Early Childhood Chats

What happens after you survive the unthinkable? In this powerful episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak sits down with Lacey Newman, a survivor of the October 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting, to hear her firsthand story of survival, recovery, resilience, and preparedness. Lacey recounts the moments when gunfire erupted at the music festival, the realization that she had been shot, and the action...

Where will the next generation of early childhood educators come from — and what will it take to prepare them for the realities of today's classrooms? In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak sits down with Carol Williamson, Professor and Director of the Early Childhood Education Program at Carroll Community College, to explore the future of the early childhood education workforce...

Monica Rollins from Rooted: A Wellness Collective joins Andy Roszak to talk about what actually changes in an early childhood classroom when you introduce yoga and mindfulness, what nervous system literacy means for educators, a live breathwork demonstration you can try with your class tomorrow, and the new kids yoga teacher certification she just launched specifically for preschool teachers. In t...

In this special edition of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak sits down with Yvette Sanchez Fuentes, SVP Government Relations and Research at Start Early and former Director of the Office of Head Start, to break down major proposed changes to the Head Start program — and what they could mean for children, families, educators, and programs across the country. The proposed rulemaking could eliminate...

Big changes could be coming to Head Start and federal early childhood education policy, but what is actually changing, what is still only proposed, and what can Head Start programs, educators, parents, and advocates do about it? In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy welcomes Whitney Pesek, Senior Director of Federal Child Care Policy at the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), for an impor...

Potty training is one of those milestones that sounds simple until you are in the middle of it. Parents get conflicting advice. Teachers get put on the spot. Children get confused. And somehow, a process that every human being eventually masters has become one of the most stressful chapters of early childhood for everyone involved. In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak sits down wi...

How do premature birth, toxic stress, environmental health, and childhood experiences shape lifelong development? In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak sits down with pediatric and neonatal nurse practitioner Dr. Michelle Kelly of Villanova University and the Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment to discuss the hidden influences affecting children's...

Emergency medicine physician and climate health researcher Dr. Tess Wiskel of Harvard Medical School joins Andy Roszak to talk about what extreme weather actually means for early childhood programs. They cover why young children are uniquely vulnerable, how rising heat affects classrooms and outdoor play, what frontline clinic research tells us about preparedness gaps, the resources available to b...

How can early childhood educators prevent burnout and rediscover the joy of teaching? In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak sits down with Dr. Marisa Macy (University of Wyoming) and Amy Reyes-Hauff (Wyoming Department of Education) to explore practical ways educators can reconnect with purpose, improve classroom culture, and build sustainable careers in early childhood educat...

Ryan Miller, Senior Director of Program for Young Athletes and Elementary at Special Olympics New York, joins Andy Roszak to talk about what Special Olympics is actually doing in early childhood settings — and why it is almost nothing like what most people assume. They cover the Young Athletes and Junior Athletes curricula, how programs serving children with disabilities can check compliance boxes...

In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak sits down with Drew Vernon from Tonies to talk about a product that has become a staple in his own household and is making waves in early childhood classrooms across the country. Tonies is a screen-free audio system designed for young children, featuring a soft, portable speaker box and magnetic character figures that trigger stories, song...

In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak talks with Kevin Wright from Watch Me Grow about a topic that generates a lot of opinions and not enough informed conversation: cameras in childcare settings. Watch Me Grow is a video platform built exclusively for the early childhood education industry, offering commercial-grade camera integration, secure parent viewing, long-term footage...

In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, we tackle one of the most urgent challenges in early education today: the growing gap in mental health support for young children. Host Andy Rozak sits down with Dr. Neal Horen and Shai Idelson from the Thrive Center at Georgetown University to discuss rising behavioral challenges in classrooms, increasing preschool expulsion rates, and why early childhood...

Every state in the country is watching New Mexico right now. In November 2025, New Mexico lifted its income eligibility cap for child care assistance, making quality child care available to any family with a child from birth through age twelve whose parents are working or in school. In a matter of months, the number of children served grew from 32,000 to 48,000 — and the state is already exceeding...

Most early childhood educators know handwriting matters. Fewer realize how much is lost when it disappears from the classroom. Research from Indiana University and the University of Washington has consistently shown that children who practice handwriting show stronger neurological activation in regions tied to reading and language development than children who rely on keyboards. Yet across the cou...

Running a childcare center isn’t easy. From staffing shortages to parent communication, burnout is real. In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, we dive into the biggest challenges facing early childhood leaders in 2026 and how technology can help simplify operations, improve communication, and support your team.➡️ Get a 14-day free trial to Famly here: https://bit.ly/AndyRoszakJoin host Andy Ro...

Empowering Kids: Why Children Can Become Entrepreneurs Today | Early Childhood ChatsAre kids ready to lead and start businesses? According to educator and entrepreneur Leah Ellis, the answer is yes — and they’re ready right now. In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak sits down with Leah Ellis, founder of the Society of Child Entrepreneurs, to discuss how teaching entrepreneursh...

Fatherhood matters more than ever. In this powerful episode of the Early Childhood Chats Podcast, host Andy Roszak sits down with Lamar Henderson Jr. - founder of the Fatherhood Legacy Project and one of the nation’s leading voices in father engagement - to explore how we can transform fatherhood in early childhood education. From boot camps for new dads to hands-on STEM activities in Head Start p...

Burnout and turnover continue to challenge early childhood education programs nationwide — but what if the solution isn’t another checklist or one-time training? In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak welcomes the LUME Institute team — Meghan Whitworth, Roxeanna Steiner, Jason Mercer, and Amber Buchheit — to unpack the “inside work” that supports educators from the inside out. LUME...

Stress is one of the biggest drivers of burnout, turnover, and dissatisfaction in early childhood education — and it affects not only educators, but children and families as well. In this episode of Early Childhood Chats , Andy Roszak is joined by Raelene Ostberg , founder of Thriving Together and a nationally recognized expert in educator wellness, toddler behavior, and resilience. Raelene shares...

Artificial intelligence is already shaping our classrooms, homes, and society... but how do we prepare children for an AI-driven future without losing what makes us human? In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak sits down with Jeffrey Riley, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and Executive Director of Day of AI, a nonprofit born out of MIT.To...

In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, Andy Roszak is joined by Kama Einhorn with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, to discuss how they are helping children, families, and educators build resilience, emotional well-being, and emergency preparedness. Learn how trusted Sesame Street characters are being used to support trauma-informed care, social-emotional learnin...

In this episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak sits down with Gerard Visco, Director of Professional Development at a Head Start agency in New Jersey, to explore what high-quality early childhood education really looks like. Together, they dive into: ✏️ Why picture books and read-alouds are one of the most powerful tools in early learning✏️ How to make early math meaningful, playful, a...

What happens when you combine 50+ years of early childhood education experience with honest conversations about policy, workforce challenges, and advocacy? In this powerful episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Rozak sits down with Dr. Robert Gundling, a nationally respected early childhood leader, former president of DC AEYC, Head Start advocate, and founder of Sense of Wonder. Dr. Gundling...

In this powerful episode of Early Childhood Chats, host Andy Roszak sits down with national expert Alan Guttman to unpack one of the most important—and often misunderstood—topics in early childhood education: mandatory reporting requirements. Whether you're a preschool teacher, childcare provider, administrator, Head Start professional, or early learning advocate, this conversation shines ligh...