Njeri Gachathi
Early Childhood Educator | Writer | Speaker | Play Advocate
Njeri Gachathi is a Kenyan early childhood educator, writer and speaker with more than a decade of teaching experience across Vietnam and the U.S. Her work bridges progressive education in the United States with educational innovation in Kenya.
Njeri is Head Teacher of a First Grade classroom at Bank Street School for Children in New York City. Her writing has appeared in Daily Nation Kenya, Kweli Journal, and The Educator's Room, with work forthcoming in the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
She serves as an invited peer reviewer for the International Journal of Early Childhood (Springer Nature) and has reviewed manuscripts for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
The Case For Play
The Case for Play is a professional learning initiative Njeri founded in Nairobi.
It is a hands-on workshop series for early years and primary educators, focused on research-backed, play-based teaching practice.
The series has partnered with schools across Nairobi's CBC, British, Montessori and Christian-system sectors. It equips teachers with practical tools to defend and design play-based learning.
Speaking & Recognition
Speaking Engagements
Vital Village Networks, National Community Leadership Summit, Boston, October 2026: Restorative Democracy: What Happens When You Hand Children a Real Decision (upcoming, Lightning Talk)
Bright Start International Conference (London, Abu Dhabi & Online), November 2026: We Came for Puppets, We Stayed for Democracy (upcoming)
Kweli's Color of Children's Literature Conference, New York, April 2026: Moderator, Researching and Writing the Historical Picture Book, and Panel Speaker following the PBS documentary The Librarians
Bank Street Graduate School of Education, New York, March 2026: KOBE! How Beyoncé, a Basketball, and a Donut Taught My First Graders to Read
Research
Edith Gwathmey Summer Stipend Recipient, Bank Street School for Children: competitively awarded funding to extend the First Grade Social Studies neighborhood study into community-based learning with local business owners
Mentorship
Kweli Sing the Truth Mentorship with Laura Pegram, 2025–2026: selected for a yearlong mentorship supporting literacy leadership and children's literature authorship
