Napcast

What does white supremacy culture look like in everyday organizational life — and how do we move beyond surface-level DEI efforts to create real change? In this 4 part micro-learning series, we invite back in anti-racist facilitator and previous Napcast guest, Toi Sing-Woo (she/her) to discuss white supremacy culture and ways it shows up in nonprofits and early learning spaces. In part 1 we focus on white supremacy organizational culture. 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/

We're back with Part 2 of our deep dive into how racism shows up in early childhood education, and trust us, the conversation's only gets richer! In this episode, Nick, Mike, and anti-racist facilitator Toi Sing-Woo dig even deeper, exploring what accountability really looks like in classrooms, staff meetings, and systems built to serve our youngest learners. From dismantling white-centered norms to reimagining what justice can look like in early learning spaces, we're continuing to name the things that often go unnamed. Because this work isn't a checklist, it's a lifelong commitment. So whether you're an educator, caregiver, or someone ready to challenge your own biases, hit play and let's keep doing this work together.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/Intro music: "Shoobie Doobie" by Jimit

Racism isn't just a social issue…it's a classroom issue. And yup, you guessed it! It starts early. In part 1 of this 2 part series, co-hosts Nick and Mike are joined by anti-racist facilitator, Toi Sing-Woo, as we tackle the uncomfortable truths about how anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, and anti-Asian racism show up in early childhood education. With personal stories from our time as and with children, we'll uncover how these issues shape our educational experiences from the very start, and how we can confront these truths and push for real change. As anti-bias educators, change-makers, and allies, join us as we continue to advocate for change, dismantle harmful stereotypes, and create environments where we are vulnerable, we challenge the status quo, and we hold each other accountable in this work. 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/

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! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

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! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

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! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

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! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

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!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

Mike: "Nick?" Nick: "Yeah, Mike?" Mike: "What would it look like if we created a school from scratch? Ya know, one that is Pro-Indigenous and Pro-Black?" Nick: "Well, we'd have a lot of things, but most importantly, we'd have a Napcast episode to discuss it." Join us as we hit record and think about what would our school include, what would we have to give up, and how we can combine a pro-BIPOC curriculum with things such as TSG, High Scope and other curriculums that exists. 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!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

When we (un)intentionally push fathers and father-like figures to the side, we fail to recognize the impact that male figures have on a child's life. It means we ignore the contributions and life lessons being taught in the shop as our barber cuts our hair. It means we ignore the lessons we learn about brotherhood after we see the older boys in the hood stand up for you after a bully knocks us down. It means that we don't matter. In order to disrupt the hurtful and false narrative of the absent father, we must take a look at what joy and healing looks like for male engagement. Join us as we discuss the false narratives that influence males participation in the lives of young children and work to reclaim our roles as loving, caring, and compassionate fathers, father-like figures, community members, educators, and males. 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!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

Raise a hand if you've been asked by a preschooler, what's a colonizer? No? Just us? Well, in this episode we talk about how we can teach US history to young children that isn't whitewashed or appropriated. Using the truth to share valuable lessons, introduce unique new concepts and lay a foundation for further learning exploration, we share a story of how we used place based learning strategies to not bring shame to people but to Indigenous our curriculum. Join Nick and Mike as we kick off a brand new season of Napcast in with a bang! Got an idea for an episode? Have some comments? Or you want to be featured in one? Email us at napcast206.com and let's talk!  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

You'll sit there until you finish your food. Raise your hand if you ever heard that before. As you may know, getting children to eat can sometimes be a difficult task. But before you go to war with them to get them to clear their plate, have you ever stopped and wondered why they have a preferred taste? In this episode, we chat about how and why it could be more than just them being a picky eater. We explore the cultural-social-spiritual reasons why children might not have a healthy relationship with food and ways we can counteract that. If you're in need of some nourishment, you've come to the right place. Join us as we nourish our minds, bodies, and souls to help restore children's relationship with their foods and customs. *Interested in learning more about this from Nick and Mike? Reach out to napcast206@gmail.com to inquire about their workshop titled "Nourishing Our Spirits, Feeding Our Souls"* Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

