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 learning.

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 early learning experience to all children across the five boroughs regardless of cost. In 2013, she started Teaching Beyond the Square to fulfill this vision and to elevate early childhood education’s importance in a public way. She has attended workshops at Reggio-inspired schools in the United States and been to Reggio Emilia, Italy to visit their early childhood programs and study their philosophy. She has presented at the 92nd Street Y, Kean University, and The European Early Childhood Research Conference in Birmingham, England. 

Jane has been an adjunct lecturer in the department of Early Childhood Education at Hunter College, received a BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont, a Masters in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Supervision and Administration from Bank Street College. Jane served on the board of ISAAGNY from 2020-2022.

Link:

https://www.teachingbeyondthesquare.org/

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 Kwanzaa 365 curriculum to help classrooms integrate cultural diversity. Her passion is offering support and quality resources to families with young children to restore the beauty of childhood and family pastimes.

Links:

www.nguzobabies.com

www.playpanafrikan.org 

Instagram handles:

Instagram.com/nguzo_babies

http://Instagram.com/playpanafrikan

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 Inspiring Educators! Her focus is to provide a deeper level of service and training that help educators own their true teaching self.

Sally Haughey began Wunderled™ in 2010 from a desire to share her own journey, bringing play-based education to public school settings that often left little room for imagination, curiosity and wonder. After 20 years working on the frontlines, Sally knew there was so much work to be done – so she began sharing what she had learned about how to bring play-based practices into even the most traditional learning environments.

Wunderled™ has now grown into a thriving team that supports a community of over 200,000 educators — and a worldwide movement that is changing the face of childhood education, day by day.

Links –

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FairyDustTeachingBlog

Sally's website :

 https://fairydustteaching.com/

https://wunderled.com/

Sally on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-haughey-4b902163/

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 ECE Podcast, to workshop development, to digital course creation as well as running a full-time online tutoring business. Carla loves to share actionable and inspiring ideas with fellow educators both in and out of the classroom to help support professional practices in Early Childhood Education.

Links:

Website: www.elfoundations.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elfoundations

Facebook: https://www.fracebook.com/elfoundations

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carla-ward

The Everything ECE Podcast: 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3wlXOT02I2x1MKX8jz6lMx?si=676bf714eb7e4f90

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-everything-ece-podcast/id1546511138

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 Childhood field for over 14 years, 12 of those years working directly with toddlers and families. Currently he is the program director at Daybreak Star Preschool in Seattle, Washington, an early learning program that implements an indigenous curriculum. Outside of the school setting, Nick is an active member in the World Forum Foundation on Early Care and Education’s Men in ECE leadership team. Along with his buddy Mike, he co-host a podcast called "Napcast" that looks at the intersection of race, culture, and identity in early childhood education. Be sure to check out his book, A Can of Worms: Fearless Conversations with Toddlers through Exchange Press (https://www.childcareexchange.com).

Mike Browne (he/him), has lived a multitude of lives. He has danced ballet and tap for 7 years. He played Division 1 Football. He lived in London and Spain for 4 years. He co-hosts a podcast called Napcast with his buddy Nick! All before returning home back. No, not to Seattle. He’s an east coaster. But back home to Early Childhood Education. Mike currently serves as the Sr. Director of Community Engagement for Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington, using his experience as a preschool teacher to dismantle systems of oppressions in our early learning environment. Be sure to check out his series of articles that he wrote for Exchange Magazine - "You Wanna Be What? Be Realistic: A Reflection on Black Boys Dreaming," "The Beautiful Resistance: Black Humanity and Black Boy Joy" and "Black Boyhood Just Don't Stop: A Reflection on the Necessity of Meaningful Boyhoods."

 Links:

Napcast on Apple Podcast 

Napcast on Spotify

A Can of Worms: Fearless Conversations with Toddlers

A Can of Worms - Webinar

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 will negatively affect their overall development in all aspects of life. For children to become productive citizens, teachers and families must be willing to discuss topics such as race, skin color, culture, nationality and religions at school and home. Charnea provides a guide of how to do this with her online read alouds and parent engagement. 

Links:
https://linktr.ee/classroomofparis

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. Over the last ten years, Semeka has collaborated with other school leaders and  diversity practitioners  through her work with  New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Diversity Committee. Semeka has also facilitated curriculum investigations to broaden the anti-bias and equity approach being used at various schools to be culturally responsive and focused on student experience.

Semeka received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University (Middletown, CT) in African American and American Studies and has a Masters of Science degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education, in NYC.

Links: 

https://www.instituteforsel.net/team/semeka-smith-williams-2

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 preschools with children and educators.. Suzanne has a masters in ECE and has traveled globally to hold workshops, presentations, and visit EY settings. She writes about play, listening, neurodiversity, and sustainability etc on her blog, Interaction Imagination, and curates the facebook group “The Original Learning Approach”. Her book on Original Learning, where play and learning are equally valued and interwoven will be published in 2022. Suzanne is published in books and articles in English, Swedish, Turkish, Hebrew Italian, Croatian, Romanian etc covering topics such as risky play, art, and the Reggio Emilia Approach™.

https://www.interactionimagination.com/

https://www.interactionimagination.com/blog

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 collaborated with brands including HP, BrainPOP, and Sphero Robotics to promote the importance of STEM education for youth, and to bring awareness to gender discrimination in the tech industry. In 2020, she published her first book, The Big Book of Invisible Technology, a hands-on guide for children that introduces coding, robotics, machine learning, and 3D printing, among many other topics. 

