Why Did I Start Interviewing Men in Early Childhood Education? Here's Why... by Mike Prochaska

Someone asked me on Twitter, “Why are you interviewing so many men who work with kids in child care or early education?”

Why? I started interviewing men who worked in child care because I wanted to shine a light on involved, engaged men in children’s lives. For the last five years I have been a stay-at-home father of my two great kids. I have had the support and guidance of the Chicago Dads Group, which is a great group of involved dads. There are also city dad groups all over the country promoting and sharing involved dads stories.

Then after my kids went to school full time, I decided I would go back to work part-time as a substitute in preschools and daycares. I went from having my support unit of involved dads to feeling alone in the world of women in child care. Only 3 percent of the population of men are working in Early Childhood Education in the entire world. So, I reached out to other men in this field on Facebook and Twitter.

Over last few weeks I have talked to at least 50 guys from around the world who work in this field. Some emailed me or we have had Facebook chats over a few days, mostly due to being in different time zones. But it has been amazing. I mean, just amazing to talk to everyone. I have had chats with guys in Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil and even Africa. I can’t wait to share the rest of the guys' stories with everyone.

I also have interviewed some amazing women, too, who work in Early Childhood Education who told me some amazing stories about opening their own Forest School and having a playful heart in a world that has forgot about the power of play. I hope to interview more involved men and women in the future to shine a light on what they do for future generations.

Stay tuned for many more interviews on 30Seconds!