The Early Years Podcast

Parent App

The Early Years Podcast by Parent App is your space to sit back, reflect, and grow as an early years professional. Hosted by the Parent App team, this podcast explores the real challenges and beautiful moments that shape early childhood education. From simplifying admin, supporting educators and best practice, to building strong family partnerships, to nurturing children's development, each conversation offers insights you can bring back to your nursery or classroom. Whether you're a leader, educator, or simply passionate about the early years, this podcast helps you stay in

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10 episodes
fortnightly
Avg 52 min
English

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September 2 · 50 min
Adult Aesthetics: The Hidden Problem | May Zalat | The Early Years Podcast #9
Every educator has walked into a classroom they've built with their own hands and never once asked who it was actually built for. The bulletin boards. The labeled bins. The furniture arrangement. We assume it's for the children, but is it?In Episode 10, Dana sits down with May Zalat, Group Director of Inclusion at Kids First Group, for a conversation about "adult aesthetics", the pattern where classrooms end up shaped around the adults evaluating them rather than the children living in them. May shares the personal journey that pulled her into inclusion work, why belonging isn't a program you apply but a decision you make every morning, and how the same open-ended material can meet two completely different children exactly where they are.In this episode:— What "adult aesthetics" means and why it shows up without us noticing— The moment that shaped May's entire career in inclusion— Why the environment is the first message a child receives, before any adult says a word— What children are really looking for when they walk into a room and why it's different from what parents notice— The "Giant Competent" activity: what it feels like to be talked to from above— Why open-ended materials let every child enter learning at their own level— The difference between a consequence and a punishment, and why it matters— Why receiving feedback from a three-year-old is harder than it sounds— Belonging as a daily decision, not a checklist
August 19 · 53 min
What Inclusion Actually Means | Dr. Catherine O'Farrell | The Early Years Podcast #9
Every center says it's inclusive. Fewer can point to the child in the room you genuinely can't tell is on an IEP, because that's what real inclusion actually looks like once it works.In Episode 9, Dana sits down with Dr. Catherine O'Farrell, co-founder of Inclusion, an organization that's trained over a thousand learning support assistants across the UAE. They talk about the gap between being enrolled and being supported, why the best IEPs are the ones nobody notices, and why sometimes the most inclusive thing a school can do is say no.In this episode:— What inclusion actually means, beyond enrollment numbers— The KHDA inspection moment that redefined Dr. Catherine's whole approach— Tiers, levels, and waves: how support is actually structured— Why a barrier-focused IEP works better than a target-focused one— The one-page IEP that's helped schools reach Outstanding— The Ferrari and the Ford Fiesta: why teacher hesitation isn't unwillingness— Enrollment vs. real inclusion, and how to spot "bums on seats"— What Dr. Catherine had to unlearn about leadership and workload— Who pushes back hardest on inclusion, and why— The catch-22 parents face, and when specialist provision is the right call— Why saying no can be the more honest, more inclusive choice— A final piece of advice: who's actually reading your paperwork?
S1 · E8
August 5 · 55 min
Navigating Additional Needs: The Journey Families and Educators Share | Dr. Jihane Ghorayeb & Dr. Nour Al Ghriwati | The Early Years Podcast #8
Every educator has felt it, that quiet moment of noticing something in a child, and not quite knowing what to do with it. The hesitation before the conversation. The fear of saying the wrong thing, or waiting too long to say anything at all. In Episode 8, Dana sits down with Dr. Jihane Ghorayeb and Dr. Nour Al Ghriwati both of Caya World for a conversation that walks straight into that discomfort. They go beyond the theory of "spotting the signs" to name what educators actually miss, the words that build trust instead of defensiveness, and what really happens once a family says yes to a referral. In this episode: — What "additional needs" actually means, beyond the label — The quiet signs that get missed: freezing, selective mutism, big reactions to unfamiliar faces — Why open communication between home and school is harder than it sounds — The gap between noticing something and acting on it and why timing matters — How to read what's really going on when a parent goes quiet in the room — Why slowing your pace down is the most important thing you can do in that conversation — What "let's wait and see" really means (hint: it's rarely denial) — How culture shapes the way this news lands for different families — Why a diagnosis is a door, not a label — and what it actually opens — What the referral process looks like, and how educators stay part of it
S1 · E7
July 15 · 50 min
