Illinois Early Learning Project

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jessica Hardy from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign about coaching for early childhood educators: what it is, what makes a good coach, and how to make the most of the coaching experience. Note: A few times during this podcast, a word or phrase may be difficult to hear. Please refer to the written transcript of this podcast for a full account of the audio. You can find the transcript on: https://illinoisearlylearning.org/resources/podcasts/

In this episode, we have a conversation with Dr. Koryne Nnoli from Morgan State University about how early childhood educators can use strategies to support multilingual learners in their classrooms where many languages are spoken.

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jennifer McCray from the Early Math Collaborative at the Erikson Institute about mixing early math and social studies in preschool classrooms.

In this episode with Dr. Susan Johnston, we explore augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and how it relates to belonging and friendships in young children.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Jessica Bacon, chats with us about anti-ableism and inclusion and explains how we can talk about these important concepts in developmentally appropriate ways with young children.

In this podcast episode, our guest Abbie Frank, founder and executive director of Bluestem Hall Nature School, a nature-based preschool in Urbana, talks about ways to incorporate nature-based education into everyday early childhood classrooms.

On this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Marisa Macy, associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She joins us to discuss the purpose of developmental screening tools in the early childhood field.

In this podcast, we speak with Kelly Russell, the program director of CU Early, which serves infants, toddlers, and expectant parents in Champaign, Urbana, and Mahomet. We explore how the pandemic has changed service delivery for home visits, developmental screenings, and support groups. We also delve into the changing social and emotional needs of families of young children

On this podcast, we talk with Dr. Brent McBride about the impact of COVID-19 on childcare from a director’s perspective. Dr. McBride is the director of the Child Development Laboratory and a professor of human development at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

On this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Emily Dorsey, project director of the Illinois Early Learning Project. She joins us to discuss strategies for helping children with the characteristics of autism spectrum disorder succeed in inclusive early childhood classrooms.

We talk with Dr. Natalie Danner, the LaVonne Kopecky Plambeck Endowed Chair of Montessori Education at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, who gives us an introduction to the Montessori approach in early childhood education.

On this podcast, we are joined by Dr. Deserai Miller. Dr. Miller is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Special Education and teaches in the School of Social Work at the University of Illinois. Her research focuses on provisions of trauma-informed care through special education service delivery and the preparation of professionals across multiple disciplines related to trauma-informed care. She joins us to discuss strategies for supporting young children who have experienced trauma.