Episode 61: Getting Curious About PreK Research (with Dr. Dale Farran)
Release Date: 01/03/2024
Episode 78: We Could All Use the Science of JOY
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
I had an experience a few months ago that began with a fantastic workshop with one of my favorite schools, and *seemed* to end with a broken down, broken into truck. But the real ending came full circle when I found that what I had been teaching that early childhood team the day before, was *exactly* what I needed to remember in that moment. File this one under – everything we ever needed to know in life, we learned in early childhood education. We're talking about why joy matters and how to tap into a little bit more of it. You can find this episode’s show notes, which are...
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Episode 77: Why Play? (With Rae Pica)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Rae Pica has been a fierce advocate for children and childhood for over 40 years. And during that time she’s written a whole bookshelf full of books on the topic. Today, she’s sharing her latest addition to that bookshelf, it came out just last week, Why Play?: How to Make Play an Essential Part of Early Education. In this newest book, Rae dives into the importance of play in early childhood education, how to partner with parents, why different modes of play are beneficial, and how to support each type of play. She even touches on some of the tricky topics associated...
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Episode 76: A Play-Based Evolution (with Amber Unger)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
When Amber Unger (also known as the Cream City Teacher) began her career in education, she thought she'd be working with teenagers. As her path led her to a 4K public school classroom in the middle of a shift toward play-based learning, she discovered a new passion! Today, she helps other teachers on their own journeys to better understand and implement intentional play-based practices. Get the show notes at :
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Episode 75: Empowering Parents as Teachers - Mobile Early Education Outreach Team (With Play Smart Literacy)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
In episode 74, I introduced you to Michele Dineen-White, the creator of Play Smart Literacy in Chicago. Play Smart Literacy is a truly mobile outreach program, meaning that rather than hoping parents can overcome the burden of traveling to a specific location to receive services, Play Smart Literacy goes out into the community, particularly in vulnerable areas, to contact families and meet them right where they are – both literally and figuratively. They teach workshops at laundromats, gas stations, and standing in line at the market. The passion for this program - and what...
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Episode 74: Innovative Early Education Outreach that Actually Reaches the Children - Play Smart Literacy (With Michelle Dineen-White & Talmage Steele)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Michele Dinneen-White was working in an early education outreach program when she realized something. The program wasn’t actually reaching out to the families who needed it most. Those families were still required to find the time and the means to get their child to the center in order to receive services. And for many, that barrier was just too much to overcome. So Michele decided to create something new. The program is called Play Smart Literacy and it serves families in the Chicago area. It’s a fully mobile outreach program, one that actually reaches...
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Episode 73: Challenging Behaviors in the Preschool Classroom (with Prerna Richards)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Challenging behaviors seem to be on the rise in preschool classrooms. Prerna Richards, of Together We Grow, specializes in supporting educators with a behavior coaching program. In this episode, she shares what she believes is behind this increase, and what can be done to better help our youngest learners. Find Show Notes :
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Episode 72: Fairy Tales and Resilience (with Stephanie Goloway, EdD)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Once upon a time..... ...Happily ever after. These are common fairy tale phrases. But they're more than just staid story stems. These common phrases -- and the stories in between -- hold not only a recipe for imagination and fantasy but also for resilience. Stephanie Goloway (EdD) is a powerful advocate for the importance of imagination, play, and storytelling. As a now-emeritus professor, she’s taught young children as well as college students and has focused her research on how fairy tales align with and support child development. She’s written a book called, Happily...
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Episode 71: Bringing Families to the Library with Play (with Tammie Benham)
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Most people associate the library with silence. But what if we associated it with play? In this episode, I’m talking with Tammie Benham, Youth Services Consultant for the Southeast Kansas Library System. Tammie believes that where libraries, children, and families intersect, magic is possible. And she’s set out to make that magic through a family engagement program focused on using play to teach, encourage, and support families in the communities she serves.
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Episode 70: Why We Need Play for All
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
We started this series with the overall argument for why play is essential for human development. The next three episodes dug deep into three main themes: Why we need play for mental health and wellness, for brain development and real learning, and for soft skill development. Then, we shifted to several shorter episodes, touching on specific types of play and how they contribute to development. In this final episode, I’m talking about why ALL children need play, even when others may think it’s time to help children “catch up” instead.
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Episode 69: Why We Play with Art
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
What does fingerpainting have to do with the Space Race? In this episode, we're talking about art and creative play and their role in learning, thinking, and innovating.
info_outlineDr. Dale Farran has spent the better part of the last 50 years researching early childhood education. But some of her most famous research has come about rather recently, as she directs the evaluation of the Tennessee Voluntary PreK Program. This study is one of the most fascinating pieces of recent research in early childhood education.
With a randomly controlled trial, Farran's team found that after an initial PreK year, children who participated scored higher than children who didn’t. After the two groups converged for their kindergarten year, however, that difference disappeared. That’s not too surprising – a “fade out” effect is often observed in early childhood research.
Where this study really started making waves was with the follow-up data. After the participating children completed their third-grade year, Farran and her team found that the PreK group actually scored *below* the other children on the math and science sections of their standardized tests - and by statistically significant margins. By the sixth-grade year, more alarm bells sounded. The PreK participants were scoring below the nonparticipants on not only math and science (and by a greater factor than was seen in third grade) but now, also on English language arts as well. Perhaps more concerning, they were also getting in more trouble at school and receiving more expulsions.
While some may have been tempted to bury unexpected results, Dr. Farran and her team decided to get curious and ask what could be learned. The rest of us get to make the same choice – ignore the research, or get curious and find something to learn.
Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode61