Podcasts about early learning

Welcome to Part 1 of our illuminating series, "Switch Hats, Not Values - Leading with Clarity and Sanity!" In this episode of the Leadership Sandbox, Tammy J. Bond sits down with Kendall Peterson, Early Learning Manager for the Quinault Nation. Kendall shares her transformative leadership journey through the powerful metaphor of 'switching hats,' revealing how adopting different leadership roles has revolutionized her communication and enhanced team dynamics. This conversation dives deep into why clarity in leadership is non-negotiable and the inherent challenges of setting crucial boundaries. You'll explore how deeply personal values intertwine with professional relationships and discover the significant impact of leading with intention. Kendall's experiences highlight that avoiding difficult conversations ultimately leads to negative team outcomes. Tune in to learn how transparency about your leadership style can foster a healthier work environment and propel your personal growth as a leader. Key Takeaways for Leaders: The "Hats" Concept for Clarity: Learn how intentionally "switching hats" (adopting different roles) provides clarity in communication and sets clear expectations for your team. Boundaries are Non-Negotiable: Effective leadership demands setting firm boundaries to maintain professionalism and reduce stress for both you and your team. Values as Your Compass: Understand why aligning with your personal values is fundamental for authentic and effective leadership. Confronting Avoidance: Discover how avoiding difficult conversations and issues directly leads to negative team dynamics and hinders personal growth. Intentional Leadership: Embrace the importance of leading with intention to foster a healthier and more productive work environment. Onboarding for Success: Learn how clear expectations set during onboarding new staff lay the groundwork for a positive team dynamic. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Kendall Peterson transformed her leadership style using the 'hats' metaphor. The profound impact of clarity in leadership on reducing stress and improving team morale. Why understanding and integrating personal values is crucial for effective management. The benefits of transparency in your leadership style for building stronger relationships. How team support is essential for a leader's growth and success. Strategies for avoiding difficult conversations and their impact on team dynamics. Meet Kendall: Kendall Peterson has more than 20 years of service in programs supporting children and families, and 9 years as the Early Learning Manager for the Quinault Indian Nation. She oversees Head Start, Early Head Start, and licensed childcare programming for the Nation, building strong, culturally responsive early learning environments grounded in community values. Kendall is passionate about meeting families where they are and offering programming that helps them grow. She brings a reflective, practical approach to her own leadership journey, and is committed to mentoring her team to help them discover and realize their passions and potential. She has successfully navigated the complexities of Tribal governance, federal and state early learning regulations, and diverse stakeholder expectations, while keeping the needs of children, families, and staff at the center of her work. She brings a practical, reflective approach to leadership and is eager to share real-world strategies for staying grounded while managing competing roles. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Leadership and the Concept of Hats: Setting the stage for understanding various leadership roles. 01:39 Kendall's Journey and Leadership Challenges: Hear about Kendall's real-world experiences and the obstacles she navigated. 04:56 The Importance of Clarity in Leadership: Why clear communication is vital for effective management. 08:49 Transforming Conversations and Leadership Style: Practical insights into changing your approach to team dynamics. 12:25 The Impact of Values on Leadership: Exploring how personal values shape your professional approach. 16:19 Setting Boundaries and Leading with Clarity: Essential strategies for establishing and maintaining professional boundaries. 19:42 Onboarding New Staff and Establishing Expectations: Best practices for setting a positive tone with new team members. 23:32 The Role of Team Support in Leadership Growth: How strong team dynamics contribute to a leader's success. 27:12 Conclusion and Future Conversations on Leadership: Wrapping up Part 1 and looking ahead in the series. Ready to lead with intention and master the art of 'switching hats' without losing your core values? Tune into Part 1 of this empowering series on the Leadership Sandbox! Learn More Here: bondgroupenterprises.com/podcast  

Have you heard of Theory of Mind? Even if you haven't heard that phrase, you've likely seen it play out in your interactions with early learners. Cindy and Alison discuss Theory of Mind, how it shows up, and the impact on our interactions with young children.

Don't let social media posts fool you into thinking memorization is real knowledge! Just because children can repeat what you say or do doesn't mean they understand it. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about what real knowledge and understanding looks like and how to promote it.

Most early educators and families know that positive guidance helps children learn about rules, boundaries, and expectations. Do you know the characteristics of positive approaches for teaching children about behavior? Cindy and Alison discuss the essential elements of a positive approach that supports children and teaches them how to use their power in productive ways.

