Perspective | SoilB4Seed: An educator-first model in early childhood education

On a recent Saturday, something powerful happened.

In the middle of a packed summit, during what might have felt like “just another breakout session,” a group of early childhood educators gathered in a circle — and reclaimed their greatness.

The session was called “Rooted in Purpose: Reclaiming Our Greatness Through SoilB4Seed,” and it was part of the 2025 PBS-NC Impact Early Childhood Education Summit. It wasn’t a workshop on compliance or curriculum. It was a sacred space where educators were invited to reflect, to speak their truth, and to recognize what we believe at Truth Education Foundation: Before the seed, there is soil — and that soil is you.

Too often, educators are treated like background noise in the larger conversation about education reform. But what I saw in that room on Saturday was a shift. A quiet revolution. An undeniable reminder that early educators are not just planting seeds of learning — they are the very foundation that makes growth possible.

I asked each educator to reflect on the question: What part of you have you had to bury to show up for others? The answers were honest. Emotional. Sometimes heavy. But what followed was nothing short of healing. Small groups talked about what keeps them rooted, the “weeds” they’ve pulled through the years, and the places where they’ve bloomed — even when no one was watching.

Then came the Affirmation Garden activity. Each participant received a small pot, a strip of paper, soil, and seeds. They wrote an affirmation about who they are at their core — then folded it, buried it in the soil, and decorated the outside of the pot with one word that affirms their educator identity. Words like joy, healer, leader, and resilient emerged boldly in color.

Some stood quietly. Others cried. Many smiled. But all of them were transformed — even if just for a moment — by the act of being seen, heard, and reminded that they matter.

This wasn’t just a session — it was a movement. A mindset shift. A reminder that educators deserve to grow too. Not just professionally, but personally. Emotionally. Spiritually.

We can’t keep talking about solving the child care crisis while ignoring the condition of the people who are doing the caregiving. The soil has to be tended to. Nurtured. Invested in. That’s what SoilB4Seed is all about.

To every educator who stood in that circle: Thank you. You are the revolution. You are the soil. And you are the future we’ve been waiting for.