Hey everyone, we are going to break for season 3 to give ourselves some time to rest, develop new content, and book new speakers in preparation for season 4 of the show. Thank you to everyone who has followed us since the beginning and to new listeners of the show. We truly couldn't do it without you. As always, follow us on Instagram @leanintoyoupod for episode highlights and self-care tips you can implement in your everyday life. That is all for now but stay tuned for the start of season 4!This project is funded by a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc. 

Cas Holman is a toy designer and play advocate who has spent her entire career creating products that encourage openness and free play. She has worked with Rockwell Group, has been a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and was recently featured on Netflix's Abstract: The Art of Design.In part two of our conversation, we talk about how we can begin to break open the boxes we often put ourselves in, and how that might be beneficial to us as adults. To find out more about Cas' work, you can visit her website at:www.casholman.com.This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc. 

Cas Holman is a toy designer and play advocate who has spent her entire career creating products that encourage openness and free play. She has worked with Rockwell Group, has been a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and was recently featured on Netflix's Abstract: The Art of Design. In our two-part conversation with Cas, we explore what we mean when we say "free play", some of the reasons why humans tend to create categories for what play is and what it should look like, and how we, as adults, can develop a philosophy of openness in adulthood. To find out more about Cas' work, you can visit her website at:www.casholman.com.This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc. 

Diversity is a fact of life. As educators we will have new students coming in each year from different socio-economic statuses, abilities, religious backgrounds, gender identities and much more. So, how do we become empowered to honor those different lived experiences of the children in our care, without being intimidated by that diversity?Dr. Denise Reid is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Biola University in La Mirada, California. She conducts research on the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities as they rise through their educational careers. Dr. Reid has authored several articles including, "Lessons learned: Educational experiences as described by individuals who attended Black segregated schools during Jim Crow" as well as, "Disproportionality in special education: The persistent reality for African American students."In our conversation, we talk about the realities of diversity in the teaching environment, how we can manage the stress that may arise from simply wanting to honor each students lived experience, and she talks about the importance of starting a daily wellness journey we maintain consistently. This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

As we've said many times on our podcast, stress often arises in our lives when we get so busy it becomes impossible to look up from what is right in front of us in order to try to have an idea of the bigger picture. We feel powerless to change the course we are set on.Dr. Carol Brunson Day has been working in child care advocacy for over 50 years from the individual center level to the national policy level. She has worked as the CEO of the Council for Professional Recognition, has been the CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, and has also served as the President of NAEYC. In our conversation, we talk about how simply agreeing with an idea is not enough. In order to facilitate change, we have to engage in collective activism and advocacy. She also talks about how connecting with like minded individuals is a great way to instill a sense of purpose and direction in your life that is outside of your day-to-day work. This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

Breathing deep. It sounds simple but we forget to do it all the time. It is so nice, then, to set aside some time to refocus back in on our breath. This guided meditation helps with just that. We found this meditation at lovetoknowhealth.com in an article titled, "9 Guided Meditation Scripts: Short + Long". This is a great article to check out if you want to do more guided meditation work but don't necessarily know where to get started. This meditation specifically was written by Shoshana Hebshi Holt. This project is funded through a grant with the TN Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

How has the history of racism within child care led to the current landscape that we see today? And how can we learn from the past to help change our future?We talk about this and much more in today’s episode with Dr. Iheoma Iruka. Iheoma is a professor teaching at the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She's also the Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition. Dr. Iheoma walks us through the ways in which historical racism has shaped the world of child care and how we can begin to shift the needle towards a more equitable future through legislation and community building.This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

What is the value of connecting our daily, lived experiences with the bigger picture of what is happening in early childhood policy and advocacy?We talk about this and much more in today’s episode with Shannon Rudisill. Shannon is the Executive Director of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, an organization that activates private philanthropists to fund advocacy efforts in early childhood.Prior to joining ECFC, Shannon served on the Obama Administration’s senior leadership team for early childhood programs and was the Director of the Administration for Children and Families’ Office of Child Care (OCC). OCC administers the Child Care and Development Fund, which provides over $5 billion per year to States, Territories, and over 500 Tribal communities to provide child care for about 1.5 million children each month.This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

As an educator, what is our responsibility when navigating how and when to include parents in our curriculum?It's easy to assume that since we are the authority figures, it is our role to impart knowledge and wisdom onto families. In our conversation with Ana De Hoyos O'Connor, we talk about how educators need to dance with parents so they can honor the lived experiences of the families who provide the context for the children we care for.We also talk about how educators can incorporate fun questions into the curriculum to help center that lived experience.This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.

We don't have an episode recorded for today but we want to let you know what we have in store for the next month or two. We are excited to talk with Dr. Carol Brunson Day, Shannon Rudisill, and many other forward thinking individuals who are doing important work to take child care to the next level. Stay tuned. We promise you won't want to miss it. This project is funded through a grant with the Tennessee Department of Human Services and Signal Centers, Inc.