There are so many challenges that hinder ECE professionals from successfully advocating for continued support, that many are inclined to simply not participate. However, as one of our guests says, "you're either at the table or on the menu." Fortunately there are new ways to advocate and simple steps that any ECE professional can take to ensure support for the field. Rae Pica with Suzanne Gellens, Executive Director of the Florida AEYC; Aaron Carrara, President and Board Chair of the Texas AEYC, works for Metropolitan Montessori Schools in Houston, Texas; Kristen Kerr is the Executive Director of the New York AEYC; and Sandra Giarde, Executive Director, California Association for the Education of Young Children.

Early childhood educators are accustomed to being ignored by policy makes and even the rest of the education profession. Perhaps this will change as a result of The Department of Education's Early Learning Challenge. In this segment we ask education leaders from around the nation to weigh in on what this new program means to the early childhood sector. Rae Pica with Kimberly Tice, Executive Director of the Association for the Education of Young Children (AEYC); Suzanne Gellens, Executive Director of the Florida AEYC; Aaron Carrara, President and Board Chair of the Texas AEYC, works for Metropolitan Montessori Schools in Houston, Texas; Kristen Kerr is the Executive Director of the New York AEYC.

The ability to teach dual language learners is becoming increasing important as our demographics shift across the nation. In this segment our guest clarifies misconceptions on the topic and shares practical strategies. Karen Nemeth, Ed.M., founder and lead consultant of Language Castle LLC, is the author of Many Languages, Early Connections: Teaching Infants and Toddlers who are Dual Language Learners. Karen is a writer and consulting editor for NAEYC, and is the Dual Language Learning Advisor for Teaching Young Children. Karen serves on the executive board of NJTESOL-NJBE. She consults with early childhood programs all over the country and will be presenting at the NAEYC conference in November.

Our guest continues to sound the alarm that play in being pushed out of kindergarten to the detriment of the children. In the segment Vivian offers suggestion for pushing back against the system. Vivian Gussin Paley writes and teaches about the world of young children. She is the author of A Child’s Work: The Importance of Fantasy Play. A kindergarten teacher for 37 years, Mrs. Paley brings her storytelling/story acting and discussion techniques to children, teachers, and parents throughout the world, and in 2004 was named Outstanding Educator in the Language Arts by the National Council of Teachers in English.

Federal spending has a profound impact on early childhood programs. With significant budget cuts looming, we talk this month about how early childhood educators can use their voices to impact federal funding of early childhood programs.

Is there a place for physics and science in early childhood education? Our guests say the answer is an unequivocal yes and share insights about how to begin to introduce the subject to young children.

Our guest asserts that everyone can be good at math. In this segment we discuss how educators and parents can develop a love and ability for math in young children.

Early child care providers and early education professionals are well positioned to tackle the child obesity pandemic through early intervention. In this segment our guest identifies strategies and federal programs that can help.

The question of teaching math to very young children sits right in the middle of the early academics debate. Our guest says that early math is critical to academic success and provides some guidance on what is appropriate and what is not.

This segment is about that "special child" in your class. They don't do what you want them to do, they do what you don't want them to do and you don't know what to do about it. In this segment, Dan Gartrell explains why some children seem more challenging than others and provides practical tips for dealing with them.

Marc Brackett argues that emotional literacy is critical to productive teaching environments. Yet bracket asserts that most of us have a deficient emotional vocabulary and no formal way to learn or develop emotional literacy. Brackett explains how we can remedy this short coming.

Jerlean Daniel, Ph.D. has been promoted to Executive Director Designate of the Association. Daniel will replace outgoing Executive Director, Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D. on July 1, 2010. They both joined us to reflect on the past and to look ahead to the future of NAEYC.

Teacher burnout is a large problem that contributes to high turnover among early childhood professionals. This segment identifies the causes, how to spot the indicators and more importantly how to prevent burnout before altogether. Dr. Joshua Sparrow offers four specific coping strategies.

This month we discuss the causes and consequences of high turnover among early childhood educators and more importantly what can be done to retain staff. Holly Elissa Bruno shares key insights about why people stay and gives guidance on how to use these insights to hold on to your best people.

A teacher in a preschool with a bachelors degree typically earns $10-15k less a year than a kindergarten teacher with similar preparations. IThis segment discuss new insights and developments that may drive increased salaries for early childhood workers and identifies some steps individuals can take to secure better pay.

Bullying behavior is a perennial challenge for educators. Bullying impacts the bully, the bullied and the community. In this segment Jean Schreiber talks about how to help address bullying by teaching assertiveness and offers specific strategies for creating safer learning environments for children.

Computers, Internet, television, Twitter, iPods, can these technologies really enhance early childhood learning? In the NAEYC Radio segment , the Corporation for Public Broadcasting challenges some conventional wisdom with the use of digital media in their "Ready to Learn" program. Learn more...

Luis A. Hernandez has spent a career working on the fundamentals of developing happy, joyful children who grow up to be lifelong learners and good citizens . Hernandez talks about how to connect Developmentally Appropriate Practice to some of the real challenges teachers face.

Bryan Nelson says there are several reasons why there are so few men in early childhood education. Bryan explains why the lack of males is a significant problem and details a number things we can do to attract and keep more men to the field.

In this fascinating discussion, Larry Griffin asserts that the number of boys who are unmotivated and underachieving is growing. He has identified five reasons why educators and society are failing to successfully launch boys and why increasing numbers of boys are simply being lost. Larry goes on to offer his insights on what educators can do to get them back on course.