Defending the Early Years is pleased to announce the dates of its 2022 Summer Institute.

Monday, June 27 through Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 4 to 6 pm EDT.

Stay tuned for details as they become available, but mark your calendars now and keep an eye out for more information.

Don't miss Defending the Early Year’s new video, “Young Children & COVID: Audrey Duck & Dr. Susan Linn Talk about Going Back to School” (2021).

Our Guidelines for Parents and Teachers includes suggestions for facilitating the conversation after viewing the video.

A recent DEY mini grant was awarded to Peter Rawitsch and Veronica McLaurin-Brown and their organization, Love Our Children, in New Hanover County, North Carolina. They used the funds to convince the school board to eradicate suspensions for children between ages four and seven. Read about what they did and how they did it.

DEY offers mini grants of $200 to $500 to help foster grassroots advocacy work to promote education policies based on child development theory and research. We consider applications four times a year.

Deadlines are: Sept. 1, Dec. 1, March 1, and June 1. Find more information about applying for a DEY mini grant by visiting the mini-grant page of our website.

Pat Rumbaugh and our friends at Let's Play America have just published a new book called "Let's Play Outside."

The book features bright photos of diverse children in motion to inspire young ones everywhere to get outside and play in their surroundings. Additional resources include suggested activities, play locations, safety tips, and rules. You can find the book here. A portion of the proceeds go to help fund the activities of the organization.

You can learn more about Let's Play America by watching the trailer below.