About Us
Who We Were
Defending the Early Years (DEY) was a non-profit organization that worked to advance just, equitable, and high-quality early childhood education for every young child. DEY advocated for strong economic and social safety nets for all children because equitable education can only occur when society meets children’s basic needs for whole health and well-being.
Founded in 2012 by experts in early childhood education, Dr. Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Dr. Diane Levin, and steered by a National Advisory Board, DEY advocates for active, developmentally appropriate, play-based approaches to learning.
DEY provided educators, parents, and advocates with resources—from mini-documentaries and grants to position statements, reports, and opinion pieces; advises on early education policies and legislation; presents at conferences and events; stands with allies on issues and trends; and rallies the ECE community to influence change.
Our mission was to work for just, equitable, and quality early childhood education and care for every young child. We informed educators, administrators, and parents about how children develop and learn best. We advocated for active, playful, experiential approaches to learning informed by child development theory and evidence-based research.
- All children experience nurturing and developmentally appropriate educational practices and discover the joy of learning;
- Early childhood education encompasses interactive, relational, playful learning experiences grounded in the knowledge base of the field of child development;
- Early childhood education aims to meet the needs of each child according to the timetable and learning differences of each learner;
- Early childhood education serves as a protective factor for children experiencing trauma, toxic stress, racism, and other systems of oppression;
- Policymakers base education policies on the knowledge of the field of early childhood education and listen to the voices of teachers; and
- Childhood is forever protected.
- 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.
STAFF
Founder of D Jones Consultant
Free to Teach = Liberated to Learn
Email: denisha@djonesconsultant.com
Website: www.djonesconsultant.com
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/djonesconsultant
Host of DEY Podcast
Reflective Practice Series Facilitator
Director of Communications & Ourtreach 2022-2024
DeY Project Coordinator (Former Intern)
Volunteer Research Coordinator
DEY Board of Directors
Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Ed.D.
DEY’s Co-Founder, Senior Advisor, and President of the Board
Professor Emerita at Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
Nancy is professor emerita at Lesley University where she was a teacher educator in child development for more than 30 years. Nancy has written many books and articles on children’s play, their social and emotional development, and the effects of media and technology on young children. She is a critic of current education reforms that promote standardized tests and the privatization of schools. Nancy has received many awards for her leadership and advocacy in peace and early childhood education. In 2012, she co-founded Defending the Early Years, a nonprofit advocating for equitable, quality early education for every young child.
Diane Levin, Ph.D.
DEY’s Co-Founder, Senior Advisor, and Secretary of the Board
Professor of Applied Develomental Psychology, Wheelock College at Boston University, Boston, MA
Diane is internationally recognized expert helping professionals, parents and policymakers understand and respond to the impact of various societal forces-such as violence and sexualization, and media and commercial culture-on children’s development, learning and behavior. She is a founder of 3 advocacy organizations: TRUCE—Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment–which helps professionals help parents deal with the impact of media and promote quality play; Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which works to end the commercial exploitation of children; and, Defending the Early Years, which advocates for appropriate early childhood practice that counteracts inappropriate aspects of many recent school reform mandates. Levin is a Professor of Early Childhood Education at Wheelock College at Boston University. Her 9th book, Beyond Remote-Controlled Childhood: Teaching Young Children in the Media Age came out in August 2013.
Geralyn M. Bywater, M.Ed.
Treasurer of the Board
Geralyn M. Bywater, MEd, has more than thirty years of experience in early childhood education. She served as Director and subsequently Co-Director of Defending the Early Years from 2012 until June 2020. Additionally, she was a founding educator at the Mission Hill PK-8 School, a teacher-led, democratic Boston Public School. Over the years, Geralyn has come to believe that educators of young children play a critical role in advocating for play and in preserving the foundational essence of childhood. She has contributed to Rethinking Elementary Education and Rethinking Media and Pop Culture, both published by Rethinking Schools, and is the founder of Empowered by Play.
Blakely Bundy, M.ED.
Secretary of the Board
Director Emeritus and Senior Advisor to The Alliance for Early Childhood, North Shore of Chicago, IL
Blakely became Co-Director of DEY in January 2016. Previously, she was the Executive Director of The Alliance for Early Childhood, a community collaboration organization based on the North Shore of Chicago, for 25 years. Blakely holds a BA from Wheaton (MA) College and an M.Ed. from National-Louis University. She has been a preschool and kindergarten teacher in Vermont and Illinois. She was actively involved with Chicago Metro AEYC for over 20 years, chairing its Accreditation Project which facilitated the achievement of NAEYC accreditation for schools and centers located in low-income neighborhoods in Chicago. She served as its President from 2003-05. Currently, Blakely is a member of the Executive Committee for the Chicago Children’s Museum and chairs its Education, Exhibits, and Community Committee and is on the steering committee of TRUCE (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment).
Heather Bernt-Santy**
Samuel Broaden (he/they)**
Takiema Bunche**
Erika Christakis
William Crain
Rixa Evershed**
Dale C. Farran**
Carol Garboden-Murray**
Laleña Garcia**
Michelle Gunderson
“Teacher Tom” Hobson**
Susan Linn, ED.D.
Melinda Marshall**
Kisa Marx**
Peter Rawitsch**
Kisha Reid**
Rukia Rogers**
Ruth Rodriguez-Fay
Kaliris Y. Salas-Ramirez**
James St. Clair
Judith Van Hoorn
Dodah Yirusha**
** New Advisor
Members of the Founding National Advisory Board
Constance Kamii*, Former Professor of Early Childhood Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL
Lilian Katz, Professor Emerita & Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, University of Illinois, IL
Maurice Sykes, Executive Director, Early Childhood Leadership Institute, University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
Sherry Cleary, Executive Director, New York Early Childhood Professional Development Institute, The City University of New York, NY
Doris Pronin Fromberg, Professor of Education, Hofstra University, NY
Deborah Meier, author and activist, NY
Edgar Klugman*, Professor Emeritus Wheelock College & Co-Founder of Playing for Keeps, Boston, MA
* Deceased