Before the Children Arrive: Provocations, Creativity & the Joy of Setup | Sophie Steele | The Early Years Podcast #7
There's a version of provocation-based practice that's rooted in what children actually need. And there's a version that just looks great on Pinterest. In this episode, Dana Alqinneh sits down with Sophie Steele — the educator and content creator behind Tough Trays with Soph — to talk about what really separates a provocation from a display. From the dinosaur tray that got completely hijacked, to why the "destructive" child might be the most deeply engaged one in the room, this conversation goes far beyond the aesthetic of a beautifully set-up tuff tray. Sophie and Dana talk creativity, restraint, observation, and what it actually takes to set something up that's genuinely for the children — not for the photo. In this episode: 🔹 The one question that separates a provocation from a display 🔹 Why copying a setup online misses the point entirely 🔹 The dinosaur tray Sophie planned — and the counting lesson the children turned it into 🔹 Why "destructive" play might be a child's deepest form of engagement 🔹 How to build a genuine provocation with 10 minutes and almost no materials 🔹 Why constantly changing your setup causes burnout — for you and the children 🔹 What leaders can do to protect the conditions educators need to create
S1 · E6
July 1 · 54 min
The Weight We Carry and The Work We Still Love | Jamie Ruffner | The Early Years Podcast Ep. 6
An educator who shows up every single day, regulated, prepared, fully present and still goes home carrying more than they came in with isn't failing at self-care. They're working in conditions that were never designed with their sustainability in mind.For every 10 educators who enter early years, only 4 are still in the sector five years later. We call it a retention problem. But what if it's actually a weight problem, the invisible, unacknowledged load that nobody put in the job description, and nobody taught us how to carry?In Episode 6 of The Early Years Podcast, host Dana Al Qinneh sits down with Jamie Ruffner, educator, content creator, and founder of Balanced Minds EDU, to talk about what this work actually costs, emotionally, physically, neurologically and what educators can do to protect themselves without waiting for the system to catch up.This is an honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about burnout, boundaries, and what it means to still love a job that was never built to love you back.🎧 **WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:**- Why educators make more minute-to-minute decisions than heart surgeons and what that sustained demand does to a person over time- The gap between the job description and the actual job, and why that gap is where burnout lives- Why "fill your cup" and "put on your oxygen mask first" advice misses the point entirely- What makes early childhood education uniquely relentless compared to every other stage- Why dysregulation doesn't stay in one classroom, it travels from leadership all the way to the children- Recess as a regulation right, not a reward and why some states had to make it law- The guilt educators carry when they finally admit they're struggling, and where that guilt really comes from- Why asking for help feels like admitting failure and what happens when nobody does- How to stay committed to this work without burning out again- Why children don't become what you say, they become who you are
June 17 · 46 min
Finding Your Why: Staying Rooted | Melonie Karriem | The Early Years Podcast #5
An educator who's already exhausted being told to "find their why" isn't being asked to grow. They're being handed one more thing to carry with no instructions on how to carry it. For every 10 educators trained in the early years, only 4 remain in the sector five years later. That's not a recruitment problem. It's not even a retention problem. It's a meaning problem.In Episode 5 of The Early Years Podcast, host Dana Al Qinneh sits down with Melonie Karriem, early years educator, centre manager, and founder of the Let's Talk Early Years podcast, with 30 years of experience in the sector, to talk about what it actually means to find and keep your why when everything around you is pulling you apart.This is an honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversation about identity, leadership and what the sector owes the people doing the heaviest lifting in it.🎧 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:- Why early years has one of the highest exit rates of any sector and what's really behind it- The difference between an identity problem and a recruitment problem- Why "find your why" became meaningless advice for educators already running on empty- Why you can't discover your purpose while you're in survival mode- The difference between leaders who inspire and leaders who manage by guilt- The "tugboat vs lighthouse" model of leadership- Why pizza Fridays and certificates don't retain good educators and what actually does- How to rebuild psychological safety on a team that's already lost it- Why leadership in early years is often a lonely role and where leaders need to look for support- Why your why never changes at its core, even as how you live it out evolves
S1 · E4
June 3 · 56 min