Kindergarten Readiness. The term we all hold so dear. But instead of focusing on the future, how about we focus on the here and now? Have you ever wondered what does toddler-readiness look like? What about preschool-readiness? In this episode we chat about what we hope infant educators do to make young children ready for the terrific twos and what toddler educators would do to make them ready for preschool. Join us as we wonder, think, and play as we develop and learn how to best support each other and the children in our lives. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

In some states, regions, and programs, the word "equity" and "justice" are not allowed. So, how can you talk about concepts of fairness, justice, and equity without jeopardizing your job? Inspired by Dr. Barbara Cooper's decision to step down as Secretary of Education in Alabama rather than change her beliefs about teaching for justice, Nick and Mike speculate about how early childhood educators can talk about gender, environmental, and immigration justice with young children without saying the word justice. Join us as we continue to evolve as reflective, social-justice educators. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

What role does water play in your life? In today's episode, Nick and Mike talk about the role that water plays in our lives as BIPOCs (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and as early childhood educators. We talk about our relationship with water, the ways water can restore us, the various ways children interact it with, and the important role it has in all of our lives. Join us as we listen to the heartbeat of water. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/napcast206/support

You might think that nature, art, and SEL are separate things but they aren't... It's actually a family affair! Chatting with writer, pianist, and environmental justice educator, Sylvia Hadnot (she/they), we learn why and how when we connect children to Mother Earth and Father Sky we are actually connecting them to the entire universe. Using storytelling to drop knowledge on how we can build relationships, advance social justice, and tear down systems with young children, we'll spend this hour watering our roots and fertilizing our souls to continue nurturing our relationship with Gaia. Check out Sylvia's website and book at haseverything.co Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/napcast206/support

In this keynote to the Los Angeles Community College District, Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him), sends a message of resistance to the early childhood educators living and thriving in this region. For 90 minutes, we share our thoughts on how we as male educators of color are resisting racist and sexist curriculum, policy that pigeonholes us, and the interactions in our learning environments that kills our Black and Brown children's dreams. Join us as we continue to challenge you and ourselves to be a bit more vulnerable, honest, and anti-racist. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/napcast206/support

Professionalism isn't for our safety, it's to contain us, constrain us, assimilate us into a white narrative. And so how do we fight back? How do we allow our culture to wash over us and restore us? As we sit and conversate with Joana (she/ela), a former nanny turned DEI practioner who hails from Brazil, we chat about how we can raise and rear children from the joys and strengths of their culture. Join us as we hear lessons and stories from Brazil. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/napcast206/support

Coming back for part 2 of 2, we continue our conversation with our colleague Suzette (she/they), an educator, mother, and advocate who currently serves as the Senior Education Specialist for the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning. In this episode, you'll hear our thoughts around how we can create space for different needs and abilities, what healing for neurodiverse people could look like, and what we want to see in an equitable world. If you haven't listened to part 1, go back and listen! Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Go outside and look at the trees, the sea life, the people you see. What do you notice? Each day we witness, marvel at, and celebrate the bio and cultural diversity of our world. But what about the diversity we can't quite see? How do we celebrate the diversity of our brains? In part 1 of 2, we chat with our colleague Suzette (she/they), an educator, mother, and advocate who currently serves as the Senior Education Specialist for the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning. In this episode, you'll hear a multitude of thoughts including how neurodiversity is an identity, the many different strengths of neurodiverse children, and the damage that can be done if we continue to minimize their lived experiences in our early learning environments. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

"Dear Mike and Nick - Thank you for your conversations and your podcast. It's so refreshing hearing two male educators in our profession. I have a question though, do our toddlers really need to / have the capacity to be hearing about gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and reproductive organs?" In this episode, we explore this question we received the other day by unpacking and reflecting on two conversations we've had with young children about gender and sexual anatomies. Touching upon other closely related topics such as bodily consent, we'll give our rationale around why it's not just important to talk about these things with young children, but why it's necessary if we aim to create a society where all is heard, seen, validated, loved and cared for. Join us as we complicate ours and our children's thinking on what people can or cannot do, be, or wear. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Did you hear about the change of scenery Mike had in part 1 of 2? Head back there and check it out if you haven't! Then join us for Part 2 as Napcast co-hosts, Nick (he/him), and Mike (he/him), focuses on how we can support toddlers, preschoolers, and that new colleague of yours as they transition into new learning environments and deal with all the emotions that comes with it. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

