The Everything ECE Podcast is for early childhood educators, preschool teachers, and childcare professionals who want to grow intentionally and take meaningful action. Host Carla Ward shares real-life insights, expert interviews, and practical strategies to support your work in childcare centres, preschools, and kindergartens. From play-based learning to leadership, each episode helps you stay inspired, confident, and connected to your purpose.
#264: What Does a Pedagogical Leader Actually Do? with Jessica Karpathios
In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla is joined by Jessica Karpathios, founder of The Curious Educator Collective, to make pedagogical leadership feel less like an abstract title and more like the work that happens in a classroom.
Jessica is a Registered Early Childhood Educator whose experience includes working with toddlers, supervising child care programs, teaching future educators and supporting professional learning across organizations. She brings those perspectives to a conversation about what educators need when a familiar routine is no longer serving the children in front of them.
Together, Carla and Jessica explore the shift from habit to intention. Instead of stopping at “no running inside,” what can educators learn by asking why a child is running and what the environment may be communicating? They discuss observation, reflection with a team and the value of a fresh set of eyes that helps educators think rather than arriving with a list of fixes. They also talk honestly about the time this role requires and why adding it to an already full supervisor's workload can make the work harder.
This conversation offers a clearer picture of pedagogical leadership and another possibility for experienced ECEs wondering where their work could grow.
ABOUT JESSICA
Jessica Karpathios is a Registered Early Childhood Educator, pedagogical leader and founder of The Curious Educator Collective. Her experience spans early learning programs in Canada and abroad, child care supervision and field faculty work at Humber College. She partners with organizations to support pedagogical growth.
LINKS
Website: https://www.jessicakarpathios.com (https://www.jessicakarpathios.com)
Instagram: @curiouseducatorcollective (https://www.instagram.com/curiouseducatorcollective/)
LinkedIn: Jessica Karpathios (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-karpathios-104b9a423)
Pedagogical Leader Mentor Guide: https://www.jessicakarpathios.com/pedagogicalleadermentoringguide (https://www.jessicakarpathios.com/pedagogicalleadermentoringguide)
Book: Creating a Culture of Reflective Practice, The Role of Pedagogical Leadership in Early Childhood Programs. And it's written by Anne-Marie Coughlin and Lori McGee Barrett. LINK (https://link.amazon/B0iIzEeOv)
Transcript (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G0pvcoSHHOUo5pNXOn1cQMUcHe7bgl3nklJSoeKHlek/edit?usp=sharing)
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE. See you next week!
CONNECT WITH CARLA
Email Newsletter: Click Here (https://early-learning-foundations.kit.com/b0fcdc38a5)
Website: (http://elfoundations.com)carlatheece.com (http://carlatheece.com)
Instagram: @carlatheece (https://www.instagram.com/carlatheece)
6 Oct 2026
#263: How Do I Actually Feel Confident? | Dear Carla
In this Dear Carla episode, an educator writes in about confidence, imposter syndrome and the pressure they feel to appear confident while leading their team.
Carla challenges the idea that good leadership requires having all the answers and talks about what it actually takes to build confidence over time. From doing things scared and paying attention to your own self-talk to collecting the “receipts” that remind you of what you’re capable of, this conversation is about learning to trust yourself, even when that little voice gets loud.
With ideas inspired by Mel Robbins, Brené Brown, Brendon Burchard and Stephen Covey, this episode offers practical places to start without pretending confidence has a quick fix.
Maybe it’s time to stop faking it till you make it and start practising it until you believe it.
Resources mentioned:
The High 5 Habit — Mel Robbins (https://link.amazon/B00wKmHI6)
Brené Brown — Dare to Lead (https://link.amazon/B0h3D1pCT)
High Performance Habits — Brendon Burchard (https://link.amazon/B06vufx8k)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen R. Covey (https://link.amazon/B0fnmyC5i)
Dear Gabby meditation — Gabby Bernstein (https://open.spotify.com/episode/6yiYUxqaR5Jl9XZSsH6fFx?si=74f0b78653bd4c3b)
ASK CARLA
Have a question? Ask here (https://airtable.com/appCYy96iDfoYqLtQ/pagF00Oui7TEHSQ7j/form)
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE. See you next week!
CONNECT WITH CARLA
Email Newsletter: Click Here (https://early-learning-foundations.kit.com/b0fcdc38a5)
Website: (http://elfoundations.com)carlatheece.com (http://carlatheece.com)
Instagram: @carlatheece (https://www.instagram.com/carlatheece)
2 Oct 2026
#262: Block Play Beyond Towers
In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward explores block play, provocations, three-dimensional learning, problem-solving, and what can happen when children are given more time and space to build, experiment and figure things out.
From rethinking the way we respond when structures come crashing down to considering what hands-on learning offers children in an increasingly digital world, this episode is an invitation to take another look at the block area in your early learning environment.
In this episode:
Block play beyond building towers
Using provocations to extend children's thinking
Three-dimensional learning and spatial awareness
Supporting problem solving and resilience through play
Rethinking safety without unnecessarily limiting children's ideas
Block play in a world of screens, technology and AI
Simple ways to add curiosity to your block area
Books
Iggy Peck Architect (https://link.amazon/B03AOV1JU)
Resources mentioned:
Purdue University — Block play could improve your child’s math skills, executive functioning: https://www.purdue.edu/research/features/stories/block-play-could-improve-your-childs-math-skills-executive-functioning/ (https://www.purdue.edu/research/features/stories/block-play-could-improve-your-childs-math-skills-executive-functioning/)
Research article on block play and mathematics:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7954229/ (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7954229/)
Transcript (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jP8dew4GMTabU4ySFSS-azeFgWsfAAZS1GGUe_faKlI/edit?usp=sharing)
SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. Your support helps us reach more ECEs who are in the thick of it!. Thanks for tuning in to The Everything ECE. See you next week!
CONNECT WITH CARLA
Email Newsletter: Click Here (https://early-learning-foundations.kit.com/b0fcdc38a5)
Website: (http://elfoundations.com)carlatheece.com (http://carlatheece.com)
Instagram: @carlatheece (https://www.instagram.com/carlatheece)
Who has been a guest on The Everything ECE Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Cathy Belgrave
Angela Odusanya
Melissa McCall
Katherine Hamilton
Dr. Cheryl Lundy Swift
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.4 / 5
17 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
32 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
96
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
85
Contact The Everything ECE Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about The Everything ECE Podcast
Who hosts The Everything ECE Podcast?
Carla Ward and Carla host the show. Published by Carla Ward.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes daily, based on its RSS feed.
Does The Everything ECE Podcast take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Host of The Everything ECE Podcast?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