This is a special episode that features seven mini-interviews with speakers at last year's Learning Ideas Conference, which was held at Columbia University in New York City. As we approach the Learning Ideas Conference 2025, taking place from June 11th to 13th, I reflect on last year's conference and the conversations I had with some of the speakers, including the three keynote speakers. Learning Ideas Conference: https://www.learningideasconf.org The interviews can be found at the following timestamps: 0:08:25 Prof. Chris Dede Associate Director for Research, National AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (AI-ALOE) Senior Research Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education Title of Talk: Complementing Human Minds with Digital Brains: The Role of GenAI in Learning Links: https://www.chrisdede.com 0:25:40 Dr. Alina von Davier Chief of Assessment at Duolingo Honorary Research Fellow at Oxford University Talk Title: Building Digital-first Assessments in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Links: https://www.education.ox.ac.uk/person/alina-von-davier/ 0:37:20 Dr. Christina Katopodis Senior Postdoctoral Research Associate CUNY Humanities Alliance Talk Title: Connecting Learners to Their Internal Motivations for Success Links: https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/members/ckatopodis/ 0:55:00 Sam Lee and Veronica Gomez Learning Design at McKinsey & Company Talk Title: Emerging Tech in Learning: From Overwhelming to Innovative Links: Sam Lee's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/junghwasamleeny/ Veronica Gomez's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronicagomezatencio/ 1:11:00 Mike Kentz Founder of AI Literacy Partners (ALP) Talk Title: Stop Grading Essays, Start Grading Chats Links: Substack: https://mikekentz.substack.com/p/a-new-assessment-design-framework ALP: https://www.litpartners.ai 1:25:45 Gary Dickelman, EPSScentral LLC and Jan Greenberg, National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning (DTL) Talk Title: AI in Early Learning and How it Affects Higher Education and Workplace Learning Links: https://www.higheredandwork.org/gary-dickelman-bio https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-greenberg-7252b1a/ 1:37:50 Teemu Patala, Co-founder & Cief Learning Officer, Airport College International Title of Talk: Fostering Innovation through Strategic Partnerships in Aviation Training Post-Pandemic Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teemu-patala-1b09562/ https://www.airportcollege.com

Welcome to the final episode of Season 10 of Waves of Awareness! We're wrapping up this season with a conversation with the Waves Early Learning leadership team: Gina, Jen and Katie. Our usual co-hosts for this episode are Waves CEO Staci Davis and Waves adult Johnny Sunshine. Johnny shares a few life updates as well as what he's looking forward to this summer. The group then dives into all things Early Learning: why it matters, what referrals look like, some of the best practices they utilize, and a huge milestone Waves Early Learning just hit. Waves considers it a privilege to be able to serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilties (IDD) across all seasons of life, and we're excited to highlight the youngest ones this week! Tune in for important information about Early Intervention, some sweet stories from some of our Early Interventionists themselves, and lots of laughs. Be sure to follow us on socials @waves_serves to keep up with the tips our Early Learning team shares every Tuesday! Stay tuned for updated on Season 11 and the amazing guests WOA will be hosting.  ______________________________________ To learn more about Waves go to: wavesinc.com For volunteer opportunities with Waves go to: https://wavesinc.com/volunteer/ To watch Waves of Awareness on Youtube go to: https://www.youtube.com/@Waves_of_Awareness To learn about Spread The Positive go to: https://spreadthepositive.net/ To learn more about Waves Early Learning, visit: https://wavesinc.com/early-learning-program/ To view Waves Early Learning Tuesday Tips: https://wavesinc.com/early-learning-program/early-learning-tips/

In this thought-provoking conversation, Doug is joined by Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood and one of Australia's leading advocates for children, parents, carers and families. She makes a powerful case for why every child should have access to high-quality, affordable early learning and care, and how failing to provide that risks entrenching disadvantage from the very beginning.They discuss Australia's ‘childcare deserts' and other barriers to early learning, what recent reforms mean for families, and how Gonski-style funding could transform early childhood education and make it accessible and affordable for all. CREDITS Host: Doug Taylor, CEO, The Smith Family Guest: Georgie Dent, CEO, The Parenthood Audio production: Mylk Media GET IN TOUCH Learn more about The Smith Family: thesmithfamily.com.au Connect with us on: Facebook @TheSmithFamilyAustralia Instagram @thesmithfamilyaus LinkedIn @the-smith-family The Smith Family acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Lands on which this podcast is made and their continuing connection to Culture and Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the time of year when families plan their vacations. Let's encourage them to document vacations so their children can share their adventures with teachers and classmates! In this episode of the podcast, Cindy and Alison talk about several ways families can share their vacations with us in early childhood programs.

