I am honored to be officially writing this letter to you as the new Editor-in-Chief of Exchange!
Each day, I grow increasingly aware of and inspired by the long legacies of progressive thinking in, advocacy for, and dedication to young children and early childhood field that have characterized Exchange over the years.
More than ever—and yet as always—we need leaders committed to collective well-being and flourishing. Administrators, mentors, teachers, decisionmakers and children (these latter of whom are, after all, living out their varied childhoods within the spaces and places we adults facilitate and direct), deserve to have their interests, ideas, work, and perspectives gathered together in spaces where these may feed upon, support, and challenge one another. I hope that Exchange continues to be one such space. To that end, I want to share a little about my commitments as I move into this role.
I deeply believe that those who are in the field of early education—teachers and caregivers, center directors and staff with full lives, community partners, organizations, and advocates remain the experts in the field. Exchange will seek to support and to center these voices.
I am dedicated to finding more ways to highlight the voices and perspectives of children within the work of Exchange. Children, as experts in their own lives, have the right to express their ideas related to things that directly impact their experiences. Given that nearly everything we do has implications for others—including children—this is a core commitment and priority.
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I desire that Exchange remain a forum for thinking and a playground of ideas informed by the priorities and interests of those who work directly with and for children and their caregiving communities. These include, again, the adult educators, administrators, and community workers whose management, leadership, vision, and advocacy, ensure that the field is both sustained and moved forward.
I am eager to build on ongoing work that has sought to bring together perspectives from those whose experiences at the intersections of various racial, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, socioeconomic, political, gender, sexual, and physical diversities have been underrepresented historically in conversations about early education. My hope is that Exchange can continue to expand space for voices rather than re-inscribe practices that restrict it.
I am curious to support Exchange in developing ways of sharing information that go beyond and build upon the beautiful written pieces that have appeared in our magazine. In the coming months, I look forward to sharing some of these with you all in the digital space.
There are, of course, many other intentions and motivations that I might offer in these opening remarks—yet I hope that these will become evident as we continue to encounter one another in community. Throughout this process, I ask your patience and collaboration (and invite your kindhearted critique) as we dive into this work. I cannot wait to get to know as many of you as I can!
With love and in solidarity,
Ron Grady is an early educator with a passion for child-centered and constructivist pedagogies. He encourages children to learn through art, nature, and play and enjoys exploring the ways that these connect to deep processes of creative, personal, and academic inquiry. Grady taught preschool at NOLA Nature School, and now is a first year Ph.D. student in education at Harvard University. See more of his work at childology.co.
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