010: Approaching Early Childhood Education Holistically with Rachel Schumacher
Release Date: 11/09/2022
022: A Love For Education: The Common Thread For Leadership with Mayor Rusty Brockman
Childhoods By Wonderschool
In today’s episode of Childhoods by Wonderschool, former New Braunfels mayor Rusty Brockman joins the conversation to share insights from his upbringing that have shaped his outlook on the importance of creating a nurturing environment for children to thrive. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, Rusty moved to Baytown, Texas when he was two years old due to his father's search for better job opportunities. At his father’s urging, he attended college to get his degree so that he would not have to deal with the same trials his father did in his line of tradework. As the eldest of three siblings,...
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021: A Path to Repairing the World with Julie Kashen
Childhoods By Wonderschool
I am delighted to bring today’s guest, Julie Kashen, on the show to share how her early life experiences growing up in Queens and Long Island shaped her views on childhood and her life's purpose. Julie is the Director of Women's Economic Justice and Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation, an independent think tank that conducts research, develops solutions and drives policy change to improve people's lives. Julie has over two decades of experience advocating for issues around work and family and she played a key role in drafting national legislation including the first paid sick day bill...
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020: From Natural Caregiver To Thriving Business Owner with Katie McLain
Childhoods By Wonderschool
In today’s episode of Childhoods By Wonderschool, Katie McLain, an early childhood educator and founder of Thrive Early Family Childcare Center, joins me to explore just how powerful our childhood experiences can be. We'll take a walk down memory lane, uncovering how Katie's own childhood and her family's commitment to service have influenced her journey into the world of childcare. Katie grew up in a small town in Louisiana as the youngest of three children in her own home and the youngest grandbaby on both sides of her family. Living within walking distance from her entire family meant she...
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019: Closing the Opportunity Gap Early with Regen Horchow
Childhoods By Wonderschool
Our guest on the podcast today is Regen Horchow, an advocate for early childhood education in Dallas and across Texas. Regen chairs the Dallas County initiative called Early Matters Dallas. This ambitious and broad-based coalition aims to reach new heights in kindergarten readiness and children's literacy around the state. Growing up in Dallas, Regen’s childhood was pleasant and lively. Her parents, both involved in retail and marketing, were also big on entertaining. Regen remembers her sprawling childhood backyard filled with lively poolside conversation and the variety of guests...
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018: Making Learning Accessible and Purposeful at Any Age With Guest Ruben Harris
Childhoods By Wonderschool
I am thrilled to bring you today's guest, Ruben Harris. Ruben is the CEO of Career Karma, which recently raised a $40 million Series B round, and co-host of the Breaking Into Start-Up podcast which reaches 3 million listeners and counting. Ruben is a lifelong learner, dedicated to connecting people to jobs in technology and sharing his personal insights. Ruben comes from a Seventh-Day Adventist family from Atlanta, Georgia. His faith played a strong role in his upbringing, attending an Adventist school, and his parents especially helped to grow Ruben’s early love for learning, music, and...
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017: A Value-Driven Vision for Early Childhood Education with Guest Isabelle Hau
Childhoods By Wonderschool
Isabelle Hau, the first executive director of the Stanford Transforming Learning Accelerator, joins us on the podcast today. Isabelle founded and led the U.S. education practice at Omidyar Network and, in 2020, spun off Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm that supports organizations across public, private, and social sectors in Brazil, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the United States. Isabelle was born and raised in the South of France to a deeply loving family. Coming from humble beginnings, she benefitted greatly from France’s universal preschool system. In her early years,...
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016: The Vitality of the First Five Years with Guest Sarah Rittling
Childhoods By Wonderschool
On today’s episode, Sarah Rittling, Executive Director of the First Five Years Fund, joins us to discuss her dedication to using innovative early childhood policy as a way of tackling childhood poverty. Sarah is widely regarded as a national leader in the field of children's advocacy due to her years of expertise in politics and legislation. From brain development to political analysis, the work she is leading at First Five Years Fund is among the most comprehensive and up-to-date on all aspects of the lives of young children today. Born to a family of educators in a very small town in...
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015: Encouraging Autonomy And Exploration In New York City Family Child Care
Childhoods By Wonderschool
In today’s episode, we are talking to Socorro Cordova, the director of Art & Wonder preschool in New York. Socorro was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has degrees in Women’s Studies and Eary Childhood Education. Now, Socorro resides in New York City, which is very different from the tropical climate of San Juan. However, her experiences have taught her the importance of not taking your surroundings for granted and finding beauty all around. A firm believer in the Emilia Reggio approach, Socorro has applied her own learning from these experiences to her educational philosophy. Socorro...
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014: Building a Strong Foundation at an Early Age with Guest Nini Diouf
Childhoods By Wonderschool
I am super excited to bring today’s guest, Nini Diouf, onto the show. Nini is a Wonderschool director who runs an incredible French program called Nini’s Jolie Jardin in Alameda, California. Nini was born and raised in Dakar, Senegal, which she describes as a beautiful, welcoming, and communal place to grow up. However, preschool is not a requirement in Senegal and most are privately owned. Nini was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend preschool but recalls how the less fortunate children were ostracized for needing extra help in school or for their inability to speak French...
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013: Cultivating Core Values at a Young Age with Guest Jane Swift
Childhoods By Wonderschool
I am thrilled to share my conversation with today’s guest, Governor Jane Swift. From 1999 to 2003, she was the 69th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She was 36 when she became acting governor of Massachusetts, making her the first woman to perform the duties of governor in Massachusetts as well as the youngest governor or acting governor in the United States. Though she went on to break many barriers in her adult career, Jane considers her childhood to be rather traditional. Growing up in a close-knit family, Jane’s mother was involved in education and her father was involved in...
info_outlineOn today’s episode, we are joined by Rachel Schumacher, a nationally recognized strategic thinker and specialist in early childhood policy with over 25 years of experience at the national, state, and local levels. From government to philanthropy to grassroots, Rachel has focused on increasing equity in child care for children, families, and early educators who are typically not invited to the tables where policy decisions are made.
Looking back, Rachel can remember how invested her preschool educators were in her well-being and growth as a student and a child. These warm and fuzzy feelings have followed her through her adult life and informed her passion for creating early childhood education policy that involves students, educators, and parents–those with the most investment in the system but often the least amount of input. Rachel advocates for approaching education holistically and viewing parents and teachers as part of a whole rather than opposing barriers in a child’s life.
In my discussion with Rachel, we explore the importance of listening to the advocacy community and those in the field to find solutions to community problems and how this approach has changed the way she views policy. She also reflects on how we can better serve children and parents by prioritizing parent-teacher collaboration in schools and embracing a more whole-child approach to education.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- How Rachel’s experiences as a parent and her own memories of childcare have shaped her approach to education policy
- Why taking a whole-child approach to education can better serve the development of our children in the childcare system
- Why it is so important to go to those who you are addressing with policy directly before looking elsewhere for solutions
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EPISODE CREDITS:
If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com.