In this episode… Mandy Richardson, owner of Naturally Learning nurseries in Cornwall, talks to us about how she created the Cornish Curriculum with her team. Mandy shares with us the details of her curriculum and some challenges along the way, including challenging Ofsted, practicalities of an outdoor nursery, defining what school readiness means to you, the ‘Cornish Connection', teaching diversity in a ‘non-diverse' area, authentic cultural representation and more…   Read Mandy's article here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-cornish-curriculum/   This episode is sponsored by Funding Loop: Funding Loop automates the process for nurseries of collecting funding forms from parents and typing that information into council portals. Funding Loop is used by over 2000 nurseries including over 80% of the top 25 nursery chains in the UK including Busy Bees. To find out more visit: https://www.fundingloop.co.uk/home   Listen to more: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: ·       Early years curriculum: Provision for 2-year-olds – Charlotte Norman: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-curriculum-provision-for-2-year-olds/ ·       It's not really about dinosaurs: What are children learning from your curriculum – Jan Dubiel: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-curriculum/ ·       What is an early years curriculum? Ruth Swailes & Jan Dubiel: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/what-is-an-early-years-curriculum/ ·       Enquiry led learning: A curious classroom – Stuart Cloke: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/enquiry-led-learning-a-curious-classroom/ ·       Education Durham curriculum project: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/projects/education-durham-project/ ·       Early years curriculum: Building sequences of learning – Paige Hutchinson: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-curriculum-building-sequences-of-learning/ ·       Early years curriculum: Building sequences of learning – Paige Hutchinson: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-curriculum-building-sequences-of-learning/   Get in touch and share your voice: Do you have thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch here! – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/contact/   Episode break down: 00:00 – Welcome! 02:00 – Naturally Learning settings in Cornwall 03:55 – The ‘Cornish Connection' 06:00 – Challenging Ofsted 07:45 – Where do we begin when structuring a curriculum? 10:00 – Inspiration from the Fibonacci sequence 12:00 – The 7 areas of the Cornish Curriculum 14:00 – What does school readiness mean to you? 16:00 – How can we be diverse in a ‘non-diverse' area? 18:00 – Authentic cultural representation 21:00 – Building the foundations of respect & curiosity 22:40 – Pedagogy or curriculum? 28:00 – Skills vs knowledge 31:00 – Practicalities of an outdoor nursery 32:50 – Risk assessing with children 35:00 – Risks that have been assessed For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

There is so much young children can learn from being in nature and exploring all it offers. Luckily, nature can be found in every environment. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about nature activities in cities, the suburbs, and rural areas.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise various sectors, including early childhood education. This podcast episode and article explore how AI can positively impact nurseries, schools and wider early education.   Key discussion points include: ·       The role of AI in its current form and the future of AI. ·       AI guiding us and informing our practice, rather than doing all the work for us. ·       Both educators and children becoming more digitally attuned. ·       Understanding how AI can support our own human intelligence.   Read Richard's article here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/how-can-ai-positively-impact-education/   This episode is in partnership with Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs.   Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs advocate for greater male participation in education and caregiving roles, offering support and guidance to enhance gender inclusion in nurseries and schools.   To find out more visit: https://malechildcareandteachingjobs.co.uk/   Listen to more: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: ·       Promoting STEAM in early years: It's easier than you think! – Paula Walshe https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/promoting-steam-in-early-years-its-easier-than-you-think/ ·       Infant sleep and the role of technology in parenting – Ryan White https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/infant-sleep-and-the-role-of-technology-in-parenting/ ·       Using artificial intelligence in early years – Joshua Barr https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/using-artificial-intelligence-in-early-years/   Plus hear and read more on men in early childhood: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/articles/men-in-early-childhood/   Get in touch and share your voice: Do you have thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch here! – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/contact/   Episode break down: 00:00 – Topic introduction 02:30 – Who is Richard Waite? 06:20 – So what actually is AI? 08:00 – The fear factor in AI 10:20 – Using AI as a tool for admin 12:40 – Supporting children with specific needs 14:30 – Let AI guide you, not replace you 17:20 – Human intelligence and artificial intelligence 22:60 – AI hallucinating & human error 24:50 – Challenges around embracing AI 29:30 – Preparing children for the future 34:20 – How can AI help you? For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

