Working for just,

equitable, and quality

early childhood education and 

care for every young child.



January 2025 Updates


Donate to Support Our Work
Defending the Early Years, Inc. is a
501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Donations are tax deductible.
Our Tax ID: 82-4308558
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DEY Reflective Practitioner Series New Course and Webinar

We are thrilled to share our upcoming course for the DEY Reflective Practitioner Series- Racial Identity in the Early Years: A Framework for Educators, Caregivers, and Parents. If you become a $25 monthly subscriber, you get access to all the courses in the Reflective Practitioner Series. Check out our upcoming programming and click on the link below to subscribe today.

Subscribe to the DEY Reflective Practitioner Series

Want to learn more about the framework? Join our free introductory webinar, co-hosted with Black Lives Matter at School, on Tuesday, February 4th, at 7 p.m., as part of the 2025 Week of Action. Click on the link to register today.

Register for Framework Webinar

Kisha's Back!

We are excited to announce the return of the DEY Podcast with Kisha Reid. We launched the podcast in 2021, and it was an instant success. In February 2024, Kisha announced that she was taking a hiatus as she opened her new outdoor learning program. We could not wait to welcome her back, and we look forward to sharing Episode 26 very soon! In the meantime, check out Episode 13, Really Seeing Children with Deb Curtis!

National Advisor News

Check out what our DEY 

National Adviors are up to! 

Ideas that Have Guided My Efforts to Protect Bears

From Bill Crain, Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary December 2024

During this time, I sometimes thought about the existential philosophy of Albert Camus. In one essay, Camus wrote about Sisyphus, the mythical Greek hero who was condemned for eternity to push a boulder up a hill, only for the boulder to roll back down every time. Camus argued that even in a hopeless situation, what matters is our attitude toward it. We find dignity and meaning in fighting for our beliefs.

Read More

Love Our Children continues to push for change in NHCS suspension policy, data sharing

From Peter Rawitsch

For nearly two years, an advocacy group, Love Our Children (LOC), has petitioned the New Hanover County school district to change the policies and procedures surrounding the suspension of students under eight years old. Officials with NHCS say implementing their requests is more complicated and nuanced than a mere policy change.

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Honoring Childhood Follow Your Lead Virtual Summit 2025

From Samuel Broaden

Join Honring Childhood for 12 sessions over 3 days, covering everything from classroom collaboration, outdoor education, building connections between educators and families, a healing session, and more!

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DEY Banned Book Club Feature

A is for Activist

DEY ED Denisha Jones kicks off our 2025 Banned Book Club with a feature on A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara. This powerful ABC book celebrates environmental justice, activism, peace, and so much more! You can find all of our Banned Book Club features here!

Do you teach or work with pre-service teachers?

Are you looking for exciting extra credit opportunities? Consider having your students record Banned Book Club Features! For more information, email denishajones@deyorg!

SAVE THE DATE: DEY 7th Annual Summer Institute

Annual Appeal Success!

We are so grateful to everyone who donated and shared our Annual Appeal fundraiser. Thanks to you, we raised over $12,000, and we are close to achieving our goal of raising $25,000 to secure additional funding! There's still time to donate today!

Mini-Grant Update

It's Us!: Disabled & Neurodivergent Children At Play in Brookings, South Dakota, USA

Disabled & Neurodivergent Children At Play: Play offers a perfect opportunity for young children - and their adults! - to explore concepts related to disability. Disabled & Neurodivergent Children At Play! Play offers a perfect opportunity for young children - and their adults! - to explore concepts related to disability.

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December 2024 Mini-Grant Recipients

  • Ron Grady
  • Elizabeth Seton Center
  • Sol Felipe Miranda



Apply for a $500 DEY Mini-Grant by March 1.

Advocacy Spotlight

Check out our Advocacy Spotlight, a series dedicated to highlighting advocacy efforts around the country to advance early childhood education.


Visit our Advocacy Map to view more advocacy efforts. Do you know of early childhood advocacy happening in your community? Add it to our Advocacy Map!

DEY Advocacy Map

Our Leadership

Board of Directors

Nancy Carlsson-Paige

Founder and Senior Advisor


Diane Levin

Founder and Senior Advisor


Blakely Bundy

Secretary


Geralyn Bywater

Treasurer


Executive Director

Denisha Jones


Project Coordinator

Zoe Kim


Founding National Advisory Board 

Constance Kamii

Lilian Katz

Maurice Sykes

Sherry Cleary

Doris Pronin Fromberg 

Deborah Meier

Edgar Klugman

DEY National Advisors



Suzanne Axelsson*

Heather Bernt-Santy*

Samuel Broaden*

Takiema Bunche Smith*

Erika Christakis

Bill Crain

Rixa Evershed*

Dale Farran*

Carol Garboden-Murray*

Laleña Garcia*

Michelle Gunderson

Tom Hobson*

Nadia Jaboneta*

Susan Linn

Melinda Marshall*

Kisa Marx*

Peter Rawitsch*

Kisha Reid*

Rukia Rodgers*

Ruth Rodriguez-Fay

Kaliris Yimar Salas-Ramirez*

James St. Clair

Judith Van Hoorn

Dodah Yirusha*


* New Advisor

Defending the Early Years, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Donations are tax deductible. Our Tax ID: 82-4308558
Support Our Work
Defending the Early Years


Follow DEY for the latest updates.
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