Tara Hardy
Tara Hardy is the Director of Early Learning at Detroit PBS, where she leads innovative, community-centered early childhood initiatives across the Detroit metropolitan area. With more than 25 years of experience in early childhood education, Hardy has spent the past 12 years at Detroit PBS, advancing from part-time coordinator into leadership. She oversees parent workshops, family events, teacher professional learning, neighborhood-based engagement, budget and development strategy, and the production of educational media that connects families and educators to meaningful resources. Her work is rooted in the belief that strong early foundations change life trajectories. Hardy began her career in the classroom, teaching in multi-age settings spanning kindergarten through third grade, later serving as a kindergarten teacher and early childhood instructor supporting high school students entering the field. She also operated a home-based preschool and facilitated “Mommy & Me” classes, reflecting her longstanding commitment to meeting families where they are. A graduate of Eastern Michigan University (B.S., Early Childhood and Elementary Mathematics) and Michigan State University (M.A., Education), Hardy combines literacy, technology, and developmentally appropriate practice to design programming that is both joyful and impactful. At Detroit PBS, Hardy was the station’s first dedicated education professional and has built expansive outreach efforts in neighborhoods including Brightmoor, Southwest Detroit, and Detroit’s east side—communities where access barriers often limit opportunity. She prioritizes listening, trust-building, and authentic partnership with families, educators, and community organizations. Whether facilitating racial healing conversations, promoting early literacy through initiatives like the Michigan Learning Channel, or creating uplifting video content for parents and teachers, Hardy remains most inspired when she is seated on the floor with a young child—her favorite place to make learning come alive.
• Certified in Preschool Education through HighScope (2002)
• Certified in Elementary Education through HighScope (2002)
• ZA Early Childhood Education Endorsement
• Michigan State University
• Eastern Michigan University
• Governor's Community Service Award
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my own grit and my own upbringing. I was raised in a very loving, successful home. My father is Larry Schweinhart, who did a lot of research in early childhood. He had a groundbreaking study called the Perry Preschool Study, which was a longitudinal study that tracked two groups of preschoolers and how their lives turned out now that they're in their late 60s, looking at how going to a quality preschool affected them later in life. The results were phenomenal, and it really changed the trajectory of early childhood in the field. My mom was a nurse who ended up bouncing around in her career and ended up in childbirth classes, Lamaze, and really doing all of that prenatal stuff. So they both kind of paved this path for me, even though they weren't particularly knowing what I was going to go into in my life. I'm really just continuing in both of those steps, and that makes me feel really good about creating a legacy and continuing their work. I also have passion for the work I do - that's what gets me out of bed in the morning on the hard days.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is a combination of things. First, work smarter, not harder. Second, even though my work is very emotional, I have to try to remove the emotion when I'm making decisions and really try to not take things personally. I need to just keep my North Star and remember why I'm doing the work I'm doing. That helps me stay focused on what matters most.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't forget who you are, and keep your eye on your North Star. I try to put reminders in my life - my passwords have always been things like 'I got this' - just reminding myself that this is important and I'm doing good work. At the end of the day, no matter how frustrated I am, I just gotta remember the good I'm doing, because it matters.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say this past year, funding has been the biggest challenge. I don't want to spend a lot of time thinking about that, because we've faced that challenge regularly and we continue to defeat it. Communication is also a huge, huge challenge - I'm communicating with internal teams, I'm communicating with external teams. Listening is always the first thing we always do. But communication is a challenge and a joy at the same time.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I always lead with my heart. I think that being a good person is important, and to be honest, I'm going to say Mr. Rogers is representative of all the values I believe in - really recognizing children as important thinkers and decision makers, not demeaning them or shaming them, just really seeing every person as a person. I really do feel like everyone has good in them and wants good, and I really try to see the adults that surround young children that way. Trust is an important value to me. Integrity is important - doing the right thing even when no one is watching. And positivity - I try to keep the glass half full. Positivity is my secret of success, just trying to keep the glass half full.