Five months ago, in the middle of the pandemic, Elizabeth Charland-Tait and Sheila Gould launched a Zoomcast series.

They nicknamed it the Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast Project (IBZP), although the formal name is “The More We Get Together: Conversations that Build Bridges in Early Childhood.”

Gould is a Holyoke Community College (HCC) professor and the coordinator of the Early Childhood Programs. Charland-Tait is an early childhood lead coach for Massachusetts’ Western StrongStart Professional Development Centers.

Their goal is to have meaningful conversations that connect early childhood professionals in Western Massachusetts.

In the first episode, Charland-Tait recalls the start of the pandemic and the toll it took on early educators who began meeting on Zoom to find their way through the global crisis, saying, “The last thing I wanted was for people to feel alone.” That impulse led to creating the Zoomcast. Gould and Charland-Tait interview guests. And HCC students help by co-hosting and creating interview questions for Zoomcast guests. 

The guests have included family child care provider Felicita Lopez; Tricia Kiefer, the interim dean of Social Science, Business & Integrative Learning; and Evelyn Markham, director of the Springfield College Child Development Center.

Season one has come to a wrap. And Season two launched earlier this month.

Be sure to check out the episodes – and read the video descriptions to find links to programs and other information.

And of course, stay tuned for an upcoming episode that will feature Amy O’Leary of Strategies for Children!