Working for just,

equitable, and quality

early childhood education and

care for every young child.

November 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

Follow DEY for the latest updates

Save the Date for Our Next Two Webinars

Did you miss our Affirming Latine Identity in the Early Years webinar? No problem! As a Reflective Practitioner Series (RPS) subscriber you get access to all webinars in our RPS course, Seeing Ourselves Seeing Each Other: Nurturing Healthy Identity in the Early Years.

Our next webinar is Monday, November 24th, at 7 pm EST. Candace Manitopyes will join DEY ED Denisha Jones to discuss Affirming Indigenous Identity in the Early Years.

In December, we will focus on Affirming Asian Identity in the Early Years with a webinar on Tuesday, December 16, at 7 pm EST with Minsoo Kim-Bossard.

Each month, we will focus on a particular racial/ethnic group. RPS subscribers can access the webinars and receive a reflective workbook. Subscribe today for $8 a month!

Become a RPS Subscriber Today

DEY Podcast with Kisha Reid

Episode 34: Reimagining Early Childhood Education

Listen to the Podcast

Diversity Is Not Divisive

November Resource

This month's resource is the ECE Indigenous Reconciliation Toolkit. “Designed by Relentless Indigenous Woman Co., this toolkit helps early childhood educators (0–6 years) cultivate empathy, intercultural understanding, and mutual respect in the classroom.”

Want to learn more about this toolkit and purchase it at a discounted rate? Subscribe to our RPS and watch the live webinar on Monday, November 24th at 7 pm EST. Candace Manitopyes, Founder and CEO of Relentless Indigenous Woman, will review the updated toolkit and provide a discount code for DEY RPS subscribers!

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

DEY Dialgoues: Discussions in Defense of Childhood

Our next DEY Dialogue is on Friday, November 21st at 12:30 pm EST. Jacob Vigil, Chief Legislative Officer for New Mexico Voices for Children, will discuss how New Mexico became the first state to offer universal childcare.

Moderated by DEY Executive Director Denisha Jones, DEY Dialogues: Discussions in Defense of Childhood aim to inspire and reaffirm our dedication to protecting and nurturing childhood. Join us in this important mission to defend childhood and advocate for the well-being of society's youngest members.

Did you miss the livestream? You can catch up on all our DEY Dialogues here.

DEY National Advisors Updates

A Lever Long Enough: Changing Exclusionary Discipline Policies In North Carolina and Beyond by DEY National Advisor Peter Rawitsch

Love Our Children NC used this concept to change the short-term suspension policy in New Hanover County, North Carolina. The non-profit organization was co-founded by me and Veronica McLaurin-Brown in March 2021. We are dedicated to ending exclusionary discipline in our state. We are working to change harmful suspension and seclusion policies and statutes.

"The book The Commodification of American Education: Persistent Threats and Paths Forward includes a powerful chapter written by Denisha Jones in which she writes, “To protect childhood, we must resist GERM and all its manifestations in early childhood education.” In this episode, host Heather Bernt-Santy [DEY National Advisor] has a conversation with Denisha about what this means, why we need to do more than just resist, and the impacts for children if we do not take action."

Listen to the Episode

Mini-Grant Update

NYC Families and Educators for Responsible Instruction Website

We launched the website in late December 2024/ Early January of 2025. Our goal is to provide information to parents and to survey parents about these mandates and how they are impacting the classroom in ways that are not developmentally appropriate as well.

Applications are due by December 1st for our next round of mini-grants!

Apply for a DEY Mini-Grant

Threat Watch Alert

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.

Threat Watch

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

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

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

www.dey.org

Follow DEY for the latest updates.