Page 4 – Early Learning Nation

A woman reads a book outdoors with a small boy who has paint and dirt on his face.

Tiny Trees Preschoolers Get to Know Their World, Rain or Shine

K.C. Compton·Aug 30, 2019·3 min read

The children attending Tiny Trees Preschool classrooms in Seattle and King County parks may look like they’re “just playing,” but those little boots are actually marching, climbing, stomping and squishing their way to a well-rounded preschool education.

Colorado Pilot Gives Home Child Care Providers Cash Payments with No Strings Attached

More Providers Stay Open and Manage Income Fluctuations

Bryce Covert·Jun 14, 2023·8 min read

Angelica Lerrga started caring for children in the basement of her sister’s Colorado home in 2009, after her husband had...

Ron Fairchild: The Power and Innovation for Early Learning Sits in Our Communities

The Editors·Mar 30, 2022·7 min read

As President & CEO of the Smarter Learning Group, Ron Fairchild works directly with communities nationwide. He works with foundations, nonprofits and school districts across the country, all to expand educational opportunities for low-income kids and families. As Fairchild describes, getting to continual strong results takes work. But the ability to get there—and the responsibility to try to improve the next generation of outcomes—exists in every community.

Research: Excessive Screen Time for Preschoolers Leads to More Outbursts — and Even More Screen Time

Tracking the same kids over three years showed early tablet use leading to increased anger — and even more tablet use.

Kate Rix·Sep 25, 2024·3 min read

This article is produced in partnership with The 74. Young children who spend more than 75 minutes on a...

Super Grandmodel Kathy Ireland on Living Your Values

Mark Swartz·Nov 19, 2021·5 min read

Married 33 years and a new grandmother, Ireland recently caught Early Learning Nation’s attention on social media because of her enthusiastic participation in the #ClearTheList campaign, helping teachers obtain school supplies.

Elliot’s Provocations: The Bay State is Becoming an Early Learning Beacon

Elliot Haspel·Feb 6, 2024·5 min read

In an era of Congressional gridlock, states are increasingly lighting the path forward around early care and education. I have been immensely impressed by the progress Massachusetts has made in recent years.

Opinion: Child Cares Look Safe — It’s Time To Act Like It

Elliot Haspel·Jun 10, 2020·7 min read

COVID-19 is a bizarre disease that defies easy answers. It impacts the lungs – except when it doesn’t. It brutalizes...

Helping Children Make Sense of Their World through Science

K.C. Compton·Jul 23, 2024·8 min read

A recent report by a National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine committee declared the need to promote science, technology,...

Child Care Centers Embedded in Empty Classrooms Support Teachers, Schools

Micro-centers rely on flexible licensing to provide child care at K-12 schools, helping parents with costs and schools with teacher retention.

Mark Swartz·Mar 25, 2025·4 min read

Correction appended March 27 Midway between Nashville and Atlanta, the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, makes original use of a resource...

What Are You Thankful For?

Mark Swartz and Art Hondros (Illustrator)·Nov 22, 2023·4 min read

Every year, Early Learning Nation magazine asks experts and friends what they’re thankful for in the early learning world. This...

A New Path to Education Reform: Playful Learning Promotes 21st-Century Skills in Schools and Beyond

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Helen Shwe Hadani and Elias Blinkoff·Nov 16, 2020·1 min read

Our friends at the Brookings Institution create remarkable work and we take great pleasure in sharing it with our audiences....

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.

Get the latest in early learning science, community and more:

Get the latest in early learning science, community and more