Best Practices Archives - Early Learning Nation

Tennessee on Track to Become First in Nation to Offer Diaper Benefit to Medicaid Families

Good, Say Medicaid Expansion Advocates, But More Work Is Needed

K.C. Compton·Jun 1, 2023·4 min read

Some of Tennessee’s most vulnerable families could soon get relief from the high cost of diapers, as the state works...

A group of three children smiling broadly

When Teaching Sex Education and Consent, How Young is Too Young?

Tom Kertscher·May 14, 2019·6 min read

Some experts say that when it comes specifically to teaching consent, sex education for young children can be done without being explicit, and it can help kids learn about boundaries and empathy when it comes to their own bodies and the bodies of other people.

WHO’s First-Ever Guidelines Reinforce Need to Reduce Screen Time for Youngest Children

Tom Kertscher·Aug 20, 2019·3 min read

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued its first-ever guidelines on screen time for children younger than 5, recommending no...

A parent’s guide to surviving COVID-19: 8 strategies to keep children healthy and happy

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff·Mar 18, 2020·2 min read

For many of us, COVID-19 has completely changed how we work. Remote work might have its advantages for some, but when the kids are out of school and libraries and museums are closed, juggling two roles at once can be a challenge. What is a parent to do? As two developmental psychologists dedicated to understanding how children learn and play, these questions are filling our inbox.

Families-learn-to-use-new-materials-together.-Photo_-Front-Room-Photography

Museums Are for Kids: Busting Myths at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Emily Sullivan·May 3, 2019·5 min read

The days of shushing kids in museums are long gone. Now, museums large and small, which once earned reputations for strict enforcement of “no talking,” “no touching” and “no fun” rules for kids, actively court families and kids with free days, family memberships, activities, tours and programs, all designed to celebrate and discover art and the creative spirit.

Hopes for 2021: Brain Building, Racial Equity, Policies that Serve Children and Families, Kindness, Daily Walks

Mark Swartz and Art Hondros (Illustrator)·Jan 4, 2021·6 min read

Despite working in captivity for most of 2020, we continued to speak with top Early Learning researchers, educators, nonprofit and...

5 Ways Colleges Can Assist Students Who Are Parents of Young Children

Mikah Jorgensen·Oct 6, 2022·5 min read

Across the U.S., colleges and universities have pledged to enhance diversity and to prioritize inclusiveness. In the wake of the...

This Book Is Cool! Program Fights the Summer Slide and the COVID-19 Slump

K.C. Compton·Sep 3, 2020·8 min read

Most of us have heard of the “summer slide” in which children lose some of the lessons they’ve learned during...

Tackling the Play Deficit

Mark Swartz·Feb 6, 2020·4 min read

Our kids need to put the devices down and to play outdoors more. This isn’t just another parent waxing nostalgic...

The U.N.’s International Day of Play vs. “An Inhuman World”

Mark Swartz·Jun 11, 2024·5 min read

The United Nations has declared June 11 to be the first annual International Day of Play, calling it “a unifying...

Playful Learning Landscapes

Meeting Children Where They Are with What They Need

K.C. Compton·Dec 10, 2019·6 min read

Plaza. Piazza. Town square. The names may differ region to region, but they describe similar spaces: a place where residents...

Meeting (and Teaching) Families in Unexpected Places Can Transform Cities

Grocery stores, bus stops, laundromats… what’s next?

Mark Swartz·Jun 25, 2019·5 min read

School is a great place to learn, but it’s not the only place. No matter how excellent our teachers are, no matter how enriching the curricula, school accounts for only about 20 percent of children’s waking hours. That’s why a growing number of education pioneers are building out nontraditional sites for young minds to develop their language skills and to learn about their world.

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