In this episode of Educator Yarns, host Jessica Staines, Director of Koori Curriculum, is joined by Bec Burch, founder of Bush Kindy's Australia, to explore the transformative power of "On Country" program for early childhood education. This thoughtful dialogue delves into how venturing beyond the confines of traditional learning environments enriches children's development through meaningful connection to place. The conversation weaves together Aboriginal perspectives, particularly the concept of "land links" where learning connects back to country, with the principles of nature pedagogy. Both share their wealth of experience in creating powerful outdoor learning experiences that support children's wellbeing, foster curiosity, and provide sensory-rich environments that manufactured classroom materials simply cannot replicate. This episode offers practical insights for educators seeking to incorporate Aboriginal perspectives and nature-based learning into their practice, highlighting the profound benefits for all children, including those with additional needs. Key Takeaways On country program provide valuable opportunities for smaller group interactions compared to busy early learning centres, creating space for deeper engagement and more focused learning experiences. Children demonstrate significantly improved self-regulation when learning in natural environments, particularly those with complex needs who may struggle with sensory overstimulation in traditional indoor settings. The Aboriginal concept of "land links" within the eight ways of learning naturally aligns with nature-based program, bringing all learning back to connection with country. Nature pedagogy embraces a "slow pedagogy" approach where child-led play flourishes as children make their own decisions and engage deeply with open-ended natural materials. When outdoors in nature, children typically demonstrate longer attention spans and sustained focus, engaging in deeper play for extended periods compared to indoor activities with predetermined outcomes. The natural environment inherently fosters curiosity and wonder, prompting children to ask questions that spark learning and passion for understanding their world. Outdoor learning engages the whole body and all senses, providing hands-on experiences that support diverse learning styles and preferences. "Risky play" is a valuable component of nature-based learning, allowing children to develop confidence and resilience through activities like climbing trees or navigating uneven terrain. Even infants and toddlers benefit tremendously from on country experiences through sensory-rich engagement with natural elements like water, sand, leaves, and sounds. Nature-based learning provides authentic opportunities for children to develop understanding of ecosystems, interdependence, and respect for the environment as they learn to see natural spaces as homes for wildlife rather than merely human playgrounds. The powerful intersection between Aboriginal perspectives and nature-based learning creates rich opportunities for meaningful education that connects children deeply with country and their own learning capabilities. By embracing "on Country" experiences, educators can foster environments where learning is not only more engaging but fundamentally more connected to place, culture and holistic development. We encourage you to take that first step beyond your fence—whether through regular bush excursions, bringing natural elements into your existing spaces, or reimagining your approach to outdoor play. Your journey toward embedding Aboriginal perspectives through nature-based learning will not only enrich children's educational experiences but help nurture the next generation's connection to and respect for country. Access the episode resources here.

In a continued effort to support early childhood education, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, alongside the Department of Education and Early Learning, has announced one-time payments of up to $555 for nearly 5,000 childcare educators across the city. This initiative, now in its fifth year, seeks to acknowledge and retain the dedicated professionals nurturing Seattle's youngest residents, many of whom are women of color.  Dr. Dwane Chappelle, director of the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning, joins today's Rhythm & News Podcast to share more about the program. Interview by Chris B. Bennett.

The biter, the hitter, the runner, the climber...Why do some adults continue to label children this way? Would you do that to an adult? Join Cindy and Alison for a reflection on why this happens and what we can do.

