Page 4 – Early Learning Nation

Racial Equity for Early Childhood Professionals: Four Takeaways

Mark Swartz·Oct 15, 2020·4 min read

ELN took great pleasure in covering the recent ZERO TO THREE virtual conference via live tweeting and Top Takeaways. One of its highlights of this year’s conference was the issue-intensive session titled “Infants and Toddlers Face Racism, Too: Science, Practice, and Policy.” To judge from the lively stream of comments in the Zoom chat, the conversation provoked a great deal of reflection.

Tonia R. Durden: Building Equitable Early Childhood Professions

The Editors·Nov 22, 2019·6 min read

As the importance early childhood learning becomes more widely understood, so, too, does the importance of early learning educators. As she describes, that’s just part of what inspired Clinical Associate Professor Tonia R. Durden to help design and launch the inspiring Birth to Five Program at Georgia State University.

New Study: Race and Mother’s Education Key for Extracurricular Participation

Leigh Giangreco·Jan 13, 2023·3 min read

In a recent study from Ohio State, white kindergarten children were nearly three times as likely as children of other...

Author Bruce Perry and the Neuroscience Insights We Need Today

Mark Swartz·Feb 8, 2023·8 min read

A decade ago, early childhood advocacy could be a lonely pursuit. “It felt like we were talking to an empty auditorium,” says Bruce D. Perry, MD, Ph.D. “Now there are more people in the auditorium. They’re recognizing the power of early childhood, the importance of creating policy and practice that will benefit children and that will meet the needs of the adults who are caring for young children.”

The Wheels on the Bus: Save the Children’s Mobile Education and Nutrition Units

Mark Swartz·Mar 17, 2022·6 min read

The ice cream truck, that American institution, is brilliant in its simplicity. Rather than waiting for kids to show up...

Behind the Mask: Alicia Lieberman Reflects on Trauma and Toddlers

Mark Swartz·May 7, 2020·3 min read

Dr. Alicia Lieberman was on a telemedicine call with a mother and her four-year-old son. The boy was continually and...

Van Johnson: Emphasizing Early Learning Everywhere – Not Just in School

The Editors·Mar 30, 2022·9 min read

Covid arrived and, suddenly, every parent became a teacher. Savannah (GA) Mayor Van Johnson sees the positive: the ability for all of us to better support teachers. Mayor Johnson also sees the need to make up for lost time, and the importance of ensuring that early learning occurs everywhere, from classrooms to churches. That’s why his message to parents is straightforward: childhood learning is “a lifetime investment. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. It's a four-quarter game.”

Research Says It’s Better to Follow a Baby’s Lead: Attempts to Teach a Baby Can Backfire

K.C. Compton·Jan 10, 2024·6 min read

All babies need attention and stimulation. What may be surprising is how little actual instruction they need. Given that the...

Elena Bodrova, PhD: The Real Importance of Make Believe for Children

The Editors·Nov 21, 2019·4 min read

In preschool and kindergarten, play – including “make believe” play – helps lay the foundation for many competences children will need for the rest of their lives. So how can we get adults out of the way? Elena Bodrova, PhD, co-founder and Tools Knowledge Advisor at Tools of the Mind, explains.

Kerron Kalloo: Building a National Village Network

The Editors·Nov 8, 2023·3 min read

How do you ensure that Eight Essential Outcomes for Black Child Development get to communities, schools, educators, leaders, researchers, policymakers and parents anywhere—or everywhere—in the U.S.? Build a National Village Network, explains NBCDI’s Director of Community Engagement.