Conversations Archives - Early Learning Nation

Teacher-Coordinator Autumn Bevins reads aloud to children and mentors.

Why Don’t We Just Do That?

Over Cocktails, Restaurateurs Hatch a Plan for Literacy

K.C. Compton·Aug 8, 2019·4 min read

Three years ago, Amanda and John Horne, owners of Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Bradenton, Florida, heard that 51 percent of children in their local Manatee County school system couldn’t read at grade level by third grade. They were appalled. “This was horrific,” Amanda says. “We had no idea that this was an issue.” Over cocktails one night, Amanda and John wondered what they could do. Their clientele is largely composed of older “grandparent-type” people. They have four restaurants and a mailing list of more than 24,000 customers. What if they could pair children up with a grandparent figure or somebody who cares about them, read with them and maybe instill them with a love of reading?

Cynthia McCaffrey, director of UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, describes the logistics, partnerships and new ideas that drive success in global early learning

Building Early Learning Programs Around the World: Cynthia McCaffrey, Director, Office of Innovation UNICEF

The Editors·Dec 27, 2018·6 min read

Building successful early learning programs is hard. Figuring out how to do it in some of the hardest to reach corners of the globe? That’s a case for Cynthia McCaffrey, director of UNICEF’s Office of Innovation.

The Power of Early Relationships

A Q&A with Isabelle Hau about her new book, “Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care and Connection in Early Education.”

Rebecca Gale·Feb 25, 2025·6 min read

Our country is in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, and Isabelle Hau, director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning,...

Adverse childhood experiences are different than child trauma, and it’s critical to understand why

Jessica Dym Bartlett and Vanessa Harbin Sacks·Apr 16, 2019·4 min read

The increased public understanding that childhood adversity, including adverse childhood experiences, can cause trauma and toxic stress—and, in turn, have a lasting impact on children’s physical and mental health—presents an important opportunity to turn this awareness into action.

States of Development: The Hunt Institute’s Data Narratives

Mark Swartz·Feb 7, 2020·4 min read

In January of 2020, The Hunt Institute—an education policy non-profit based in Durham, NC—released updates to its State Early Childhood...

5 Top Takeaways from the Conversation: Early Childhood Philanthropy Now

Mark Swartz·Aug 13, 2020·2 min read

Because we can’t take our Early Learning Nation Studio on the road during this time, stay tuned as ELN recaps...

Alaska Calling: Molly of Denali’s Native Smarts

Mark Swartz·Sep 17, 2020·3 min read

Just as Early Learning Nation showcases the ways families, researchers and grassroots nonprofits and organizations are building an early learning...

Agents in Their Own Learning

Q&A with the Play Learning Lab’s Angela Pyle

Mark Swartz·Aug 8, 2024·4 min read

Dr. Angela Pyle is director of the Play Learning Lab at University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education....

Act Naturally: The Benefits of Wet Hands and Muddy Feet

An Interview with Richard Louv

Mark Swartz·May 22, 2019·7 min read

How do we get today’s kids active and in tune with nature? And if the current generation of young parents missed out on personal experiences with nature, who will teach their children?

Cal Newport Thinks We Can Work Better – But Where Does Caregiving Fit In?

Q+A with Bestselling Author on How and Why Care and Work Intersect

Rebecca Gale·Mar 27, 2024·7 min read

Work and caregiving seem to exist as a yin and yang on our lives: the pull of one exerts influence...

Ellen Galinsky: Move Aside Helicopter and Snowplow Parents, Here Comes Autonomy Support

The Editors·May 6, 2019·4 min read

From “helicoptering” to “snowplowing,” parents are often tempted to simply remove obstacles from children’s way, preventing them from learning how to deal with challenges themselves. Instead, as Ellen Galinsky, Bezos Family Foundation Chief Science Officer and Founder/Executive Director of Mind in the Making, explains, the better approach is to build “Autonomy Support” – helping children gain the independence skills they’ll need to become successful adults. Filmed for Early Learning Nation’s Mobile Studio at the Society for Research in Child Development’s biennial meeting in Baltimore, MD, on March 22, 2019. #SRCD19

Early Education Is the Most Segregated Learning Space

How Researchers Casey Stockstill and Halley Potter Hope to Change That

Kendra Hurley·Jul 2, 2024·7 min read

It’s been 70 years since the Supreme Court’s pivotal Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that racially segregated schools are...

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