In this episode, Dr. Breeda McGrath discusses her experiences in education, particularly focusing on the impact of wildfires on the community and education system in Southern California. She emphasizes the importance of technology in early childhood education and the integration of AI, while also addressing the need for educators to adapt to these changes. The conversation highlights the resilience of the community and the collaborative efforts to support families and children during challenging times. If you are a new listener to TeacherCast, we would love to hear from you.  Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today! To get our weekly Instructional Coaching Tips sent right to your inbox, please subscribe to our weekly newsletter. Conversation Takeaways Dr. McGrath has over 20 years of experience in education. The wildfires in Southern California have had a significant impact on the community and education. Community support has been crucial in the recovery process after the wildfires. Technology can enhance early childhood education by providing diverse learning experiences. Curiosity should be at the forefront of educational approaches. AI has potential in education but needs to be integrated thoughtfully. Educators must prepare for emerging technologies to stay relevant. Collaboration among community members is essential for effective recovery and support. Professional development for educators should focus on curiosity and adaptability. The future of education will increasingly involve technology and AI. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Dr. Breeda McGrath 02:45 Impact of Wildfires on Education 16:24 The Role of Technology in Early Childhood Education 24:47 Integrating AI in Early Learning 32:01 Preparing Educators for Emerging Technologies About our Guest: Dr. Breeda McGrath, Ph.D., is the President of Pacific Oaks College & Children's School. With over 20 years of experience, she has held prominent leadership roles, including Associate Dean at The Chicago School, where she drove significant growth in online education, expanded academic offerings, and integrated innovative technologies like AI and telehealth training. Dr. McGrath holds a Ph.D. in School Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and is deeply committed to fostering diversity, social justice, and inclusion in education. Additionally, she contributes to the APA's Civil Discourse Project, promoting respectful dialogue and understanding across diverse perspectives. Links of Interest Pacific Oaks College Pacific Oaks College LinkedIn LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/breeda-mcgrath-phd-24a6642/ Follow Our Podcast And Subscribe View All Episodes Apple Podcasts Spotify Follow Our Host Jeff Bradbury | @JeffBradbury TeacherCast | @TeacherCast Join Our PLN

Whenever you gather children for a large group experience, consider focusing the lesson moral development. In this episode, Cindy and Alison discuss what is included in moral development and how we can focus on that during class meetings, read-alouds, and more.

In this illuminating episode of Educator Yarns, we welcome back Bec from Bush Kindy's Australia for an in-depth conversation about Bush Tucker Gardens in early learning environments. Together, Jessica & Bec explore the profound educational value these spaces offer and address a common challenge observed across many services: the tendency for Bush Tucker plants to be underutilised, neglected, or misunderstood. Bec shares her wealth of knowledge about why these gardens matter, how they connect children to Country, and practical approaches to establishing and maintaining meaningful native plant spaces that authentically reflect local ecosystems. Drawing from their extensive experience working on Country and witnessing successful implementations in educational settings, they offer invaluable insights for educators wanting to move beyond tokenistic inclusion of native plants towards genuine engagement with Aboriginal perspectives through place-based learning experiences. Key Takeaways: ·       Bush Tucker Gardens create meaningful connections to place-based pedagogy, allowing children and educators to learn about their local community, ecosystems, and Indigenous knowledge systems. ·       Native plant spaces in early learning environments establish essential green corridors for wildlife, particularly important in urban areas or regions affected by environmental events like fires or cyclones. ·       Rather than creating isolated "Bush Tucker sections," consider integrating native plants throughout your entire outdoor learning environment for a more inclusive and authentic approach. ·       Research what's endemic to your specific area by connecting with local nurseries, community organisations, Elders, or using apps like iNaturalist to identify local species. ·       Involve children in the entire process - from researching local plants, mapping garden spaces, tracking sunlight patterns, identifying ideal locations, and creating signage for plants. ·       Start small with quality over quantity – seven mature plants are more valuable than numerous seedlings, especially as many native species grow slowly. ·       Consider practical factors when planning: sun exposure, accessibility, traffic patterns, and which age groups will interact with the plants. ·       Native plants often require less maintenance than introduced species – sometimes "neglect" is better than over care, as they're adapted to local conditions. ·       Establish rhythms and routines for observing and engaging with the plants through regular visits that involve sensory exploration and documentation of seasonal changes. ·       Dead or neglected Bush Tucker Gardens send problematic messages to both children and community members about valuing Indigenous knowledge and perspectives. Bush Tucker Gardens represent a powerful opportunity to move beyond tokenistic approaches to embedding Aboriginal perspectives by creating authentic connections to Country right within your learning environment. By thoughtfully planning, researching local ecosystems, involving children meaningfully, and embracing the natural rhythms of native plants, educators can create spaces that honour First Nations knowledge while fostering deep environmental stewardship in young learners. We encourage you to start your Bush Tucker journey today—whether beginning with a small collection of mature plants or revitalising an existing garden—and witness how these living educational resources transform both your physical space and pedagogical practice. Access the episode resources here.

