The Everything ECE Podcast

Every now and then, as a podcaster, you have a guest that you connect with and you have a plan for one topic but land up completely talking about something else! This happened when Kayla Papalia joined The Everything ECE Podcast this week and it was glorious. They were supposed to be discussing toys in the classroom but ended up recording a very raw conversation all about early childhood education...

Play is so incredibly powerful, so many of us already know this. We also know the importance of literacy. Many educators can agree that one can be done with the other. Breanna Churchill, the founder of The Brown Bear Book Club and joins The Everything ECE Podcast this week to chat all about how to playfully teach the alphabet to children, no flash cards needed. Links Show Notes: elfoundations.com/...

Have you ever considered running a home child business? Or maybe you’re already running one? Today’s podcast guest has been running her home child care for 13 years and she absolutely loves it! Early Childhood Educator, Shirley Rempel joins The Everything ECE Podcast and shares all about how she got started, what she loves about running a home child care business, how she is finding work/ life bal...

Everybody picks their nose! Not convinced? Give today's podcast episode a listen and see if it can change your mind! It sounds like a gross and controversial topic but letting children pick their noses goes well beyond the finger up the nose. Join Carla Ward and Kristen Peterson where they deep dive (ha!) into nose picking and why educators should let it go.  Show Notes: elfoundations.com/89 How t...

Have you ever worked somewhere where you feel you spend more time at work than at home? Many educators are guilty of this because there is always something to do. On today’s podcast, Adva Hannan, talks about protecting your time and energy. It is important that you have a balance between work and home and not staying at work until all hours. Adva can help you protect your time and energy! Show Not...

So often, when people think about risky play, they think about physical risk. In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Laura Hansen presents the concept of social-emotional risky play in early childhood education. Children need to be emotionally ready to take risks before they physically take that risk. In addition, educators also need to be emotionally ready to support children’s risky play...

There are many ways to observe a child in Early Childhood Education. In today's podcast, listeners will learn five observation methods they can use from a social science perspective. Observations help educators get to know their students, help with program planning and help document changes in behaviours.

Things need to change in Early Childhood Education and soon! Are you ready to get loud(er)? Are you ready to be heard? Are you ready to start a revolution? Well, on today’s episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, the amazing Rae Pica is ready to guide you on how! Rae has launched her book, Spark an ECE Revolution and she shares some golden nuggets in the episode on why and how we need to get starte...

Mark-making is the creation of different lines, dots, patterns, textures and shapes. It is the first step in a child's development toward learning to write. In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, host, Carla Ward, takes you through the benefits of mark-making, why we can't skip it and go straight to writing letters and how to support mark-making in the classroom. This episode is sponsored...

Veronica Green joins Carla on The Everything ECE Podcast to discuss going beyond documentation apps in child care. They discuss the intent and the intended audience behind documentation and ways to use documentation in an authentic way and not just something to check off a to-do list.

Do you belong at your child care centre? Do you feel a sense of belonging in your place of work? Hopefully, you just answered yes but more often than not, that is not the case for all ECEs. This episode is about building a sense of belonging within your team and why it is so important! Adults need to feel a sense of belonging to thrive!

This episode is one with many twists and turns. Carla had the pleasure of speaking with Lynette Arthur. They discussed the many things surrounding the wonder of children and the AHA moments that so often come up while teaching and why it’s important to lean in and let them be who they’re going to be. One minute the conversation is about magic and the next, it’s about the funeral and resurrection o...

Inviting children to play does not mean inviting them to what you, the educator, thinks will be fun. It’s about meeting the needs of the individual child. There needs to be a purpose and intent behind everything we do in Early Childhood Education. Our why. Today’s podcast guest, Julie Hansen, owner of Inspired ECE, shares amazing strategies on how to bring inquiry-based learning and play invitatio...

Rachelle Gibbs, an RECE, professional coach and meditation teacher, joins The Everything ECE Podcast to discuss mindfulness and why we need to embrace it not only in our daily lives but the lives of our students. She takes us through a step-by-step process on how to be present while brushing our teeth and let me tell you...it's beyond what you expect! Rachelle shares many ways to bring mindfulness...

As educators who teach children, it is important for us to also be researchers and keep ourselves connected with learning. That means reading books and blogs and listening to podcasts; finding ways to absorb new information. In this episode, Carla shares 5 resource books that have made an impact on her teaching and will hopefully make an impact on you too! Show Notes: elfoundations.com/78 How to W...

Does your childcare program have children with allergies attending? Are you attracting new families with children who have allergies? If not, ask yourself why? Is your centre allergy-conscious? Do families feel that you and your team are aware of and understand allergies? Today's episode with Corinna Meckelborg talks about how we can be allergy conscious and more inclusive for children with allerg...

This episode talks about building intrinsic motivation in children in Early Childhood Education to help them become individuals with the inner drive that propels them to pursue an activity without an external reward because the action itself is enjoyable. There are so many benefits to being intrinsically motivated and if we can support children on that journey, we are giving them the gift of a lif...

How a child feels when they enter a child care program sets the course for their sense of belonging, engagement, expression and well-being. Having a welcome tradition sends a message that today is a new day and that they are welcome. A welcome tradition is predictable so a child feels a sense of purpose upon arriving at your program and knows what the first thing is that they do. Join Carla Ward i...

Monica Maddison joins The Everything ECE Podcast in this episode to teach us all about supporting neurodiverse children. Monica talks about pedagogical intent, pre-requisite skills needed for success and how to support children through our environments. This is a fantastic interview that really gets you self-reflecting on your practice as an Early Childhood Educator. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/...

Today’s guest is the incredible Amy Porterfield; corporate girl turned entrepreneur. Amy is a digital course creator and in this episode, she will introduce you to the idea of diving into digital courses as an early childhood educator. Digital courses are a fantastic way to share your knowledge as an ECE and make money as a side hustle or even as a full-time gig. We do hope you enjoy this episode...

As you continue to set up your play-based classroom, we take a look at the types of plants to bring in and their benefits. We also talk about lighting and the effects it can have on the volume of a room. Setting up a play-based classroom sends a message to children that they are competent and capable learners. Doesn't everybody deserve to feel that way? Show Notes: elfoundations.com/72 How to Work...

The environment is one of the most important investments you can make in your program. It takes time and effort but once it's done, you have set yourself and your students up for a wonderful year filled with a sense of wonder, belonging and play! Carla Ward takes you from start to finish on setting up your classroom to receive students and be a Third Teacher. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/71 How t...

Transitions for little ones can be really challenging for a number of reasons. One thing that doesn't help, is adults barking orders and commands thinking this will make the transition happen faster. In this episode, Carla Ward talks about how to have positive and supportive transitions in early childhood education programs.  Show Notes: elfoundations.com/70 How to Work with Carla

Meet Joshua Shanthiyapillai! He is new to the education field and his energy for early childhood education is contagious! Join Carla in episode #69 of The Everything ECE Podcast where they talk about how much there is to learn from children. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/69 How to Work with Carla

Block play is one of the most overlooked but most valuable teaching tools in a classroom. I’m talking open-ended, no restrictions block play.  Blocks are open-ended and they really encourage the creativeness that children have and allows their imagination to come out in a very physical way. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/68 How to Work with Carla