Napcast
Napcast is a podcast co-hosted by two male educators of color working with our youngest citizens. Together, they challenge, tackle, and discuss topics at the intersection of education, race, culture, and identity. Join us as a guest, a listener, a supporter, and a learner!
NAPCAST
Meet the Hosts
Nick Terrones (he/him) is a former educator at Seattle Institute for Early childhood Development dba Hilltop Children’s Center and Educator Institute where he worked with toddlers for the last 10+ years implementing Anti-Bias Curriculum. He’s a Los Angeles raised Mexican-Native-American with a passion for equity, plants, the ukulele, and raising awareness to the need of a gender-balanced workforce in ECE.
Mike Browne (he/him) is the Sr. Community Engagement Manager for the Seattle Institute for Early childhood Development dba Hilltop Children’s Center and Educator Institute. He’s a New York raised, Afro-Caribbean, former collegiate athlete, working towards dismantling White Supremacy and forms of oppression in our society.
Episode 1
Finding Strength Amidst COVID19
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In this episode, we discuss self-care for ourselves as adults, ways to stay connected to the kids you serve, and what we have done to distill down big information to young children about big, scary topics and more. Join us for our inaugural episode!
Episode 2
Deathmetal & Toddlers
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We invite children to be vulnerable but what about us? What about our identities? How do we give ourselves space, grace, and room to be our authentic selves? And also… What’s the connection between deathmetal and toddlers?
Episode 3
La Revolución
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At Hilltop, we’re empowering young learners to fundamentally change the way we govern, lead, and live in community. Sounds radical? Well yeah! Education and learning should be. Join us as we discuss social activism in young children.
Special Episode #1
Is America Anti-Black?
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With Amir working with the leaders of today and with Nick and Mike working with the generation of tomorrow, this episode gives you insight from 3 male educators of color on how we can all resist, innovate, and advocate for Black lives. Explicit language Inside.
Episode 4
We’re More Than Just Educators
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We’re researchers when we observe. Party planners when we introduce new cultures and celebrations into the classrooms. Activists when we challenge each other’s biases. And so much more! On paper it might say educator but we’re so much more…
Episode 5
Image of the Child
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If children are part of society, why don’t we consider them as active citizens with rights, as contributing members to their families, to their community? In Ep5 we discuss why we believe all children are capable, confident, and competent…
Episode 6
Role of the Educator
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We play a specific role in the life of a child. We’re co-constructors, researchers, advocates, and documenters. How does these roles allow us to be an active participant in support children? Listen in to find out more! (We advise you to listen to Ep5 before Ep6)
Episode 7
Role of the Family
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How are you cultivating and fostering a rapport with families? How are you best supporting BIPOC families? Do your families trust you? We don’t have all the answers but we have a lot of thoughts! (We advise you to listen to Ep5 and 6 before Ep7)
Episode 8
I Got it From My Mama
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In this episode, Mike sits down with his mama to discuss her experience as a Family Childcare Home provider, the struggles she saw, her hopes for the industry moving forward, and why she believed her son followed down the path of childcare as well.
Episode 9
Nuestros Niños, Nuestro Futuro
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“Speak English.” “Sound white.” “Sssh, don’t mention you’re Mexican.” These are the things parents are teaching their kids today. How do we break this stigma and support children’ to speak their native tongue? In this episode, we’re joined by Veronica to discuss being a Latinx in ECE today. This episode is done in both English and Spanish.
Episode 10
Why Sorry Sucks
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Sorry? #sorrynotsorry, that’s not in our vernacular. Is it because we’re heartless? Maybe. Or perhaps we believe there’s an alternative way in building empathy in children in authentic and sincere ways. In this episode, we’re all up in our feels as we discuss ways we can support children in naming, framing, and expressing their feelings.
Episode 11
My Growth, My Evolution
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We all grow. It’s part of human evolution. As educators we must continuously reflect not just on our children but also on ourselves. In this episode, Nick takes a look back at his 14 year career of being an educator. We discuss not only what he learned over the years, the shots he wished he took, but we also talk about what’s next for him in his career.
Episode 12
Rebuilding A School, Revitalizing a Community
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We’re all ready to cancel 2020 and maybe even 2021 while we’re at it. Unfortunately, there’s too many families and lives we must support. So, how do we rebound when disasters strikes? How do we not only restore our walls, our trust in the system, our hope? In this episode, we chat about how do we adapt as a community during troubling times.
Episode 13
Indigenizing Education – Part 1
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What does it means to Indigenize educational spaces and materials to better reflect Indigenous people in an authentic way. In part 1 of 2, we chat with Miriam (she/her), an Afro-Indigenous early learning professional in Seattle, WA on her experience on being and working with multi-tribal, multi-cultural, and multi-racial children and families.
Episode 14
New Year, New School, New Children – Part 1
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Returning to “school” this fall is going to be .. well.. interesting. There are new challenges, anxiety, rules, children, and at Hilltop… we have a new location! In this episode, we chat about the changes, the transitions, the laughter, the tears, and how we are working with admin, educators, parents, and the community to support children and ourselves.
Special Episode #2
Democracy is Indigenous
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It’s never too early (or late) to talk to your kids about the election or instill democratic principles in them. In this special pre-election Napcast, we chat about ways we can encourage children to be a part of the democratic system in peaceful and respectful ways through participation, consensus, and bipartisanship conversations in the classroom. Don’t forget to vote!