It was roughly 18 months ago that Nick underwent a major life transition... now its Mike's turn. In part 1 of 2, Napcast co-hosts, Nick (he/him), and Mike (he/him), chats about the emotions that comes up when adults transitions to a new phase of their lives and lays the foundation for part 2 which will focus on what preschoolers may feel as they graduate and move onto Kindergarten. Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. Please share your questions, comments, and thoughts at our new email address - Napcast206@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

America is failing Black birthing people. And so, when we talk about Reproductive Justice we need to include not just the right to bodily autonomy, but also the systems needed so that this person's health is centered throughout their birthing journey. Joined by Stephaine Courtney M.Ed (she/her), the Executive Director of The Learning Project Network (https://www.tlptraining.com/), Nick and Mike discuss what culturally sustaining mental, family, and reproductive support looks like, the role Early Childhood Education can play in Postpartum depression, and what does intergenerational healing look like for birthing folxs. About the co-host Since meeting over 5 years ago at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Coast Salish Territory), Nick Terrones (he/him) and Mike Browne (he/him) have been working towards a critical reimagination of ECE spaces for BIPOC educators and youth. In 2020, they teamed up to deliver a podcast titled Napcast, where they explore the intersection of early childhood education with race, identity, and culture. Now in new roles, Nick as the Program Director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes, and Mike, Sr. Director of Community Engagement at Cultivate Learning, they combine their experience from their time in the classroom with their insights as ECE leaders in order to challenge your perspective on the ways we teach, play, and love society's youngest citizens. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

This wasn't supposed to be an episode. It was supposed to be a meet and greet. But when you hear something so profound, you have to run with it right? That's what happened in this episode. Nick and I had a chat with Kristie Norwood (she/her), Education Manager living and working as an Early Childhood Professional in Chicago, IL. In this episode, we share a small portion of our conversation around Reggio, ECE, and White Supremacy and how a copy and paste approach to ECE just doesn't work. Join us for 30 minutes of reflections, thoughts, and good company. Explicit language used inside. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

In this episode, Napcast co-hosts Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him), continues their conversation on how we can create an organizational culture in which your values align with your mission which aligns with your vision. If you missed Part 1, go back and listen to it! This is Part 2 of 2. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Building a new culture and organizational structure is a hard and tricky thing. How are you as a leader, being open to feedback? How are you, as an educator, inviting change into your program? How does this impact the community at large? In this episode, Napcast co-hosts Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him), shares their thoughts on culture, change management, and the flexibility needed to thrive in 2022 and beyond. Join them as we reflect together and share with one another, ways we can build a successful and healthy work culture where everyone is valued and validated. This is Part 1 of 2. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Am I good enough? That feels like a question that we've all asked ourselves before. But have we ever wondered.. why do we feel this way? Where did that come from? What's really behind this feeling? For Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him), we call this sort of self-doubt "saboteurs." These saboteurs makes you feel less capable than those around you. It tells you that your success is a result of luck. That you're a fraud. You're an imposter! So, what can we do about it? In this episode, Nick and Mike tries to make sense of imposter syndrome, the fragility that may come with it, and how we've overcome some of them in our work with young children. Explicit language used inside. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

