This year, we are hosting a series of Research Into Practice Book Talks. We will invite authors to join us for a discussion about their book and how early childhood educators, caregivers, and parents can use this knowledge to inform their practice. Our first book talk will be with Amanda Morgan discussing her book Not Just Cute: How Powerful Play Drives Development in Early Childhood. We invite you to join the conversation on Thursday, January 22nd at 7 pm EST.

The 2026 Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action is February 2-6, 2026, and we are hosting two events.

Join us for our Affirming Black Identity in the Early Years webinar on Tuesday, February 3rd! This is part of our Reflective Practitioner Series course for subscribers, but we are offering this webinar for free to all!

On Thursday, February 5th, join Rethinking Schools, Penguin Random House, Defending the Early Years, and Black Lives Matter at School for a virtual launch and celebration of "Main Street: A Community Story About Redlining" by Britt Hawthorne and Tiffany Jewell.

Our December Diversity Is Not Divisive Resource was the Asian American Studies K12 Framework. “Developed by Dr. Sohyun An and Dr. Noreen Naseem Rodriguez for the Asian American Research Initiative, this framework introduces an Asian American Studies framework to K-12 educators. The framework avoids common multicultural approaches that only include communities of color and marginalized groups through disjointed, superficial lessons focused on food, fun, and festivals.”

And our January resource is the book Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, and All Year Long, K–3 by Dawnavyn James. "Dawnavyn James believes Black history shouldn't be relegated to the month of February. In her groundbreaking book, Beyond February: Teaching Black History Any Day, Every Day, and All Year Long, K-3, she provides a practical guide for elementary educators who seek to teach history in truthful and meaningful ways that help young students understand the past, the present, and the world around them."

Do you have a favorite diversity resource you want us to share? Fill out this form! Explore our Diversity Resources here.

Did you miss the livestream of our latest DEY Dialogue on Learning From Family Child Care? Well, you can watch the recording and hear all about the new Home Grown Podcast that centers the voices of family childcare providers!

You can catch up on all our DEY Dialogues here.

Join The Teach for Climate Justice Project Study Group! This study group will focus on Tom Roderick’s award-winning book, Teach for Climate Justice: A Vision for Transforming Education.

Two New Podcasts Hosted by DEY National Advisors

That Early Childhood Nerd has expanded into Nerdwork and added two new podcasts featuring DEY National Advisors as hosts. The Home Grown Podcast, hosted by Melinda Anderson (DEY National Advisor) and Bethany Corrie, is a place where providers come together to share the mess, the mayhem, and the magic of family child care. And Liberated Learning, hosted by Kisa Marx (DEY National Advisor) and Mike Huber, is a podcast that believes play is the space where children claim freedom, rehearse democracy, and exercise agency.  Click on the images above to listen to the podcasts!

DEY National Advisor Rukia Rogers and The Weelaunee Coalition are calling for a Week of Action beginning January 18 and ending January 25, 2026. "As an organization rooted in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthplace, the home of the movement to Stop Cop City, and in remembrance of our comrade, who was assassinated by the police while defending the earth, we are moved by a deep commitment to building a world grounded in peace, justice, and anti-war principles. As educators, students, parents, and caregivers working toward the world our young people deserve, we call upon all our relatives across the country and around the world to bring this generation’s movement of anti-war and peace into their classrooms, schools, and communities." Learn more here. 

Have you signed up to receive our Threat Watch Alert? In an effort to support collective efforts to resist cuts to programs that serve many young children and their families, we have created a new Threat Watch Alert. You can sign up below to stay up to date regarding urgent developments—whether it's harmful legislation, budget cuts, or shifts in quality standards.