Links:
https://www.chloetaylortech.com/

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 Early Childhood Education from the NYS Department of Education.

Program Mission:

At Young Risers children's learning is best inspired through thoughtful play and exploration. We strive to provide a safe and nurturing environment based on guidance and facilitation of our children's interests. 

We implement curriculums and materials in the classroom that expand and contextualize these ideas by keeping our children engaged in activities that encourage inspirational approaches and conversations.

We follow an emergent curriculum deriving from the Reggio Approach. The Reggio Approach is an inevitable contribution to the child as a whole. The child is categorized as a respectful citizen in the community. As per Loris Malaguzi, the child holds 100 languages of learning, thinking and playing. 

Young Risers educators implement the approach by allowing the children the opportunity to play with materials and explore them in their own way. As educators, we must embrace the uniqueness of each individual child and nourish their developmental growth as a whole and within the community. We look for a common thread or theme that sparks interest in a group of children and evoke provocative areas in the classroom.

https://youngrisers.com/

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 Program Director, Robin worked closely with a variety of public schools, UPK centers, and independent early childhood school communities, coaching them as they moved towards an inquiry-based approach to teaching. 

In 2007, she helped establish the Materials Center, a resource for open-ended materials for educators and families. Robin has served as an Adjunct Instructor at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Students, teaching courses for their Childcare Management diploma program. She received her M.A. in Art & Art Education from Teachers College, and her B.A. in Visual Art & Art History from Bowdoin College.

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 has also been showcased in Huffington Post, Babble, Scary Mommy, Buzzfeed, ADDitude Magazine, and Positive Parenting Solutions. She is also the author of Superkids Activity Guide to Conquering Everyday and Sensory Processing 101.

“My name is Dayna. Despite being a National Board Certified teacher with a background in Early Childhood, I spent the first 7 years of parenting thinking I was alone and terrible at parenting. It has become my mission to never let another parent feel this way. Much like many of you, I was never told there were more than 5 sensory systems, and I was for sure never told about the effects of the sensory systems on behavior and navigating life.  I’ve dedicated my life's work to sensory processing, intense emotions and embracing kids that don't "Fit". I have made it my mission to learn as much as I possibly can, and in turn share as much information with others. My book CALM THE CHAOS: A Failproof Roadmap for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids is a revolutionary guide for parents of kids that struggle with big emotions, power struggles, or challenging behaviors.”

Links:

https://lemonlimeadventures.com/

https://calmthechaosbook.com/?utm_source=lla&utm_medium=menu

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 individuality.

Jahidah Diaab has been working with young children ranging from severely autistic, to the gifted for the past 20 years. Her teaching journey has taken her to various educational and diverse settings across the New York City area. She began her first introduction to children at the Herbert G. Birch School for the Severely Autistic. She then went on to teach story-making, theater, art, and dance at Hunter Elementary, The Dalton School, Beginnings Nursery School, and Ethical Culture Fieldston School. She joined the team of teachers at The Blue School during its developing stages working in admissions then later leading the parent/child 2's program.She is enjoying her new journey at Barrow Street Nursery School this year.

In her spare time, she found her passion as an adjunct professor at Brooklyn College while supporting the diversity and inclusion curriculum at the Brooklyn College ECC. Her role at the center was to make the children's learning visible through videography and documentation. Jahidah Diaab has a B.A. in Fine Arts and a Master's in Early Childhood Education—Birth through Second Grade from Hunter College. She enjoys writing and producing plays and short films in her spare time.

Links:

https://www.yourdailydoseofvitaminnature.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR4uVqQUnYlrqdAGuGlyXMg

https://www.amazon.com/Blended-Garden-Jahidah-Diaab-ebook/dp/B08RP8D6B6

https://www.facebook.com/hadihajdandelion/

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 superintendent in northwestern Vermont. Currently she is a professional mentor to new school administrators throughout Vermont. In December, 2021, Barbara completed a 7,000 mile journey by boat of the North American Waterways (the American Great Loop). Her reflections on inspirations from Reggio Emilia have been published in early childhood education journals and as chapters in edited volumes. Her most recent publication is:  B. Burrington & D. St. Amour, Portraiture: Self & Other. Innovations in Early Education. Roswell, GA, August 2020. Her personal blog space is at www.Betheship.com

 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 graduate of LaGuardia Highschool of Performing Arts (drama), holds a B.S. in African Centered Education and Performing Arts and an M.A. in Dance Education (NYU). She has taught and performed thought provoking, culture shifting works at venues from the New Victory Theater on Broadway to the World Famous Apollo Theater.  Internationally, she has taught, lectured and performed in Nigeria, the West Indies and the Philippines.

