Rights & Needs of Young Children
Defending the Early Years
DEY’s Mission
approaches to learning informed by child development theory and evidence-based research.
DEY’s Primary Goals
- To advocate at the grassroots, local, state, regional, and federal levels for education policies based on child development theory and research.
- To mobilize the early childhood community to speak up for age-appropriate standards, assessments, and classroom practices that are based on research.
- To promote appropriate practices in early childhood classrooms and to support educators in counteracting policies and practices that undermine whole child health and optimal learning.
What’s New at DEY?
Last month, we launched our new RPS course, Seeing Ourselves Seeing Each Other: Nurturing Healthy Identity in the Early Years. If you missed the introductory webinar, you can access the recording by clicking the link below.
We are pleased to announce that our October workshop, Affirming Latine/x Identity in the Early Years, has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 28th, at 6:00 p.m. EDT. Yesenia Moya Garay will join DEY ED Denisha Jones to discuss Latine/x racial/ethnic identity development and how to nurture healthy racial identity in young Latine/x children. Yesenia is a Community Organizer, Educator, Artist, and Founder of Mojada Inc.
Each month, we will focus on a particular racial/ethnic group.
Subscribers can access the full course for $8 a month. For just $25 a month, you’ll also gain access to our Fall Book Study! Subscribe today: https://www.patreon.com/12684285/join
Unfortunately, we had to postpone our first Resistance Collective Meeting. The meeting has been rescheduled for Saturday, November 8th, at 1 pm EDT
We at DEY recognize that the challenges facing early childhood education and care are increasing—from harmful policies to funding cuts to directives that undermine our expertise. The In Defense of ECEC: Resistance Collective is a space for early childhood educators, advocates, and parents to come together, build solidarity, and strengthen our collective voice.
We will meet monthly or every other month to strategize a collective response, support each other in dealing with specific issues, and learn together.
Did you miss our Child Care Justice webinar? You can click on the link below to access the recording.
In honor of DEY Founding National Advisor Maurice Sykes, we have selected his recent co-edited book, Child Care Justice: Transforming the System of Care for Young Children, for the Fall 2025 Book Study!
The Fall 2025 Book Study on Child Care Justice begins on Thursday, October 16th, from 6:00-7:30 pm EDT and will meet for four weeks, concluding on Thursday, November 6th.
Platinum subscribers to the DEY PLI Reflective Practitioner Series have access to the Book Study along with our other RPS courses. Non-subscribers can register for the book study for $25.
Kisha and Monica discuss the importance of providing the time, space, and permission for nature play and exploration. And advocating for nature education access for all.
Monica has pursued her love of nature-based education for over two decades. She is the founding director of the Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE).
The DEY Podcast with Kisha Reid is a monthly discussion-styled show featuring educators, advocates and other changemakers about their grassroots projects, innovations in education and reimagining early childhood environments. Our goal is to amplify these voices so we can all learn and work toward a more equitable and playful environment for children. Check out all episodes here.
Last month we launched our Diversity Is Not Divisive resource share. Each month we will share resources that honor our commitment to diversity as an asset that must be affirmed and protected.
This month resource is Teaching Central America: A Project of Teaching for Change. This campaign, created to encourage teaching about Central America includes lessons, book lists, biographies and more.
Check out the elementary lessons plans here!
DEY Dialogues: Discussions in Defense of Childhood return next week! On Tuesday 10/21 at 1 pm EDT we will livestream our next episode: Supporting Immigrant Children and Their Families with guest Erika Strauss Chavarria, Founder and Executive Director of Columbia Community Care Inc.
Moderated by DEY Executive Director Denisha Jones, these dialogues aim to inspire and reaffirm our dedication to protecting and nurturing childhood. Join us in this important mission of defending childhood and advocating for the well-being of society’s youngest members.
We’re thrilled to announce the release of our resource for the campaign, In Defense of ECEC: Restoring the Link Between High Quality and Child Development. This advocacy toolkit is a powerful new resource designed to equip early childhood educators, advocates, and leaders with clear, compelling messaging that links what we know about child development to what we do in practice and policy.
Click on the image to download the toolkit, and you can watch the webinar recording below.
You can also download individual pages for each topic covered in the toolkit!
DEY has released a framework to support early childhood educators, caregivers, and parents in supporting young children’s healthy racial identity development. Fostering Healthy Identity Development in Young Children: Affirming Race, Culture, and Ethnicity in the Early Years is a framework designed for early childhood educators, caregivers, and parents to understand the development of racial identity and support healthy development in the early years. Click the image to download the framework.
Click on the image to download the framework, and you can watch the introductory webinar recording below.
Also, check out the DEY 2025 BLMAS Resource List here!
Do you want to explore the toolkit and framework in more depth? Become a monthly subscriber to our Reflective Practitioner Series and access our In Defense of Quality and Fostering Healthy Identity Courses!
From Network for Public Education 10/14/2025 Hundreds of employees in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) —…
Denisha talks with Rixa Evershed and Aidn White about applying ECEC values Equity, Truth, and Care to global challenges.
This month’s resource is Teaching Central America: A Project of Teaching for Change. This campaign, designed to promote teaching about Central America, features lessons, book lists, biographies, and additional resources.
Kisha and Monica discuss the importance of providing the time, space, and permission for nature play and exploration. And advocating for nature education access for all.
Monica has pursued her love of nature-based education for over two decades. She is the founding director of the Association for Nature-Based Education (ANBE).
The East Hampton Star, Oct. 9, 2025 Jane Goodall To the Editor: I would like to say a few words…
The campaign and art asks participants to envision their own needs with regard to the DEY principles.
DEY seeks to rally parents and educators to take action on policies affecting the education of young children, by encouraging them to speak out with well-reasoned arguments against inappropriate standards, assessments, and classroom practices.
DEY provides mini-grants of between $200 and $500 to individuals and organizations to help foster work in communities across the country. DEY’s first mini-grant, awarded in 2014, resulted in a rally for play that took place in Minneapolis.
DEY
Are you concerned about the direction that education policy is going? We are, too!
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