The Everything ECE Podcast

Do you know how to differentiate learning in your classroom? Do you know how to do it without constantly having to change the activities? Or do it without burnout? Tiffini Jacobs @thealignedteachernetwork has some awesome ideas! Check out episode #67 of The Everything ECE Podcast to feel inspired! From shelf activities to following the children's interests, there are definitely some great takeaway...

If you're waiting for a sign for why you should start your own podcast, this is it! In fact, here are 5 signs for you, all neatly wrapped into one podcast. If you want to make an impact, position yourself as an authority figure in your field or want to reach a bigger audience, listen to today's episode. It is exactly the sign you've been waiting for. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/66 How to Work wi...

Working in Early Childhood Education is tough, but a good team can make all the difference and often, a good team, means a good, strong leader who supports their team. Joanne Chesterfield talks to us about team building and some of the amazing things she has done with her team to keep motivations high and leadership strong. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/65 How to Work with Carla

Join host, Carla Ward, and guest,  Cathy Turalinski as she brings her decades of knowledge to The Everything ECE Podcast and walks us through the 6 Steps to Conflict Resolution. Download your 6 Steps to Conflict Resolution here .  Show Notes: elfoundations.com/64 How to Work with Carla

In this episode, we touch on some of the obvious skills that come from playdough. Carla provides tips on how to ensure you always have fresh playdough in your classroom and also gives you some tools to help parents understand why playdough is more important than having their child write their letters over and over again on a worksheet. She also shares her favourite playdough prop to have in the cl...

Miska Sibert joins Carla Ward on the podcast to talk about the importance of celebrating autistic ability. She also discusses what it's like being the sibling of an autistic person and how she needed to shift her thinking. She realized that it was about doing things with her brother, not for him and how it changed their relationship for the better! Show Notes: elfoundations.com/62 How to Work with...

This episode takes what we know about loose parts to the next level! Whether you're an experienced ECE or new to the field, you are guaranteed to walk away with something new in your wheelhouse! Veronica Green breaks down all things Loose Parts including: what are loose parts how to start your mindset reflection sensory how you plan for holistic learning experiences so much more! Show Notes: elfou...

Before we ask a child what they’re doing, what if we paused and listened. Just listened. Maybe instead of interrupting play to serve our curiosity, we listen to what a child is saying to themselves or their peers. How much deeper could that child's play be if we stayed a quiet observer? Join Carla as she discusses why we need to get out of children's way and let them play!  Show Notes: elfoundatio...

Jane Pilskalnietis shares so much wisdom on WHY we need to get comfortable with getting messy! Did you know dirt helps us age better, releases serotonin AND helps with gut health?! Those are just a fraction of the benefits Jane shares. She also dives deep into what we can offer in our outdoor environment to give children autonomy in their play. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/59 How to Work with Car...

In this interview, we uncover the greatness of strong-willed children, the challenges of being their educator or parent and how we can take a positive approach in a conflict to ensure that the child feels seen and heard without getting into a power struggle. Taking a positive teaching approach supports the fundamental principles of How Does Learning Happen: Belonging, Well-Being, Engagement and Ex...

There is sometimes a stigma that comes with being a supply teacher and sometimes educators are faced with not being set up for success. This episode's podcast guests are breaking the stigma of supply teaching! MeLor is an elite staffing agency in Toronto, Canada supporting child care centres and breaking through the supply teacher stigma! Find out how they set their staff up for success before the...

If you are toying with the idea of becoming a centre supervisor then this is the episode for you! Today's podcast guest is Stephanie-Rachel Gomes of Play to Grow (@playtogrow) who talks all about how she transitioned from being a classroom teacher to a supervisor during a pandemic. She shares some awesome tips that can help anyone wanting to move into the supervisor role! Becoming a supervisor can...

We want to believe that play is everywhere in every program with children but that is just not the reality! Today's podcast guest is Kathleen Gomes and she joins Carla Ward to talk about bringing play into full-day kindergarten (FDK). She has some great tips on how to start small in to make a big impact! Show Notes: elfoundations.com/55 How to Work with Carla

Science needs to take more of a front and centre seat in the Early Childhood Classroom. When children play, they are experimenting all the time. “What happens if we balance this block here?”, "What happens when we put the ball at the top and it rolls down?" Now it’s time for us to support our little scientists with even more hands-on experiments to explore without teacher intervention. Sometimes i...

This episode is packed with everything you need to know to create a sense of belonging and inclusivity within your classroom. Carla interviews Dr. JaNay Brown-Wood whose education and experience have led her to be an award-winning children’s author, poet, educator, and scholar. They dive into celebrating diversity and the importance of reflection in one's program.  Show Notes: elfoundations.com/53...

Following children's interests has a huge impact on the person a child becomes. As an ECE you have to decide what role you want to play in a child's life. Do you want to spew out facts or help foster creativity and imagination? Do you want to help them develop their voice and give them confidence? Inquiry-based teaching supports a child's development, fosters their creativty and imagination. It he...

Being a classroom educator is hard. Being a classroom educator without support is even harder! Join Carla as she talks with Adva Hannan about 3 steps to take to confidently step into the classroom. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/51 How to Work with Carla

Can you think of 101 reasons to love being an Early Childhood Educator? Jiji Talmas did and she wrote a book about it! Join Carla and Jiji on The Everything ECE Podcast as they talk about how awesome being an ECE is and how to keep going on those tough days! Show Notes: elfoundations.com/50 How to Work with Carla

In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla has Angelique Davies and Mary Rella from Mothercraft College talk about building resilience and trauma-informed practices in Early Childhood settings. As well, they talk about a new program to support Early Childhood Educators working with infants, toddlers and young children in various early learning environments to increase their confidence an...

Transitioning toddlers into a child care program for the first time can be a challenge for everyone; the child, the parents/ guardians and even the educator. My guest on today's episode, Jessica Halal, walks us through some incredible steps we can take as educators, to help support children and their families in the transition to ensure a strong, positive start! Show Notes: elfoundations.com/48 Ho...

Think about a time as an adult when you were upset and someone told you to relax or calm down. Did it help? I would bet, probably not.  So why do we expect that'll it will help children. So often we will say to a child, "You're ok" when clearly they are not. I know from experience, that saying this came from a place of wanting to reassure the child that they are in a safe space but really what we...

In this episode, Carla invites her husband onto the podcast to talk about what it's like to be married to an Early Childhood Educator. You get a little bit of insight into their marriage and Jeff's perspective on what Early Childhood Educators do. Show Notes: elfoundations.com/46 How to Work with Carla

Food bonds people together! Whether it's with your students in a child care setting or enjoying a meal as a team, food is key! Eating together creates a culture of belonging, ownership and collaboration. In episode 45, Carla dives into the benefits of eating with the students in your program and why having food at a staff meeting will make your team stronger! Show Notes: elfoundations.com/45 How t...

Behaviour is a form of communication but sometimes it is really hard to determine what is trying to be communicated. This is especially true in the field of Early Childhood Education when children are trying to communicate through their behaviours. Enter the ABC of behaviour chart. This chart is a wonderful tool to help you observe the ABCs (the Antecedent, Behaviour and Consequence) to look for p...

Boredom can be a good thing for a child's development! Hear Carla out on The Everything ECE Podcast where she makes a case for boredom and why we need to stop trying to keep children entertained and instead give them opportunities to entertain themselves.  Show Notes: elfoundations.com/43 How to Work with Carla