We have an announcement! Yes, the title sorta gives it away, but where exactly are we? Join us as we celebrate another milestone on our journey and stay as we round out this episode with one quick question - Should your program be on social media too? Join Nick and Mike as we kick it in our shortest episode ever and share our thoughts on what social media can do for you! Tune in now! Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram at @napcast206 or https://www.instagram.com/napcast206/

Welcome to Part 2 of our series focusing on Black and Indigenous boys! Today, we continue our conversation by exploring actionable strategies and approaches to creating culturally affirming, supportive environments for Black and Indigenous boys from the very start of their educational journey. This episode will challenge you to reflect on your own practice and consider how you can make a lasting impact by centering Black and Indigenous boys in preschool settings. If you missed Part 1, be sure to listen to that first, as we laid the groundwork for this deeper dive into actionable change. Links mentioned in the episode: https://www.embracerace.org/ https://modules.ilabs.uw.edu/ Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

If you wanted to create a school that is powerful, charming, dynamic and more, why wouldn't you focus on Black and Indigenous boys? In this thought-provoking first part of our two-part series, we dive deep into the importance of focusing on Black and Indigenous boys within education and beyond. Why is it crucial to center these young lives? What unique challenges do they face, and how do we support their resilience and growth? This episode sets the stage for a larger conversation about justice, equity, and representation in early education and beyond. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

Back for part 2 of this 2 part series, Napcast co-hosts, Nick and Mike, along with Indigenous Social Worker, Early Childhood Educator, and our friend Jane Boldrey-Mendoza, continue where we left off... conversating about things that states, cities, systems, organizations, programs, and individuals can do to "Trump-Proof" themselves against the intentional dismantling of our educational system. Missed part 1? Go back and check it out and share it with a friend. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

Change is scary. And with what we are hearing and seeing with the change of administration, you have a right to be terrified. In this Napcast episode, Nick and Mike sits down with Jane Boldrey-Mendoza, an Indigenous Social Worker, Early Childhood Educator, and our friend, to discuss what early childhood education might look like over the next 4 years. Whether you’re sad, tired, numb to it all, withdrawn, meh, or fired up and ready to build, this episode is made especially for you. So grab a friend, listen in, and let’s work to strategize on how we can build a comprehensive system of care that places liberation for our youngest children, at the forefront of it all.  Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

In part 2 of this conversation we continue to hear from our expert guest about her experience raising a multilingual and multiracial son. Filled with laughs, tips, and knowledge, join us for more insights that we as educators, school leaders, and advocates can implement to support the diverse needs of our multilingual learners. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

Supporting multilingual learners isn't just about language aquisition. It's about supporting them in making meaning of their lives and complex worlds. In part 1 of 2, Nick and Mike sit down with coach, mother, and preschool educator, Stephanie, to discuss how culture and language are inseparable and how multilingual learners' identities are shaped by both. Join us as we continue to improve our practices and better prepare for the linguistic revolution happening in our programs and homes. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

Back for part 2! Here we pick up our conversation on children as spiritual beings including how that relates to their souls, how we can reconnect ourselves to our inner child and our own spiritual energies, and what role does spirituality play in Indigenous, Black, and Brown liberation movements. If you haven't listened to part 1 yet, go and listen! We'll be here waiting as we continue to dialogue about how we can work to understand children's spiritual paths. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

There's an energy, an empathic connection, a strong soul that resides in children. An awakening or perhaps a part of them that grounds them during troubling time, grows their inner wisdom, and brings them on pathways of wonder. But what do we mean when we say children are spiritual beings? How do we begin to understand their sacred play? What about that thing between separation of church and state? And most importantly, how do we connect to their inner worlds? Join us for part 1 as we explore all of this and more as we work to understand children's spiritual paths. Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!

Traumatic events affect people in all kinds of ways and there is nothing wrong with you if you find yourself struggling to heal from the impact of past abuse. In today's episode, we put our mental health first, and we talk about how each of us are healing through the use of art and play and what that could look like in our work with children and families. Join us as we cultivate curiosity and creativity as we remember that play is learning! Interested in bringing Nick and Mike to your community? Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Email us at napcast206.com and let’s talk!