Community Engagement Archives - Early Learning Nation

Tonja Rucker, Program Director, Early Childhood Success, National League of Cities

How U.S. Cities Are Leading the Way to Support Early Learning

The Editors·Sep 27, 2018·3 min read

How are cities and towns grappling with a host of urgent challenges? According to Tonja Rucker of the National League of Cities, mayors and city leaders are testing cutting-edge strategies and developing bold solutions that place children at the center of every decision.

Leading by Example on Race to Mitigate Impact of Racism on the Health and Well-Being of Children

K.C. Compton·Jul 7, 2020·7 min read

Children come into the world noticing. They notice sights, sounds, smells and the attitudes and emotions of people around them....

Eastside Baby Corner: At Work for a World Where All Children Are Safe, Healthy and Have What They Need

K.C. Compton·Sep 27, 2021·7 min read

A visitor looking for Eastside Baby Corner (EBC) might be excused for thinking they were searching for a modest storefront...

Little Free Libraries: Sharing a Love of Reading; Building Brains and Communities

Mark Swartz·Jul 13, 2021·3 min read

We have a great public library in Takoma Park, Md., but ever since the first Little Free Libraries started popping...

The Bridgeport Baby Bundle: Thinking in Systems, not Programs

Mark Swartz·Apr 15, 2021·5 min read

In a 2016 Atlantic feature, Alana Semuels calls Fairfield County, Conn., the epicenter of American inequality. “Bridgeport,” she writes, “an...

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.

Early Childhood Connector: Ounce of Prevention Creates Systems-Based Solutions for Building Early Learning Communities

Mark Swartz·Jul 23, 2020·5 min read

There are more than 19,000 cities and towns and more than 13,000 school districts in the United States, and it’s...

Lessons from the History of Children’s Television, the Original Distance Learning

Mark Swartz·Mar 2, 2021·6 min read

The roots of the word television are ancient Greek τῆλε/tele, ‘far’ and Latin visio, ‘sight’. And ever since it arrived...

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?

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.

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) .

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

Mark Swartz·Aug 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.

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