BAM Radio: Reconciling Conflicts Between Elementary School and Early Childhood Professionals
Blog Post
Sept. 7, 2010
In a segment that aired this week on BAM Radio’s Heart-to-Heart Conversations on Leadership, host Holly Elissa Bruno took on the topic of the different belief systems between early childhood professionals and elementary school educators, interviewing Valora Washington, founder and president of the CAYL Institute. I had the pleasure of joining them as a guest.
We discussed how elementary school and early childhood professionals can build on their strengths and work together to help young children transition seamlessly from one system to another. One challenge Washington pointed out was that “schools and community-based programs are existing in parallel universes, while they are actually in close geographic proximity.” So, the first step towards partnership and collaboration, we both agreed, is for schools and preschool programs – in the same community – to reach out and get to know one another to learn about their respective philosophies, goals, challenges and needs.
Listen to the show to hear our entire conversation. And to read more on the topic of principal and center director leadership, look at these past Early Ed Watch posts:
- Principal Training, Pre-K Through Third Grade
- Consensus Recommendations to the Senate HELP Committee for including Early Learning in the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
- Podcast: Bringing Principals and Preschool Directors Together
- What Kindergarten Readiness Means to Kindergarten Teachers