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Elliot’s Provocations

Elliot’s Provocations unpacks current events in the early learning world and explores how we can chart a path to a future where all children can flourish. Regarding the title, if you’re not steeped in early childhood education (ECE) lingo, a “provocation” is the field’s term—taken from the Reggio-Emilia philosophy of early education—for offering someone the opportunity to engage with an idea.

We hope this monthly column does that: provocations are certainly not answers, but we hope Elliot’s Provocations helps you pause and consider concepts in a different way.

The Many Cases for Child Care

Elliot Haspel·July 5, 2022·5 min read

Back in May, I had the privilege to present the closing keynote address at the Child Care Services Association annual conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. One point that several attendees told me resonated was when I showed that you can make many different arguments for child care, although advocates tend to focus primarily on only a few.

School Readiness and the Tyranny of Merit, Part 2

Elliot Haspel·August 2, 2022·9 min read

What, in the end, do we want young children (and young parents) to be ready for? For a nation that forces you to run a race before your legs can even hold your own weight, or a nation that says ‘we’ve got you, take your time’?

School Readiness and the Tyranny of Merit, Part 1

Elliot Haspel·August 2, 2022·11 min read

While we see the tyranny of merit most active in K-12 and higher education, school readiness is the Trojan horse through which it has breached the world of early childhood.

How Congress Can Still Save Child Care

Elliot Haspel·September 1, 2022·4 min read

While there is much to celebrate about the Inflation Reduction Act, one group was left on the outside looking in: parents with young children.

Elliot’s Provocations: Child Care Lessons from Ireland

Elliot Haspel·October 4, 2022·5 min read

Elliot’s Provocations unpacks current events in the early learning world and explores how we can chart a path to a...

Elliot’s Provocations: Employer-Sponsored Child Care is a Wrong Turn

Elliot Haspel·November 1, 2022·7 min read

As I travel internationally, I have been thinking a lot about how we position child care in the United States. I am increasingly concerned by an ascendant school of thought that emphasizes a role for employer-sponsored child care benefits.

Elliot’s Provocations: Child Care or Early Childhood Education?

Elliot Haspel·December 1, 2022·9 min read

For my last column of the year, I want to touch on a less-discussed but not-unimportant question: what in the heck should we call the care and education of children during the first five years of their life?

Elliot’s Provocations: Five Early Learning Trends for 2023

Elliot Haspel·January 4, 2023·6 min read

Happy New Year! As 2023 kicks off, I wanted to highlight five early learning trends to be watching this year.

Elliot’s Provocations: In Plain Dollars and Cents, a Child Care Policy Without Major Compensation Increases Is No Child Care Policy

Elliot Haspel·February 2, 2023·6 min read

Elliot’s Provocations unpacks current events in the early learning world and explores how we can chart a path to a...

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