You don't have to be a white supremacist to reinforce white supremacy norms. There's lots that can be communicated non-verbally that could have harmful effects. So... what does your environments say? What does it communicate about your values and image of the child? How can we begin to shift our settings, so that it is not unintentionally having harmful impact on us all, and especially on our communities of color? In this episode, Napcast co-hosts, Nick (he/him), and Mike (he/him), talks about the environment and how we can manipulate it in order to support our youngest citizens. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Patriarchy in ECE... Does it exist? Do we subconsciously cater to males wants and needs? How can we support young males in examining gender and their roles in the patriarchal society we live in? How can we use our privilege as males to help achieve gender-balance in our workforce? In this episode, Napcast co-hosts, Nick (he/him), and Mike (he/him), are joined by Meraf Tenaw (he/him), a Black male educator working with preschoolers in Eugene, OR. Together, they chat about the impacts our gender has in our profession, our bias, and how we can continue to question heteronormative manners, habits and attitudes. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Returning for Part 2 of 2, we resume our chat with Reiane (she/her), on stories from her culture, the impact stories had on her growing up, and ways she uses storytelling in order to connect with the children in her class. If you haven't listened to part 1, go back and listen! Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Stories ain't just for storytelling, it can be used for brand identity, marketing, or communication. It can also move people. Give voice to the voiceless. Changes our brains and most importantly, preserves part of our culture. To mark the start of Filipino/x-American Heritage Month (October), Mike (he/him) and Nick (he/him), chats with Reiane Abuda (she/her) a Filipina-American on both the stories from her culture, and how she uses stories to support and sustain her in her work with young children. This is part 1 of 2. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute in Seattle, WA (Duwamish Territory). He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Recently, we have been dealt a somber reminder of one of the darkest chapters of Canada's and the Pacific Northwest history over the past few weeks. The remains of 215 Indigenous children were found at unmarked graves at a former residential school in Vancouver, BC. In today's conversation with Theresa (she/her), Paty (she/her), Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him), we focus on these 215 children, their lives, their culture, how we can heal our own trauma that has occurred from the hands of White Supremacy, racial oppression, and the attempted eradication of BIPOC people, and how we can bring this topic into our learning environments. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a social-justice oriented, reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Working with young children brings you a new perspective on life. How to be more childlike, how to find your joy, how to live life to the fullest. But does it transfer to adults who leave the sector? In this episode we catch up with Hisham, a former male educator of color (toddler educator) on why he left, what ECE taught him, and some of the transferable skills he has taken from ECE to his new field. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

A Knee. A knee can either be used to take a life away or can be used for justice. This week, we were reminded of both. In this special recording, in the wake of the guilt verdict of Derek Chauvin, Nick and Mike provide listeners with some concrete ways that they can introduce this topic into their classroom today. In this hour long Napcast, they share their feelings, their thoughts, and their pure exhaustion from the last 24 hours. Join them as they discusses ways you can chat with children about policing, racism, kneeling, and the significance of this moment. Explicit Language Inside. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

With an increased pressure on demonstrating school readiness in standardized, deficit-oriented, checklist models, and time-consuming ways, educators in the USA are often challenged in making authentic connections to marginalized children and caregivers. Educators in the USA are often forced to silence the voices of families in the process. Most assessments for educators in the USA takes the joy out of sharing children's learning and success. Learning Stories, on the contrary, provides an opportunity to do away with all of that. This narrative, formative, strength-based approach towards assessment has the ability to deepen learning that leads to transformational change. In this Napcast, we sit down with Karen Virta from the American School in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to discuss how Learning Stories can connect and engage caregivers. How it can strengthen educators' observation and writing skills. And most importantly, how it can support children in establishing their identity, cultural humility, and sense of belonging in this world. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Nick and Mike are emotional dudes. We cry. We are tender. We are joyful. We get hangry. Despite wearing our emotions on our sleeve, it still takes some intentionality on our part. Intentionality with our actions, words and activities in order to support young children's ability to identify emotions, to increase their vocab, to think beyond emotional stereotypes, and ultimately to be confident in expressing themselves. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Childcare doesn't just consist of educators. They include home attendants who provide support to children with dis/abilities, house cleaners who are keeping our houses and programs safe and clean, nannies and all the other essential workers. Today with Stacy Kono, we shine a light on the forgotten part of our industry and what we can do to support and uplift them. Please note, this episode was recorded in December 2020. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Returning for Part 2 of 2, we resume our chat with Ciera, Director of DEI at the Bertschi School. In this episode we ask, what is it like being a Black woman in white spaces? How can we take these social movements and turn it into actual change? What does our institutions and organizations needs to do and consider first before engaging with communities of color? If you haven't listened to part 1, go back and listen! Join us for more Black Woman Wisdom. Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center and Educator Institute is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