Have you seen the viral spirit tunnel videos from the  @JenniferHudsonShow  ? What a great way to prepare her guests for a great interview... and for us to welcome young children as they arrive at their early childhood program! Join Cindy and Alison to consider how you might add this motivational, fun, and engaging moment to your days.

It's time for WEE Nation Reads with UMBC, starting our 2nd year of partnership with the Diverse Books Project. Today's interview is with Author Monica Brown, author of "Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/ Marisol McDonald no combina" Website: leeandlowbooks.com and Facebook @MonicaBrownAuthor. This segment is sponsored by UMBC's Sherman Center for Early Learning in Urban Communities, which serves as a resource to participating teachers and families in their Diverse Books Projects (DBP).  This project aims to ensure that early childhood educators at their partner schools have access to high-quality, diverse children's books and opportunities to share ideas and insights about their use. Books identified by UMBC will be featured in our WEE Nation Reads with UMBC segment, which includes a reading of each of the selected books, children's music related to each book, and an interview with the author or publisher. Go to WEE Nation Radio for more information, or download our mobile app on Android and iPhones by searching "WEE Nation Radio" in your App Store. www.WEENationRadio.com.

Some populations are underrepresented in special education classes, and others are overrepresented. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about being more aware of what impacts who tends to be referred more often and not often enough.

Do you have children who paint themselves instead of the paper? Do you remember covering your hand with @ElmersGlue and peeling it off? Join Cindy and Alison to learn why children do this and other actions that cover their skin and bodies.

This week's IBJ Podcast features a conversation from our Forty Under 40 awards breakfast last week with Maureen Weber, the winner of this year's Alumni Award.  Maureen was originally a Forty Under 40 honoree in 2010. Back then, she had just finished reorganizing the Indiana Department of Education and had taken a job as director of community outreach and engagement at Clarian Health, now Indiana University Health. Sixteen years later, Maureen is president and CEO of Early Learning Indiana. She said she took the job because she saw the opportunity to transform the lives of young children, especially vulnerable ones. IBJ Editor Lesley Weidenbener talked with Maureen on stage about the work Early Learning Indiana is doing today and about leadership and learning from failure. You can read more about Maureen and see our latest Forty Under 40 class here.

Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code? SOURCES:Patti Chamberlain, senior research scientist at the Oregon Social Learning Center.John List, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.Lauren Supplee, former deputy chief operating officer at Child Trends.Dana L. Suskind, professor of surgery at the University of Chicago. RESOURCES:“How Can Experiments Play a Greater Role in Public Policy? 12 Proposals from an Economic Model of Scaling,” by Omar Al-Ubaydli, John List, Claire Mackevicius, Min Sok Lee, and Dana Suskind.“The Science of Using Science: Towards an Understanding of the Threats to Scaling Experiments,” by Omar Al-Ubaydli, John List, and Dana Suskind (The Field Experiments Website, 2019).“Inconsistent Device Use in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Users: Prevalence and Risk Factors,” by K.B.Wiseman and A.D. Warner-Czyz (U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 2018). EXTRAS:"Why Do Most Ideas Fail to Scale?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022)."The Price of Doing Business with John List," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).Child Trends.Oregon Social Learning Center.T.M.W. Center for Early Learning and Public Health.The Field Experiments Website.

