Since the establishment of the Department of Early Learning back in 2006, we’ve seen a lot of growth in awareness about early brain development and the importance of getting it right in the early years. The recent passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act is a historic investment in both early learning and child care, and it’s a great example of how our understanding about the importance of early childhood has advanced over the past few decades.
New York City’s Robin Hood Foundation is known for applying rigorous metrics to evaluate the poverty-fighting impact of its grants,...
Can Play ‘Level the Playing Field’ in Chicago? How VOCEL Is Shifting Strategy to Magnify Impact
Part 4 of “Seasons of Play” Series
Jesse Ilhardt is an evangelist for play. Her wildly popular TEDx talk, “How Play Helps a Kid’s Brain Grow,” shot...
A little-noticed meteorite is about to smash into family child care providers. If Congress does not act by June 30th...
Play Is a Child’s Search for Meaning: Q&A with Brenda Fyfe
Part 8 in “Seasons of Play” Series
To learn more about play’s place in the Reggio Emilia approach, Early Learning Nation magazine spoke to Brenda Fyfe, dean and professor emeritus of the School of Education at Webster University.
At its three flagship locations in Chicago and around the city, the Carole Robertson Center for Learning supports the education...
Preschools Teach ‘Hardly Any Math’, Even as Students Struggle in Later Grades
Math advocates say more early math, taught through play or games, can help students later.
Preschool teacher Emily Johnson counts the row of green bear figurines Mayeda Alan, 4, has set on a table at...
There are more than 19,000 cities and towns and more than 13,000 school districts in the United States, and it’s...
Children and the people who love them endured a lot in 2020 and 2021. This was one of the most trying times in human history, and NPR education correspondent Kamenetz eloquently and humanely depicts the panic that reigned in every household, office, court and classroom.
The idea is so logical it almost goes without saying: It is better, smarter and more efficient to handle small...
When The New York Times declared, “America’s Mothers Are in Crisis” in February, it was hardly news to America’s mothers....
As the debate rages over proposals to improve U.S. child care, several commentators— mostly self-described conservatives—have pointed to Quebec’s child...