“Every place in America will represent a corner of hell for a Black woman.” In this Napcast, we chat with Ciera, Director of DEI at The Bertschi School on ways we can Institutionalize our Anti-Racism work. Dropping knowledge and wisdom on how White Supremacy lives and ways we can combat it, we reflect on what it takes to be liberated. Join us for part 1 or 2 where we reflect much more deeply on this historic opportunity to finally pursue real and lasting change. Explicit Language Inside: Parental Advisory Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

In this episode, we are joined once again by Amir Gilmore (he/him), Assistant Professor in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education at Washington State University, who also joined us on Napcast Special Episode #1 titled "Is America Anti-Black?" In the aftermath of the insurrection on the United States of America's capitol building, we gather to discuss the insurrection and how we can approach this topic with young children. Join us as we talk about politics, democracy, white supremacy and more through the eyes of three male educators of color. #BlackLivesMatter. Explicit Language Inside: Parental Advisory Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Language isn't something we often think about and because we don't think about it, we often take it for granted. And when we take it for granted, we aren't cognizant of the ways it can be used as an instrument of oppression. In this episode, we examine our language, the power of language, and how this world can be represented in an unlimited number of ways. This live session of Napcast, delivered at the 2020 virtual WAEYC conference, we chat with early learning professionals across the state on ways we have weaponized language to suppress culture, identity, and souls. Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you're not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color. The Hosts: Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Am I Black enough? How do I claim my Native heritage? Am I Latinx worthy? These are the questions many bi and multi-cultural children ask themselves. Returning for Part 2 of 2, we continue our conversation with Miriam (she/her), an Afro-Indigenous early learning professional in Seattle, WA. In this episode we take an even deeper look at connection, identities, the language of colonization and what we can do to support the Native community. To hear part 1 of our conversation, go back to Episode 13. Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you're not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color. To support Napcast, please visit our homepage at: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc or email us at institute@hilltopcc.org The Hosts: Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

In part 2 of 2, we continue our conversation focused on transitions to this new school year. In today's episode we chat with two early learning professional leaders of color, Alfonso (he/him) and Theresa (she/her), on how their own experience being marginalized gives them the strength and motivation to break the cycle of inequities that's facing today's youth. Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you're not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color. The Hosts: Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

From TV to Twitter to the dining room table, today's children get their news from a variety of sources. Some might ask you, what's going on? While some may act it out at home. So how do we respond? In this special pre-election episode, Nick and Mike chat about how we can encourage children to be a part of the democratic system in peaceful and respectful ways. As early childhood educators, we share how adults can instill values and skills for children to recognize that all human beings are equal, have the same rights, and that participation, consensus, and bipartisanship conversation are democratic principles. Don't forget to vote! Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you're not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color. The Hosts: Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support

Returning to “school” this fall is going to be .. well.. interesting. There are new challenges, anxiety, rules, children, and at Hilltop… we have a new location! In this episode, we chat about the changes, the transitions, the laughter, the tears, and how we are working with admin, educators, parents, and the community to support children and ourselves. In part 1 of 2, we chat with three womxn, educators of color - Amanda (she/her), Black, Paty (she/her), Brazilian and Indigenous, and Jen (she/her), Mexican-American, on their experience balancing the vast amount of change they have witnessed since the beginning of the school year. Napcast is a podcast designed to help you learn on the go, hear another perspective, spark debate, agree incessantly, and honestly, remind you that you're not alone. We live in a complex world, so allow us to challenge your orientation with words, thoughts, advice, and the perspective of two male early childhood educators of color. The Hosts: Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Hilltop Children's Center where he has worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He now serves as the director of Daybreak Star Preschool at United Indians of All Tribes in Seattle, WA. He's a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE. Mike Browne (he/him) is the Senior Community Engagement Manager for Hilltop Educator Institute. He's a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society. Hilltop Children's Center is a reggio-inspired preschool, afterschool program, and equity-focused professional development institute in Seattle, WA, on the traditional lands of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hilltopcc/support