Executive Function in Early Childhood Education | Yogi Patel | The Early Years Podcast #4
A child who can't sit still isn't being difficult. A child who melts down at transitions isn't being dramatic. A child who forgets your instructions 30 seconds later isn't being careless. They're showing you exactly where their brain is in its development. And if we don't know what we're looking at, we respond to the behaviour instead of the need, every single time. In Episode 4 of The Early Years Podcast, host Dana Al Qinneh sits down with Yogi Patel, master trainer, founder of two Montessori schools, Certified Positive Discipline Association trainer, and educator with over 35 years of experience working with parents, educators, and leaders worldwide to explore executive function: what it is, why it's so rarely taught in formal training, and what changes in your classroom when you finally understand it. This is a grounded, practical, and deeply honest conversation for early years educators, nursery leaders, and anyone who has ever wondered why the children in front of them behave the way they do.
S1 · E3
June 2 · 51 min
Why Process Art Matters More Than the Finished Product | Tamara Jayyusi | The Early Years Podcast
"Wow, that's so beautiful." It comes from such a good place — but it might be the most limiting thing we say to a child about their art. In Episode 3 of The Early Years Podcast, host Dana Al Qinneh (Head of Pedagogy Innovation at Parent App and The Early Years Academy) sits down with Tamara Jayyusi — early childhood educator, trained artist, and Montessori guide at Innisfil Montessori Academy in Ontario, Canada — to completely reframe how we think about art in early years settings. This is a must-watch for early years educators, Montessori guides, preschool teachers, and centre directors who want to move art beyond a filler activity or something pretty for the display board, and treat it as the powerful developmental tool it really is. 🎨 WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:- The real difference between process art, guided art, and crafts (and where each belongs)- Why the process matters far more than the finished product- What to say instead of "that's so beautiful" — and why it changes everything- How to bring parents on board so process art isn't seen as "just scribbles"- How to manage the chaos: setting boundaries and "freedom within limits"- Why not every piece of art needs to go home- Using art as a trauma-informed tool to help children express what they have no words for- How talking about famous artists builds language, respect, and confidence- Reflective questions to assess your own art experiences
May 21 · 47 min
The Hidden Reason Kids Can't Focus in Classrooms | Dr. Kathryn Murray | The Early Years Podcast #2
The environment is never neutral. Before a child speaks a word in your classroom, the room is already telling their nervous system whether they're safe or whether they're not.In Episode 2 of The Early Years Academy Podcast, host Dana Al Qinneh sits down with Dr. Kathryn Murray creator of the Brain Set Environments Formula and founder of Future Strong Education to unpack how classroom design directly shapes a child's brain, behaviour, and capacity to learn.With over 40 years in education, Dr. Kathryn Murray shares the framework she built from a coffee-shop napkin into a global methodology now used by educators across the world. Together they explore why so many "beautifully designed" classrooms still don't work and what to change tomorrow morning to fix it.🧠 IN THIS EPISODE The three levels of the brain — Survival, Emotional, Thinking — and how each one needs a different thing from your space Why a "calm brain is a thinking brain" (and what kills the calm) The hidden design mistakes flooding kids with cortisol — sharp edges, long corridors, big open mats, clinical lighting Wayfinding: how to lay out a room like a meandering river instead of a running track "Small rooms within the room" — the homelike spaces that drop behaviour issues and lift language Why the educator's nervous system IS the environment Spatial predictability vs. routine predictability — and why trauma-informed practice needs both The Brain Set planning process and why it starts with "child appreciation," not assessment Small but significant changes you can make tomorrow
S1 · E1
April 29 · 53 min
Building Trust with Parents in Early Childhood Education | Pamela Greene | The Early Years Podcast Ep. 1
Every morning, a parent hands over the person they love most in the world, and walks away. What we do with that act of faith determines everything. In Episode 1 of The Early Years Podcast, host Dana Al Qinneh (Head of Pedagogy at Parent App, former centre principal, master trainer in trauma-informed practice, and mother of three) sits down with Pamela Greene, owner of Amanda Montessori, parent-infant educator, consultant, and mentor with over 40 years of experience walking alongside families from birth onward. Together, they unpack what trust in early childhood education really looks like beyond polished newsletters and parent satisfaction surveys. This is a candid, deeply human conversation for early years educators, centre directors, preschool owners, and parents who care about doing this work well.

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