In 2012, three early childhood experts, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Diane Levin, and Ed Miller, founded Defending the Early Years (DEY), a nonprofit organization created to advocate for young children and those who care for them. The first two founders, Nancy and Diane, were active members of Concerned Educators Allied for a Safe Environment (C.E.A.S.E.), founded in 1979 by Peggy Schirmer, now known as Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere (P.E.A.C.E.).
Concerned about school reforms such as the Common Core State Standards, DEY highlighted a lack of alignment with child development research and warned against increasing academic pressure in early childhood. They emphasized the negative effects of standardized testing and “teaching to the test,” including reduced time for hands-on learning and child-directed play, and aimed to build a community focused on awareness and advocacy around these issues.
After years of advocacy, DEY has made the difficult decision to close, with operations ending on June 30, 2026. Although the need for its work remains strong, ongoing challenges, such as the lack of stable funding for early childhood advocacy, made it unsustainable to continue. This decision follows two years of careful consideration by the organization’s leadership.
DEY’s resources, including videos, publications, blogs, and toolkits, will remain available on its website. We at P.E.A.C.E., want to thank the entire team of DEY for all the years of dedication to peaceful practices, play-based learning, and continued support to our field of Early Childhood Education!
Peace Educators Allied for Children Everywhere
