One summer was all it took for Jana Boddy to know her future was in early childhood education. As a volunteer during middle school at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Fort Meade, Maryland, she was struck by the children’s energy and playfulness. “I got to be part of that!” she recalls. “I remember thinking, When I’m older, I’m going to do this in real life.”  

It’s a vow she kept. Jana has worked in the field for more than 20 years, building a resume rich in instructional, leadership, and advocacy experiences. She has taught pre-K, directed child care centers, and managed the early learning program of Catholic Charities of Baltimore. She currently teaches 14 kindergartners at a Title 1 school in Maryland, where Spanish is the dominant home language and more than 80 percent of children quality for free or reduced meals. 

Jana received a NAEYC Lasting Legacy Scholar Award in 2022. She was also selected that year to serve on the first Regional Fellowship Advocacy Cohort for the Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC, Associations for the Education of Young Children. Following are excerpts from a recent conversation.  

You’ve served in a range of early childhood education roles: teacher, director, nonprofit program manager. In fact, you left a leadership role with Catholic Charities of Baltimore to teach in a public school classroom. Why was that move important to you? 

I love leading early childhood educators, but I felt that to be a better leader, I needed to step back into the classroom. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the challenges in our field and the needs of our educators. At Catholic Charities, I advocated for respect and equity for educators, children, and families, but I felt I was missing the true experience of early childhood educators’ daily struggles. I needed to focus firsthand on the climate of the classroom. I can continue to advocate and lead educators using my voice and passion, but I feel joy and can be my true, authentic self when I’m in the classroom.  

This issue of Young Children focuses on strengths-based teaching. What does that look like in your setting? 

It takes a lot of preparation and planning. My school serves immigrant families, families with low incomes, and families who are unsheltered. Needless to say, my approach is focused on trauma-informed care.  

Morning meeting is one of the most important times of the day for me. I don’t have to follow a script. I greet the children in their home languages and offer experiences to foster coping strategies and connections to peers. We use language, songs, and community time to socialize and celebrate each other’s strengths and cultures.  

Free choice time at the end of the day is another place where I try to build on children’s strengths and interests. When the children showed interest in trees, we turned our dramatic play area into a tree farm. We read books about trees, we built a tree farm, and we wrote about trees. I turned their interests into part of their play and extended what they were doing. 

Children are social. They want to talk during lunch (which some settings discourage). I try to honor that—I sit down and eat with them; I role model; I sometimes lead discussions. Having an environment where children are given the opportunity to share provides trust and reassurance that they matter.  

Much has been studied and written about the “pushing down” of academic standards in elementary school settings. How do you implement play-based, developmentally appropriate practices in a public kindergarten? 

That’s a huge challenge for us. I often think we’re so focused on academics in today’s society that we forget children need time to play and be themselves. Kindergarten shouldn’t be just pencil to paper or whiteboards. I want children to learn by moving their bodies and having hands-on experiences. Play promotes a range of skills and knowledge, including academic ones. 

Everything can be a play-based item. We’re learning our shapes now, and we’re using loose parts to do it. The children are still doing what the curriculum says; I’m just putting a spin on it. In our learning groups, we play games that use materials in the classroom, such as tracing letters with cars or building letters with large blocks. We learn counting through drama and storytelling; we use props, so children can recreate and recall the skills I taught. When children feel joyful and playful in their environment, they perform at a higher level. 

Considering children’s contexts and teaching to their strengths and needs are themes of your work, including your role at Sarah’s House (which provides emergency shelter and supportive housing to families in Baltimore). How did you approach the contexts of the families there? 

As the program manager of Sarah’s House, I revamped the child care center’s policies, curriculum, and community involvement. I immersed myself in resources about stress and trauma and learned that we needed a more responsive approach. I learned more about the children and families and about the stress and trauma they were facing. I ensured that we followed a play- and nature-based curriculum. Children had ample opportunities to explore and learn on their own. We also helped them learn how to resolve conflicts, how to identify and express their feelings, and how to calm their bodies. I continue to do this with my kindergartners now—there is a calming corner in my classroom where children can go any time of the day to support their needs. 

I also had to reflect on partnerships with families while I was at Sarah’s House. That required me to recognize who I was and where I stood in this equation. I wanted to find ways to develop trust with families and listen to what their questions, interests, and needs were. My goal was to connect them with the right supports—the information and resources that would be most helpful to them and their situations.  

How has NAEYC helped you in your work? 

NAEYC has given me a lot of resources. And I’ve met so many people. The advocacy team and resources have been so supportive—Public Policy Forum was the best thing ever! I participated in its day on the Hill; I’ve written testimonials to my congressional representatives.  

You served on the first Regional Fellowship Advocacy Cohort for NAEYC Affiliates in Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC. Why is that work important to you? 

There are so many challenges early childhood educators are facing: systemic racism, chronically low compensation and benefits, lack of supports for well-being, and much more. But I am of the opinion that we’re on the right track. I wouldn’t be advocating if I didn’t think things could be greatly improved. We’re using our voices to change society’s view of early childhood education. It’s slow—we can’t expect change overnight. But I can see that views are changing: People are listening to us. They know that they need us. We play a valuable service in this country. 

Photographs: courtesy of Jana Boddy
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