The Powerful Pedagogy

Nicola is a progressive early childhood educator with over 20 years experience in cultivating impactful and effective learning spaces for young students. Her passion and expertise is an ability to balance play and rigor while integrating the arts and community to create a holistic, child-centered environment that fosters multiple intelligences, socio-emotional growth, character and a love of learn...

Jane Racoosin has worked in early childhood education for over 20 years and she has witnessed how children’s learning and emotional development are impacted by an exploration-based education approach. In her own classroom, she saw that children gained confidence and creativity when curriculum was developed in collaboration between teachers and children.  She wanted to offer the same high quality e...

Dayna Abraham has become a trusted and proven leader in the parenting community. She is the founder of the popular parenting site 'Lemon Lime Adventures' which has accumulated over 41 million viewers in less than seven years.  She is also the CEO of Calm the Chaos, a seven-figure company which offers Dayna's compassionate framework to support thousands of parents worldwide. Her work...

Kisa Marx is a former academic-centered daycare provider turned heart-centered founder of her Play & Nature-based program, Kidcrew Adventures Early Childhood Community.  With over twenty years of experience working in the field of early education, she is passionate about using her voice to speak for those who cannot yet speak for themselves. She believes that childhood is sacred, play is revol...

Rae Pica is an education consultant dedicated to the development and education of the whole child. Rae has been an early childhood education consultant since 1980 and is internationally known as a speaker, online course creator, and author. Rae has written 22 books, including the text Experiences in Movement and Music (in its 5th edition), What If Everybody Understood Child Development?: Straight...

Pete Moorhouse is an early years creative consultant, researcher, author and artist educator based in the UK.  He is a trainer for Early Education and deliverers training nationally and overseas and is also an endorsed Froebel Tutor. His work in school is centered around nurturing children's creativity and his practice is inspired by Froebelian principles and practice in Reggio Emilia.  Pete...

Sherleen Bruno is a learning support specialist who works with young children with learning differences. With over fourteen years of experience in the field of education, Sherleen Bruno has served as a Special Educator to early learners from Pre-k through Second grade in public and private schools, as well as an Early Interventionist and Itinerant teacher. As a Learning Specialist, Sherleen provid...

Founder of Hip Hop Building Blocks https://hiphopbuildingblocks.com/ Born and raised in New York Eric Royo grew up in an era where Hip Hop thrived and was at the forefront of everything cool, expressive and revolutionary. He gravitated towards the music because it gave him the feeling of being free and open to express himself in whatever way he chose. The beats, the rhythms, the lyrics all called...

Dr. Diane Kashin is a registered early childhood educator in the province of Ontario. She received a Bachelor of Honors Degree from York University, an Early Childhood Education Diploma from Seneca College and a Master of Education and Doctorate Degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.  Diane has taught early childhood education at both the degree and the diploma level. Since re...

With over two decades coaching people how to retrain the brain with a healthier and happier mindset, Linda teaches adults, youth and families, the importance and value of empowerment, through culinary and nutrition education and energy healing. She is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, carries an Integrative Health Coach Certificat...

Ms. Ashley (she/her) is an early childhood expert and play advocate. She brings her 20+ years of experience as an early childhood teacher, museum curator, and performer as the Founder of Play Plan Afrikan ( playpanafrikan.org ), an early learning collective, and Nguzo Babies ( nguzobabies.com ), a children's puppet show. Ms. Ashley is also a prolific curriculum author, the popular being her K...

Sally Haughey is the CEO and Founder of Fairy Dust Teaching and Wunderled. Fairy Dust Teaching is built on the passion for the wonder and magic of early childhood, the idea that young children have the right to play, to be collaborators in learning, and to dream. After 20 years of successfully teaching in various school settings, she has committed herself to what she loves most: Empowering and Ins...

Carla Ward is an Early Childhood Educator and the founder of Early Learning Foundations, a business dedicated to education and enhancing the work of Early Childhood Educators. She has held a variety of roles in the education field for more than 17 years. Carla is a certified Wunderled educator and brings a sense of wonder and passion into every aspect of her business, from hosting The Everything E...

Napcast is a podcast co-hosted by two male educators of color working with our youngest citizens. Together, they challenge, tackle, and discuss topics at the intersection of education, race, culture, and identity. Bio: Nick Terrones (he/him) is Mexican-Native American, a descendant of the Chumash people whose traditional lands span a large part of southern California. Nick has been in the Early Ch...

Charnea Paris is an educator seeking to make dynamic change in the lives of children where it is most needed. She teaches Pre-K at a public school  in the South Bronx. One of her passions is incorporating identity work throughout the year. She believes that children need to learn about the world and the people around them early in life and that failing to teach children the truth at an early age w...

Semeka Smith-Williams is a member of the The Institute for Social and Emotional Learning (IFSEL) which empowers educators, young people, and parents to transform their schools into caring, inclusive communities.  For the past six years she served as the Director of Diversity and Equity at the Packer Collegiate Institute, a Preschool through grade 12 independent school located in Brooklyn, New York...

Suzanne Axelsson has worked with children for over 30 years in roles.  She works as a pedagogical consultant using experience and research in listening, philosophy with children and Indigenous Knowledge to guide creating democratic learning and play spaces in early childhood education. She works on the EY program at the Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University, as well as in pre...

Chloe Taylor Technology is a STEM Education consulting company based in New York City. Her company provides future-focused services for schools in STEM education and digital design to help facilitate meaningful learning experiences through the use of technology. As an entrepreneur, author and educator, her focus is to equip the next generation with the skills they will need to succeed. Chloe has c...

A native New Yorker, Yesenia started the development of Young Risers in May 2013.  Working in NYC private schools for over eight years introduced her to the Reggio Approach.  This fostered the idea of opening a school that catered this learning experience to families in her community. She holds a Masters of Science in Special Education from Concordia College and is professionally certified in Earl...

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia practice, Robin Koo has been an Art Studio Teacher for over 16 years. She served as the Program Director of Teaching Beyond the Square from 2015-2018. In 2015, when Teaching Beyond the Square hosted the Wonder of Learning Exhibit, Robin was the Chair of the Atelier Committee, which created the Natural Materials and Light & Shadow Ateliers. During her tenure as Pro...

The Blended Garden is an inspiration from nature, where flowers bring the message of inclusion and diversity to children, allowing for rich ongoing dialogue where parents and educators connect meaning to materials through nature's design. This book teaches children as they develop into 'universal beings' how to live in one another's space while accepting each other's indiv...

Barbara Burrington, a phenomenal Education Mentor, served as Interim Director of the UVM Campus Children’s School (2017 - 2020) where she had worked as Head Teacher from 1993 through 2007. She was the first Director of Community  Based Partnerships for the College of Education at the University of Vermont (2020-2021) For the previous twelve years, Barbara had served as both a principal and a super...

 Tunu Thom is the author of  “An Unexpected New Dream.” Inspired by the activism and artistry of Dr. Nina SimoneTunu establishes works that centralize around themes of motherhood, culture, futurism, sexuality, and world politics.…charged with cultivating joy, her brand of comedy is smart, hilarious and inspirational. Her work nurtures the curious, the change makers and lovers alike. She is a gradu...

Renée Dinnerstein, author of the Heinemann publication, Choice Time: How To Deepen Learning Through Inquiry And Play, has over 50 years experience working as an early childhood educator. She taught in Rome, Italy, in New York City at P.S. 321 and was teacher-director of the all-inclusion Children’s School early childhood annex. In 2001 until 2003, Ms. Dinnerstein was an early childhood staff devel...