Early Childhood Journeys

Episode 57 features returning guest, Tina Wiggins Sykes and podcast guest debut of Gloria McGinty. Tina Sykes and Gloria McGinty are Arizona based Early Childhood Professionals, ECE Coaches, Trainers, College Instructors, Equity Specialists amongst their past or current roles. They are also long-time friends and colleagues of host, Marissa Calderón. All are involved in equity work both personally and professionally and lend some powerful insights to this subject matter. In this episode, host Marissa discusses the frustration in shifting white dominant curriculum practices that can come off as racists and culturally offensive, especially around the holidays. How do we begin to have these tough conversations in early childhood in public when we know they are being had in private? Addressing these uncomfortable topics can feel intimidating. A very insightful and relatable topic for many early childhood practitioners and eye-opening for early childhood program administrators. Notice: Podcast subject matter is not representative of podcast guest/host employers or specific agencies. Opinions are their own. Connect with host, Marissa and the award-winning Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.com or email at marissa@earlychildhoodjourneys.comLEAVE US A REVIEW!Music track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS, provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 56 features a Kindergarten Virtual Zoom Chat that was converted to an audio podcast with light editing for clarity.Guests, Lauren Degregorio is a K-1 teacher in New Mexico, previously a Kindergarten Teacher in Arizona. Catherine Norwood is an Arizona Instructional Coach for an Arizona school district. Both Educators are connected thru AZ's The Kindergarten Experience past grant work with podcast host Marissa Calderón.Discussion related to tips and strategies on how to meet the online kindergarten child's needs, what is equitable for the child and their family, what is realistic for families and what is based on the science of learning for young children. Website links are also included and real-life stories of parents and families on the difficult adjustment this new normal has created. The importance of social and emotional development and trauma that school districts have to recognize and focusing on strategies for parents and teachers. Discussion also includes recognition that many teachers are essentially learning a new method of delivery of information and it's stressful for everyone.Connect with host, Marissa and the award-winning Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comLEAVE US A REVIEW!Music track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS, provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 55, Carla Rivera-Cruz is back on the podcast to talk about current events involving the oppressive policies and systems in the classroom and at the school board level. The conversation includes the reference of the video, The Four I's of Oppression and how it connects to her work in Education. Carla is a former classroom teacher and school board member as well as the co-host of #LatinasInED with host Marissa. Carla does not hold back discussing the oppressive Arizona education policies and laws that hold back teachers and most of all, Black and Brown students. Get ready for a passionate conversation!Connect with Carla for anti-racism, equity, diversity or other professional development at the teacher and/or admin level through her EDpiphany agency. You can also learn about her future "teachers lounge" set to open in January 2022 in the Phoenix Metro-Area by connecting with her on social media.To follow her on...FacebookTwitterInstagram Connect with host, Marissa and the award-winning Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comLEAVE US A REVIEW!Music track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS, provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 54 is with advocate and outspoken champion for BIPOC, Lark Sontag from the Will Start Small Collective.Lark's points include a very honest and uncomfortable array of topics regarding the current injustices of COVID, how child care is rooted in oppressive policies and how much of the programming in early childhood is for the benefit of white populations that hold power. Take a deep breath in this hard-hitting episode and be ready to advocate for child care teachers. More about Lark SontagLark is a New York metro early childhood education specialist, curriculum developer, speaker, children’s advocate, and the author of the children’s book “What Every Child Should Know” on Sanctuary Press. She is committed to writing literature that showcases all children, creating an equitable world for neurodiverse children, and centering children in all discussions regarding economic justice.Lark is also the founder of the Will Start Small Collective which works collaboratively with nonprofits, schools, and social justice groups to create curriculum and programming rooted in anti-racism, critical race theory, and culturally relevant pedagogy. She is the publisher of Sweet Potato Pie, A Children's Literary Journal.Lark holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Mount St. Mary’s University and a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Pacific Oaks College.To follow....Will Start SmallTwitterFacebook Connect with host, Marissa and the award-winning Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS, provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 53 is with guest and Arizona early childhood education colleague, Tina Sykes. Tina Sykes is a social justice advocate, a poet a wife and parent to three children. Our conversations about the recent murder of #GeorgeFloyd online sparked an opportunity to have a candid conversation on the podcast about racism, white centric views in early childhood and the connection of social emotional development in social justice work. This topic was HEAVY.A call for deep reflection along with some websites to add to your teacher toolkit were also discussed. A big thank you to all of the amazing black women, and IBPOC in my personal and professional circles leading the change