Erin Casey

Dr. Erin M. Casey is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education in the Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum department at the Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education, University of Oklahoma. Her research examines the neuroscience of play, centering on the Neuroception-Play-Integration (NPI) Cycle and its effects on brain development, wellbeing, and learning across childhood and adulthood. Dr. Casey's work has earned national recognition, including the Taylor & Francis/NAECTE Foundation Outstanding Early Childhood Teacher Educator Award and the OU Provost Award for Outstanding Engaged Teaching (2024). She is the founding director of the OU Summer Educator PlayShop, a national training program on play-based pedagogy now in its fifth year, and serves as President of the NAECTE Foundation. In her teaching, Dr. Casey prepares early childhood educators to bring evidence-based, play-centered practices into diverse classrooms, blending neuroscience, creativity, and inquiry-based instruction. Her research and training reach educators, counselors, and administrators nationwide and internationally.