon Burnett.  Sharon is a publisher and co-founder of two early childhood companies, most currently – CELEBRATE Successful Early Learning. The company creates supplemental big books, little books, music, and digital e-Stories based on a foundation of FUN and SUCCESS for our youngest learners. You might recognize the “Sing and Read” books like “Apple Annie”, “Benjamin Bunny” from years past! Sharon works with educators in the areas of Infant, Toddler, Threes, Pre-K, and Kindergarten within school districts, Head Start agencies, and Child Care organizations both nationally and internationally. Her knowledge and expertise in early childhood provide a cornerstone in the foundational years to enhance best practices for our youngest children.
In this podcast episode, Sharon Burnett discusses the current state of early learning classrooms, highlighting the stress, anxiety, and extreme behaviors that both children and adults are experiencing. She attributes these issues to the changing world and society, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Burnett emphasizes the importance of reconnecting, communicating, and creating enjoyable learning environments. She also discusses the significance of music in early learning, citing research that shows its positive effects on reducing anxiety, increasing vocabulary, and promoting fluency and language development. She goes on to encourage educators to incorporate more music into their classrooms and to recognize the value of fun and joy in early childhood education. 
Where are you using music to make your day more FUN? I really hope it’s not just relegated to your music class, but that you are using fun songs – either recorded or just made up on your own to bring joy, laughter, and connection to your classroom. SO much research tells us that music is good for the brain and for the soul. If you read our newsletter or follow us on social media, you’ll often here me saying that it’s time to add in another “dance party” to your day!  Truly, music, movement and laughter change the atmosphere of every environment. Don’t skimp on it!  See you next time! 
 
You can find Sharon’s website HERE and follow Celebrate Successful Early Learning on social media HERE 
As always, we would love to connect with you on Instagram HERE and on Facebook HERE.