The amount of time children and adolescents spend with a screen is absolutely stunning. Lots of people, including parents, health leaders, educators, elected leaders from both parties I might mention, and even children themselves, are highly concerned and are discussing what might be done about all this. I'm delighted to begin this series of podcasts on children and screen time. Today we're welcoming two very special guests who can talk about this topic in general, and especially about what's being done to protect children and adolescents. Several podcasts will follow this one that deal with food and nutrition in particular. Our first guest, Kris Perry, is Executive Director of Children and Screens, an organization devoted to protecting children. In the digital world by addressing media's impact on child development, communicating state-of-the-art information, and working with policymakers. Prior to joining children in Screens, Kris was senior advisor of the Governor of California and Deputy Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. Our other guest, Dr. Dimitri Christakis is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and director of the Center for Child Health Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's. He's also editor-in-chief of JAMA Pediatrics and both Chief Scientific Officer and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of Children and Screens. He's also the co-editor of a new book that I'm very excited to discuss. Interview Summary Download The Handbook of Children and Screens: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-69362-5 Kris, let's start with you. Could you set the stage and give us some sense of how much time children spend in front of screens, children and adolescents, and what devices are being used and what kind of trends are you seeing? Yes, I'd be happy to. I had better news for your listeners, but as you might imagine, since the advent of the smartphone and social media, the youth digital media use has been increasing each year. Especially as children get older and have increasing demands on their time to use screens. But let's just start at the beginning of the lifespan and talk about kids under the age of two who shockingly are spending as much as two hours a day on screens. Most spend about 50 minutes, but there's a significant chunk spending up to two hours. And that rises to three or three to five hours in childhood. And eventually in adolescence, approximately eight and a half hours a day our adolescents are spending online. Also wanted to talk a little bit about middle childhood children, six to 12 years of age. 70% of them already have a social media account, and we all know social media wasn't designed for children. And there are restrictions on children under 13 using them, and yet children six to 12 most have an account already. Over half of four-year-olds have a tablet and two thirds of children have their own device by the age of eight; and 90% of teens. This probably won't be surprising, and yet we should really think about what this means; that 90% of teens are using YouTube, 60% are on TikTok and Instagram, and 55% use Snapchat. I'll stop by ending on a really alarming statistic. Oh my, there's more? There's more. I know it! I told you. I'll be the bearer of bad news so that we can talk about solutions later. But, children are checking their devices as often as 300 times per day. 300 times. 300 times per day, and we're talking about screen time right now. And we know that when you're using time to be on screens, you are not doing something else. And we know that childhood is full of challenges and skill building and mastery that requires repetition and tenacity and grit and effort. And the more children are on their screens, whether it's social media or other entertainment, they're not doing one of these other critical child development tasks. That's pretty amazing. And the fact that the older kids are spending more time on before a screen than they are in school is pretty alarming. And the younger, the really youngest kids, that's especially alarming. So, Dimitri, why should we fret about this? And I realize that fret is kind of a mild word here. Maybe all I'll panic would be better. But what are some of the major concerns? Well, I don't think panic is ever the right reaction, but the numbers Kris conveyed, you know, I think do paint a, let's say, concerning story. You know, the simple reality is that there's only so much time in a day. And if you think about it, teenagers in particular should sleep for eight to 10 hours a day at a minimum. They really should be in school six and a half, seven hours a day. And then when you add the numbers, Kris conveyed, you realize that something's giving because there isn't enough time left to spend eight and a half hours a day. The two things at a minimum that are giving are sleep. Kids are losing sleep to be on screens. And I'm sorry to say that they're losing school while they're on screens. We just published a paper that used passive sensing to see where and when children are on their screens. And found that the typical child in the United States spends an hour and a half during the school day on their device. And it's not, before any of your guests ask, on Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica. It's on the usual suspects of social media, TikTok, etc. So, you know, we talk about displacement, and I think it's pretty obvious what's being displaced during school hours. Its time focused on learning if it's in the classroom, and time focused on being authentically present in real time and space if it's during recess. School hours are precious in that way, and I think it is concerning that they're spending that much time in school. And I told you the median. Of course, some kids are above that, a significant half of them are above it. And at the high end, they're spending 30 to 40% of school time on screens. Now, some schools have enacted policies. They don't typically enforce them very well. One of the things that drives me nuts, Kelly, is that as an academic, you know we love to argue amongst ourselves and hem and haw. And this issue about whether or not there's such a phenomenon as digital addiction is still being hotly debated. Honestly, the only behavioral addiction that's being seriously considered at this point is gaming disorder. The DSM-5 didn't consider gaming, considered it, but didn't include, it said it needed further study in 2013. In 2022, the WHO did include gaming disorder as an ICD-11 diagnosis. But just as further evidence how slow science is compared to technology., I mean gaming, while it's still an entity, represents a small