Links: https://tunuthom.com/

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 developer in the New York City Department of Education Division of Instructional Support, where she wrote curriculum, led study groups and summer institutes, and helped write the New York City Prekindergarten Standards. Since 2003, Ms. Dinnerstein has worked as an early childhood consultant, concentrating on introducing self-directed, inquiry-based Choice Time into classes from pre-kindergarten through second grade and helping teachers work with children to develop whole-class inquiry projects. Renee presents at conferences in the United States and Asia. In 2018, the Beijing Normal University Press published her book in Mandarin and she had a telephone discussion with educators that was listened to by over 1000 teachers in China.

Her blog, Investigating Choice Time: Inquiry, Exploration, and Play is widely read by educators and families of young children.

Links:

https://freetoplaysummit.com/

https://www.investigatingchoicetime.com

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 revolutionary, and she along with countless other early educators get the privilege of preserving both. When she is not advocating for children and play, you can find Kisa on a number of adventures with her partner, Chris, or hanging with her plants, pets, and the three adult humans they brought into the world.

Links:

Website https://kidcrewadventures.com/

Instagram https://instagram.com/kidcrewadventures?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

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 Talk About Bettering Education and her most recent book,  Children’s Lives and Spark a Revolution in Early Education: Speaking Up for Ourselves and the Children.

Rae is on a mission to ensure that children have the chance to be children and that child development guides all our practices with them. As a consultant, Rae has shared her expertise with such groups as the Sesame Street Research Department, the Head Start Bureau, Centers for Disease Control, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Gymboree, Nike, Nickelodeon’s Blue’s Clues, Bright Horizons, and health departments, schools, and resource and referral agencies throughout the country.

More About Rae:
https://www.raepica.com/

Free to Play Summit:
http://freetoplaysummit.com/

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 is the UKs leading authority on woodwork in Early Years education and has written several books and journal articles, including ‘Learning Through Woodwork’ (Routledge) and books on outdoor learning. He is currently working on his latest book – ‘Creativity in Practice: Nurturing creative and critical thinking in early childhood education’. 

He was awarded an honorary research fellowship from the University of Bristol and is currently researching the value of woodwork in early education. Pete was also awarded a Churchill Fellowship to undertake international research into best woodworking practices in education. Pete won the national award (2019) from the Creative Learning Guild for his work promoting creativity in education and is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

https://irresistible-learning.co.uk

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 provides targeted and direct instruction to students through individual and small group support by using the students' interests, learning styles, and individual learning goals. She targets multiple academic areas including reading, writing, and social skills while utilizing multi-sensory teaching approaches including Sounds in Motion (SIM) and Orton-Gillingham. Sherleen also works closely with families to offer tools and structures that will ultimately help students manage their learning independently. In addition, Sherleen serves as an Educational Consultant to provide teachers and staff with insights and recommendations for best practices in supporting students with varied academic and social-emotional needs.

Sherleen continues to strive to support students in reaching their best potential academically, socially and emotionally.

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 to Eric in a way that was magnetic and electric. 

At first just freestyling in the parks of NYC he eventually formed a group with other MC’s, producing beats, writing raps, and performing shows. Hip Hop gave him a voice and an identity in a way nothing else had before. As he navigated his way through a complicated music industry he eventually began to find his footing running Hip Hop workshops with youth groups. This natural evolution transformed his career from Emcee to educator. 

Over the next 12 years Eric taught in elementary schools and continually  found ways to introduce Hip Hop culture to his students. Through this desire to spread the real and honest narrative of the culture, Hip Hop Building Blocks was formed. By teaching the origins, influences, and history of the culture it serves as a model for students to build and strengthen their own school community. 

Engaging students in the elements of Hip Hop (DJing, Emceeing, Graffiti Breakin’ and Knowledge of self) encourages them to represent their identity, giving young people a voice and a platform for self-expression. With the core principles of peace, love, unity, and having fun, Hip Hop Building Blocks is a unique approach to social emotional learning that is experiential, engaging, and accessible to all. 

Links:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/hiphopbuildingblocks/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSRgay4VTnPkXPkVcfDkIHg

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 retiring from teaching, Diane has been working as a consultant, and workshop/webinar presenter. She is the co-author of three ECE textbooks and just finished writing a book for Redleaf Press on professional friendships in ECE titled Cultivating a Culture of Friendship in Early Childhood Education. 

Diane writes a blog to support professional learning in early childhood education: Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research and loves to engage in continuous professional learning face to face and through social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. She is the past president of the Association for Early Childhood Educators of Ontario and the current coordinator of the York Region Nature Collaborative.

- Follow Kashin, Diane on Twitter : https://twitter.com/DianeKashin1

- Contact Kashin, Diane on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Tecribresearch/?ref=bookmarks

- See Kashin, Diane's website : https://tecribresearch.wordpress.com/

- Contact Kashin, Diane on LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/diane-kashin-a6090151/

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 Certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Links:

https://www.thehealthcook.com/about

https://equityatthetable.com/directory/linda-rosenblatt/