Early care and education isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection.
What we do
Connect and Grow in Early Care and Education is a space for anyone caring for, teaching, or loving young children. Here, we explore what really matters in the early years—connection, play, and the small moments together that shape individual development.
Grounded in both research and real-life, this free resource from Dr. Emily Snowden shares activities, insights, and tips on supporting children’s growth through positive interactions, exploration, hands-on learning, and play.
Whether you’re a parent, teacher, caregiver, or expert, we are here to provide you with tools, inspiration, and new ways of thinking about how we can help each child thrive.
Let’s connect, learn, play, and let children know they are loved!
About the Author
Dr. Emily Snowden is the author and editor at Connect and Grow in Early Care and Education.
After 15+ years of direct work with young children in a variety of roles (including preschool teacher, swim instructor, au pair, nanny, and babysitter), she was awarded a PhD in Early Childhood Education from Florida State University. During her time at the university, Emily also worked preparing and supporting both pre-service teachers and university instructional staff as they transitioned into teaching roles.
Dr. Snowden’s research focuses on recording missing pieces of the history of early care and education that can support us in understanding current issues in the field like workforce support, definitions of quality, play theory, and whole child approaches to early care and education.
She currently works as a writer and early learning consultant. Dr. Snowden also owns Snowden Swim School where she uses a whole child approach to teach swimming through intentional play.
Emily resides in Florida with her husband, 2-year-old daughter, and their many beloved pets.
