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Community Cultivators

Just as Early Learning Nation showcases the ways families, researchers and grassroots nonprofits and organizations are building an early learning nation—one community at a time—our Community Cultivators series highlights how innovators across all sectors build and sustain global communities from the ground up. We hope the series inspires your own early childhood work.

Captain Underpants Is Welcome Here: Carla Hayden’s Vision for Community Hubs

She not only runs the world greatest library. She also keeps a Little Free Library in her office.

Mark Swartz·April 22, 2020·4 min read

A librarian right down to her sensible shoes, Dr. Carla Hayden greets visitors to her office in the Library of... Read More

Weavers: Geniuses at Connecting & Building Community

David Brooks’s Search for Everyday Heroes

Mark Swartz·October 15, 2019·5 min read

From where David Brooks stands, the State of the Union is a long, long way from sound. The author and... Read More

Going Big for Our Youngest with Jim Steyer

The Founder of Common Sense Media and Wide Open School

Mark Swartz·July 15, 2020·5 min read

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

Bird by Bird: Mya-Rose Craig’s Campaign for the Planet

Mark Swartz·August 7, 2019·4 min read

Mya-Rose Craig, 17-years old, has followed her passion for birds and the environment to create and galvanize a community of activists of all ages. In the process, as a young Muslim woman, she’s been trolled on social media. Not an insurmountable problem, though, as Mya-Rose is keeping her eye on a larger issue: saving the planet. Read More

A Stronger and Kinder Culture: Exploring the World and the Stage with Ping Chong

Mark Swartz·June 17, 2021·4 min read

Ping Chong grew up in the 1950s in New York City’s Chinatown, which is right next to Little Italy, and his middle school was nearly half and half. So who became his best friend? Read More

Jessica Meir’s Five Rules for Being a Good Earthling

One Half of the World’s First All-Female Space Walking Duo Returns to Solid Ground

Mark Swartz·October 13, 2020·4 min read

During her 205 days on the International Space Station, astronaut Jessica Meir had a little green friend. It wasn’t a Martian, it was mizuna lettuce that she tended as part of an experiment. “There was definitely a psychological component of having something green we could take care of,” she says. “We also got to eat it.” Read More

Students Rebuild Inspires Creativity, Builds Global Community for Philanthropy

Meet Leonetta Elaiho—Chief Empowerment Officer

Mark Swartz·September 17, 2019·5 min read

From the time she was a young person herself—specifically, a 15-year-old camp counselor in Seattle—Leonetta Elaiho has seen the many... Read More

Oskar Eustis: Welcoming America Onstage

Mark Swartz·March 30, 2021·7 min read

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

Wes Moore’s Tale of Two Cities

Fate and Faith in Baltimore, New York City and Beyond

Mark Swartz·November 11, 2020·5 min read

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

Reshma Saujani: Founder of Girls Who Code and Marshall Plan for Moms Galvanizes People Around Ideas

Mark Swartz·August 10, 2021·6 min read

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

Community Cultivators

Captain Underpants Is Welcome Here: Carla Hayden’s Vision for Community Hubs

Weavers: Geniuses at Connecting & Building Community

Going Big for Our Youngest with Jim Steyer

Bird by Bird: Mya-Rose Craig’s Campaign for the Planet

A Stronger and Kinder Culture: Exploring the World and the Stage with Ping Chong

Jessica Meir’s Five Rules for Being a Good Earthling

Students Rebuild Inspires Creativity, Builds Global Community for Philanthropy

Oskar Eustis: Welcoming America Onstage

Wes Moore’s Tale of Two Cities

Reshma Saujani: Founder of Girls Who Code and Marshall Plan for Moms Galvanizes People Around Ideas

Elliot’s Provocations: Seizing the Reconciliation Opportunity

5 Questions for the Governor: Wisconsin’s Tony Evers

Good and Good for You: Ellie Krieger’s 5 Food Tips for Children and Families

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