Conversations Archives - Early Learning Nation

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,...

Signs of Progress: What Families of Deaf Children Should Know

Mark Swartz·Dec 5, 2019·3 min read

I see people signing all the time because I live in the Washington, D.C., area near the Red Line, which...

Early Childhood 2020: What Do You See?

Joan Lombardi·Jan 31, 2020·3 min read

The New Year, with its metaphor of clear vision, calls out to all of us to think about the future; to envision a better world for children, youth, and families. While we can’t predict what the decade will bring, we can use what we have learned over the years—and our common sense—to set some goals and move forward. Here is what I see and hope for in a new year, in a new decade.

Top Head Start Program Embraces Innovation, Dispels Sacred Cows

Tom Kertscher·Apr 23, 2019·5 min read

As a preschooler, Victoria Ankrah was taught in a Paterson, N.J., Head Start program where her mother was a member...

Shared Values, Different Stories

Logan Smalley’s Vision for Building Community

Mark Swartz·Jul 22, 2019·5 min read

Like a lot of kids, Logan Smalley liked to take his toys apart and then try (the operative word is...

Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, with Chirlane McCray, First Lady of New York City, at the FUEL launch event at the Brownsville Recreation Center in Brooklyn. Photograph courtesy Office of the First Lady, New York City.

Robin Hood FUELs the Future for Children

Shares Brain Science, Strategically Partners to Create an Early Learning Metropolis

Linda Shockley·Jul 16, 2019·6 min read

The greatest city in the world. More than 100,000 children 0-3 growing up in poverty. Two facts that are painful to reconcile. This is a job for Robin Hood. Unafraid to challenge the seemingly intractable, the grant maker and all-around poverty fighter combines rigorous data and strategic partnerships with powerhouse fundraising. Here’s the story behind the $50 million, five-year Fund for Early Learning (FUEL) .

First-Time Survey Illuminates Audience Interests and Impact of Early Learning Nation Magazine

The Editors·Mar 28, 2024·2 min read

Earlier this month, Early Learning Nation magazine created our first-ever survey to better understand our audiences’ motivation for reading and...

Phil Fisher: The Realities of Stress on Children

The Editors·Apr 22, 2019·5 min read

When University of Maryland Associate Professor Geetha Ramani and her colleagues visit early learning classrooms, they’re known as the “game people.” Ramani’s research shows not only the importance of teaching math skills, but also the effectiveness of what might seem like an obvious tactic: Make it fun.

The Power of First 10 Partnerships

Part I of a two-part interview with David Jacobson

Mark Swartz·Mar 16, 2023·5 min read

The First 10 initiative of the Education Development Center (EDC) supports a network that will soon include more than 60...

5 Takeaways from Jack Shonkoff’s EdRedesign Keynote

Welcome to Our New Column Covering Live Events

Mark Swartz·May 27, 2020·2 min read

On May 19, Dr. Jack P. Shonkoff delivered the Education Redesign Lab (EdRedesign) spring keynote address via YouTube. Among his many distinctions, Dr. Shonkoff—Director of Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child and Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Graduate School of Education—was awarded the 2019 LEGO Prize for revolutionizing the field of early child development. Here are our notes from his remarks.