in this work!Check out Tina Wiggins Sykes on Facebook or connect with her on Linkedin.Some notable resources:Dr. Kira Banks from Raising EquityWoke KindergartenIndigo Cultural CenterIjuma JordanWill Start Small Connect with host, Marissa and the award-winning Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS, provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 3 debuts and podcast host, Marissa Calderón updates everyone on being on hiatus and launches the new season addressing homeschool during COVID19 with past guest and K-6 Instructional Coach in Arizona, Catherine Norwood. Catherine and Marissa discuss what the focus should be for teachers during the last weeks of virtual school, what parents can do to help their children get thru the summer and the urgent need to build children's social and emotional skills during these stressful and anxiety inducing times for everyone. Connect with host, Marissa and the award-winning Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic tracks are called Lemon Tea and Pizza and Video Games from GYVUS, provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people. Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop: http://chillhop.com/listen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 51 of the podcast with host Marissa Calderón and guest, Diana Brown Certified Instructor from Conscious Discipline. Diana shares a bit of her background as a classroom teacher and how she began to train for Dr. Becky Baileys, Conscious Discipline philosophy. Conscious Discipline is a "Transformational Social-Emotional Learning and Classroom Management" system. Many tips and strategies are also shared that easily supplement any current boxed behavioral management curriculum used by school districts or education programs. Connect with Diana Brown at: diana@mindfuldiscipline.comLearn more about Conscious Discipline here. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 50 marks a milestone of the podcast! Join host, Marissa chat with the Executive Director of the Arizona Educational Foundation, Kim Graham. Kim shares all of the resources and mentorship programs and initiatives available for incoming teachers and seasoned educators overall. AEF believes that "amazing things happen in schools every day.Their mission is to identify, support and celebrate excellence in Pre-K-12th grade Arizona public education through business and community partnerships."To learn more about the AZ Educational Foundation and to contact Kim Graham, connect with them here. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 49 is with the newly elected Superintendent of Arizona's Department of Education, Kathy Hoffman. With her historic electoral win, Marissa and Kathy discuss some of the past campaign rhetoric and the current legislative progress for education she's helped with. We get some additional information on the current education policy focus and what we may expect in the coming year. Superintendent Hoffman's personal background is also inspiring. Did you know Kathy's first job out of college was working for a preschool program? Get ready to learn more about this trilingual Speech Pathologist turned policy pusher and advocate for Arizona's children in this episode. Parents and teachers can begin to breathe a sigh of relief hearing how much her leadership is pushing for more evidenced-based progressive policies for Arizona's classrooms.To stay connected to the AZ Superintendent and her initiatives, please follow her on her official Facebook and Twitter accounts.Learn more about the Arizona Department of ED here. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 48, host Marissa Calderón chats with Denisse Hernandez de Ortiz, Senior Program Manager for United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. United Way of Tucson has an array of services including an Early Childhood Component and grant initiatives for the region. Denisse is not only a parent of a Kindergartner but her background in supporting early childhood practitioners and parents provides listeners some insights on these types of roles in the community and their significance. Take a listen to this conversation on how educators such as Denisse are impacting and partnering with their communities. Connect with United Way of Tucson and Southern AZ here. Learn more about the Great Expectations program at: http://www.getcf.org/Email Denisse Hernandez de Ortiz here. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 47 is the first of a series of Kindergarten Readiness Tips and Insight episodes! Joined by Sierra Vista Unified School District in Arizona, Kindergarten Teacher, Julie Decuir. Podcast host, Marissa and Julie chat about the true skills future kindergartners need vs what some parents may think their child needs to master for school. Julie has been a Kindergarten teacher for 17 years and she shares her tips and insights for parents during this busy time of year of kindergarten registration. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 46 is with a very special guest. Podcast host, Marissa chats with her own daughter, Salma, who is a High School Senior. Salma shares her confessions about her destain feelings on homework packets, math and other high school frustrations. She can't wait for graduation and shares her plans for the future. A connection with Early Childhood and a candid conversation every parent of a teenager can relate to with added insights for the High School teacher too. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 45 is with Kristen L. Orton! Kristen is a Kindergarten teacher at Vernon Elementary School in Vernon Arizona. Vernon is a very rural community in Apache County, in the White Mountains area of Northern Arizona. She was recently hired last year to teach Kindergarten and if she wasn't busy enough finishing her Masters, she had the vision that the K-8 school she was just hired at, also needed a preschool classroom. After a in-depth proposal, several school board meetings and community buy in, her vision to have a preschool classroom came true. Listen to the conversation as we break down how it went down with host Marissa Calderón.Resources Mentioned:Perry Preschool ProjectTeaching Strategies GOLDVernon Elementary School DistrictConnect and follow Kristen's Preschool programs journey through her Blog at EdublogsEmail Kristen.Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 44 with Arizona Educational Foundations 2019 Teacher of the Year, Kareem Neal and three of the four Ambassadors for Excellence, Jonathan Perrone, Sheri Loyd and Lee Ann Howell sit down with host, Marissa Calderón. The interview took place at the Highway 85 Creative podcast studio in Peoria Arizona and they chat about their journey in receiving the recognition and how the community can support their work in the classroom.This episode is marked as "explicit language" due to the use of using "Badass" as to describe these phenomenal educators!The episode transcript is also available via the EC Journeys Blog page here.Kareem Neal is the 2019 AEF Arizona Teacher of the Year, a 9th-12th Grade Self-Contained Special Education Teacher from Maryvale High School at Phoenix Union High School District in Arizona.Jonathan Perrone is a 8th Grade STEAM Teacher at Mountain Sky Middle School of Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix Arizona.Lee Ann Howell is a 7th Grade Science Teacher at Colonel Smith Middle School of Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District at the Fort Huachuca Army base in Arizona.Sheri Loyd is a 3rd Grade ELA and Math Teacher at Mountain View School of Dysart Unified School District in Waddell Arizona.Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 43 with Tina Martin from Southwest Human Development, Services for Children with Disabilities. Tina has been with Southwest Human Development since 1997 and is now the Assistant Director for this department. She provides us with her story on how she came across the Early Intervention field as well as a tour of the Birth to Five ADAPT Shop. This shop focuses on changing lives — identifying, modifying and building customized equipment that give children with disabilities hope and opportunity. The shop really takes conscious custom innovation for children to the next level!Learn more about the ADAPT Shop here and how you can support them this holiday season!Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons.More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 42 is with comic book artist and creator of Jetpulse Comics, Led Bradshaw. Led is also dad to his 8 year old son, Jake who is on the autism spectrum and the inspiration of his phenomenal comic book hero Jake Jetpulse. In this conversation with host, Marissa Calderón, they discuss parenting, how his son Jake created the initial character of the comics through his drawings and how dad Led created superhero flashcards and later comic book stories to encouraged his son to improve his engagement at school.Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 41 with host Marissa Calderón reflecting on an upcoming blog post, soon to be released on the Mexican art of Alebrijes. She provides some guides on how to connect students interest authentically while incorporating 21st Century Skills in the classroom. For the full blog post on lesson guides for Alebrijes & 21st Century Skills in the Early Childhood classroom and to learn more, visit the website at, earlychildhoodjourneys.com .Intro and Outro Music track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS and in podcast track is called, Canals by Joakim Karud provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 40 with Ana Arbel from Arizona's Southwest Human Development, Birth to Five Helpline. Ana talks about the toll-free hotline for parents of children birth to five, describing it as having a professional friend... who is well-informed and trained in all things Child Development and keeps your conversation confidential! The hotline is toll-free AND multilingual including in Spanish. Ana is the Bilingual Senior Program Manager of the program and provides host Marissa with valuable advice for parents and for early childhood classroom teachers. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazz hop and trip hop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ep. 39 is with Marissa Flores from the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Community, Education Division's Early Childhood department. Marissa is a parent educator and Home Visiting Specialist, serving families on the FMYN. Host, Marissa Calderón chats with Marissa Flores about her role on the nation, living with her 8 siblings, being raised by her mom and starting the position of supporting parents with children birth to 3 years old.Learn more about the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and community services provided here. Contact Marissa Flores at her email here. Connect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 38 with Legislative District 30 Arizona Candidate, Raquel Terán chats with host and past colleague, Marissa. Raquel shares her foundation in early education when she first started years ago in the classroom, then to roles in the early childhood sector and now at Planned Parenthood in Arizona. As a wife, a mom of a toddler and now a local candidate for Arizona's House of Representatives, she passionately shares about her journey as a vocal advocate for Arizona families including our Latino communities and the importance of voting."Nearly 50% – approximately 700,000 – of all K-12 students in Arizona are Latino, yet only 3 of the 30 board members is Latino. More than 25% of the governor-appointed board members on the three boards have terms that have already, or will soon, expire."Learn more about the lack of representation here. Learn more about Raquel Terán here. Register to vote in Arizona at: servicearizona.comConnect with host, Marissa and the Early Childhood Journeys podcast at: earlychildhoodjourneys.comMusic track is called Lemon Tea from GYVUS provided by Chillhop Music, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing the best chilled hiphop, jazzhop and triphop music and connecting people.Used with permission and creative commons. More by Chillhop:http://chillhop.com/listenGYVUS - Weekend:http://soundcloud.com/gyvusListen on Spotify:http://bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.