Last November, voters in and around Grand Rapids, Michigan’s second-largest city (population 200,000), made Kent County the first county in Michigan to approve a referendum that raises property taxes specifically for early childhood.
It’s the ghoulish season, when candy-crazed miniature unicorns, ninjas and mini-Hamiltons in tricorne hats roam suburban streets and the corridors...
When the Onondaga Citizens League saw that only 9% of the students in the Syracuse City School District were reading...
Playful Learning Landscapes
Meeting Children Where They Are with What They Need
Plaza. Piazza. Town square. The names may differ region to region, but they describe similar spaces: a place where residents...
Help! We are barreling toward the holiday season, and the brakes aren’t working. Know what I mean? The most wonderful...
Language evolves. What was once a just-right phrase that fit a situation like a glove can, in time, become constraining...
For seven years, I’ve shared the brain science of Mind in the Making (MITM) with people from all walks of...
The building block has been such a fact of American childhood for so long, it’s easy to dismiss the humble...
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.
Our kids need to put the devices down and to play outdoors more. This isn’t just another parent waxing nostalgic...
I was a sheriff for 22 years. What I learned the most is that we must be proactive instead of reactive. Bettering our communities starts with taking care of our children.
Brain Matters Documentary Attracts Global Interest
Behind the Scenes with Director Carlota Nelson
Prioritizing early childhood development, says documentary filmmaker Carlota Nelson, “Is a no-brainer,” before adding, “No pun intended.” Born in Tokyo...