Episode 15
New Year, New School, New Children – Part 2
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In part 2 of 2, we continue our conversation New Year, New School, New Children with two leaders of color – Alfonso and Theresa. We hear about their transitions to this new space, how they challenge, love, pull people in and call people out and how their experience being marginalized gives them the strength to break the cycle of inequities for today’s youth. Don’t forget to listen to Part 1 first!
Episode 16
Indigenizing Education – Part 2
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Am I Black enough? How do I claim my Native heritage? Am I Latinx worthy? These are the questions many bi and multi-cultural children ask themselves. Returning for Part 2 of 2, we continue our conversation with Miriam, an Afro-Indigenous early learning coach, taking a deeper look at connection, identities, the language of colonization and what we can do to support the Native community.
Episode 17
(De)Weaponizing Our Language and Words
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Language can be used as an instrument of oppression. In this episode, we examine our language, the power of language, and how this world can be represented in an unlimited number of ways. During this live session, we chat with professionals from across the state on ways we have weaponized language to suppress children’s culture, identity, & souls.
Episode 18
3 Males and an Insurrection
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How do we talk about the insurrection with young children? How do we make sense of what we just saw? Should we teaching be politics? What is our role in combatting white supremacy? Joined by Amir, a previous guest on our episode “Is America Anti-Black?” to discuss all of that and more through the eyes of three male educators of color.
Episode 19
Black Woman Wisdom – Part 1
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“Every place in America will represent a corner of hell for a Black woman.” In this Napcast, we chat with Ciera, Director of DEI at The Bertschi School on ways we can Institutionalize our Anti-Racism work. Dropping knowledge and wisdom on how White Supremacy lives and ways we can combat it, we reflect on what it takes to be liberated.
Episode 20
Black Woman Wisdom – Part 2
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Returning for Part 2 of 2, we resume our chat with Ciera, Director of DEI at the Bertschi School. What is it like being a Black woman in white spaces? How can we take these social movements and turn it into actual change? What does our institutions and organizations needs to do and consider first before engaging with communities of color? Join us for more Black Woman Wisdom.
Episode 21
The Forgotten Part of the Childcare Industry
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Childcare doesn’t just consist of educators. They include home attendants who provide support to children with dis/abilities, house cleaners who are keeping our houses and programs safe and clean, nannies and all the other essential workers. Today with Stacy Kono, we shine a light on the forgotten part of our industry and what we can do to support and uplift them.
Episode 22
Building Children’s Emotional Vocabulary
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Nick and Mike are emotional dudes. We cry. We are tender. We are joyful. We get hangry. Despite wearing our emotions on our sleeve, it still takes some intentionality on our part with our words and activities in supporting young children’s ability to identify emotions, to increase their vocab, to think beyond emotional stereotypes, and ultimately to be confident in expressing themselves.
Episode 23
Learning Stories
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Learning Stories is narrative, formative, strength-based approach towards assessment. Today, we sit down with Karen Virta from the American School in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to discuss how it can connect and engage caregivers. How it can strengthen educators’ observation & writing skills. And, how it can support children in establishing their identity, cultural humility, and more.
Special Episode #3
The Significance of a Knee
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A knee can either be used to take a life away or can be used for justice. This week, we were reminded of both. In this special recording, in the wake of the guilt verdict of Derek Chauvin, we provide listeners with some concrete ways that they can introduce this topic into their classroom. Join them as they discusses ways you can chat with children about policing, kneeling, and racism. Explicit Language used.
Episode 24
Perspectives from the Outside
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Working with young children brings you a new perspective on life. How to be more childlike, how to find your joy, how to live. But does it transfer to adults who leave the sector? In this episode we catch up with Hisham, a former male educator of color on why he left, what ECE taught him, and some of the transferable skills he has taken from ECE to his new field.
Episode 25
215
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Recently, we have been dealt a somber reminder of one of the darkest chapters of Canada’s and the Pacific Northwest history over the past few weeks. The remains of 215 Indigenous children were found at unmarked graves at a former residential school in Vancouver, BC. In today’s conversation with Theresa (she/her), Paty (she/her), Nick (he/him) and Mike (he/him), we focus on these 215 children, their lives, their culture, how we can heal our own trauma that has occurred from the hands of White Supremacy, racial oppression, and the attempted eradication of BIPOC people, and how we can bring this topic into our learning environments.
Episode 26
Stories Ain’t Just for Storytelling Part 1
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Stories ain’t just for storytelling, it can be used for brand identity, marketing, or communication. It can also move people. Give voice to the voiceless. Changes our brains and most importantly, preserves part of our culture. To mark the start of Filipino/x-American Heritage Month (October), Mike (he/him) and Nick (he/him), chats with Reiane Abuda (she/her) a Filipina-American on both the stories from her culture, and how she uses stories to support and sustain her in her work with young children. This is part 1 of 2.
Episode 27
Stories Ain’t Just for Storytelling Part 2
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Returning for Part 2 of 2, we resume our chat with Reiane (she/her), on stories from her culture, the impact stories had on her growing up, and ways she uses storytelling in order to connect with the children in her class. If you haven’t listened to part 1, go back and listen!
Want to Be a Guest?
Email us at institute@hilltopcc.org
Ways to listen!
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