fraction of most people's screen time. And the numbers that Kris conveyed, a small fraction of that for some on average was gaming. For some people, it's their screen use of choice, but for many, it's social media. YouTube, although I consider YouTube to be a social media, etc. And at the high end when you hear the numbers Kris conveyed in my mind that's a behavioral addiction any way you define it. Well, and if you think about things that we all agree are addictive, like nicotine and alcohol and heroin, people aren't doing it 300 times a day. So it's really pretty remarkable. And that's exactly right. One of the salient criteria for those addictions is that it's interfering with activities of daily living. Well, you can't be on a screen for nine hours a day when you're supposed to be asleep for 10 and at school for six without interfering with activities of day. The math isn't there. And things like being physically active and going out and playing. That's right. It doesn't add up. So, you don't need the DSM-5. You don't need a psychiatrist. You need a mathematician to tell you that there's too much time on this thing. Alright, so Kris, talk to us if you will, about the Children and Screens organization. I have a lot of respect for the organization and its work. Tell us how it got started and what its objectives are. Well, it's so great to be on this show with you and get to see you in your day job, Kelly. Because you've been an advisor, like Dimitri, to the institute almost since its inception, which is in 2013. As you know, our founder, Dr. Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra, really became concerned as a parent about the way digital media was impacting her children and sought out some answers. Well, what does this mean? Why is this happening? What should I do? And found out that this, of course, is 2013, this is a long time ago. There wasn't that much research yet. And it was multidisciplinary. In other words, there might be a study among neuroscientists or developmental psychologists, even ophthalmologists. But there really hadn't been, yet, a concerted effort to bring these different disciplines and the research together to try to answer some of these hard questions about the impact on kids. And lo and behold, here we are, almost 13 years since the advent of the smartphone and social media. And there is an astounding amount of research across disciplines. So, what we do at the institute is we try to translate it as fast as we can and make it actionable for parents, providers, and policy makers. And we do that through our Ask the Experts webinar series where we bring the experts themselves directly to our audience to talk about these impacts and answer questions. We also create printables, you might say, like tip sheets and Research at a Glance Digest, and newsletters and FAQs and we've upgraded our website to make it very navigable for parents of kids of all ages. I even started my own podcast this year, which has been really fun. Dimitri was my first guest, so it's great to see him here. And we have convenings. We're having our third Digital Media Developing Mind Scientific Congress this summer where the experts come together in person to discuss issues. And we really try to focus them on advancing research and supporting it, translating it, and positioning the issue as a policy priority. We'll be in Washington, DC where we know lawmakers are grappling with the impact of digital media on child development, how to make online, products safer for kids and protect their data. The Institute is in the middle of all of this, trying to facilitate more discussion, more results and more support for parents primarily. Kris, a couple of things occur to me. One is that the breadth of work you do is really very impressive because you're not only having very hands-on kind of in the real world ex advice for parents on how to navigate this world, but you have advice for and helpful resources for policy makers and for researchers and people. It's really quite an impressive breadth of work. The other thing that occurred to me is that I don't think you and I would have any podcast career at all if it hadn't been for Dimitri helping us out. So thanks Dimitri. Yeah. So, let me ask you, Dimitri, so I know that both you and Kris are committed to an evidence-based approach to making policy. Yeah. But technology advances way more quickly than scientists can evaluate it. Much less come up with policies to deal with it. And by the time research gets funded, completed, published, you're on to eight new levels of technology. So how does one handle this fundamental problem of pace? It's a really good question. I mean, I can tell you that we should at a minimum learn from the mistakes we've made in the past. And, you know, one of the most critical, frankly, that most people don't really understand is that we talk about the age at which children get social media accounts in this country. Kris pointed out that actually pre-teens routinely have social media accounts. Social media companies do very little to age gate. They're trying to do more now, but even the age at which we've accepted it is being normative is 13. Few people know where that comes from. That doesn't come from talking to pediatricians, psychologists, parents about what age is the appropriate age. It comes entirely from COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act), which basically was the original privacy act that said that before the age of 13, companies could not collect data from children. So, because these companies were interested in collecting data, they set the age at 13 so as to not have any constraints on the data they collected. Well, that's not even common sense-based policy, let alone evidence-based policy. And it's never been revisited since. It's very troubling to me. And as things move forward, I think we have to learn from those mistakes. Medicine has a maxim which is do no harm. We use that phrase a lot and I think it's a good one in this case. I think it's a particularly good one as we see the new technologies emerging around artificial intelligence. And you know, again, like any new technology, it has incredible upside. We made the mistake and we're still paying for it, about not appreciating the downsides of social network sites, and frankly, the internet in general. And I would hope we put guardrails in place now. And if you will apply the same standard we apply to other non-technology based products. You can't introduce a new pharmaceutical to anybody, let alone to children, until you show it's safe and effective. You can't bring toys to the world that are dangerous. Why do we have more safety precautions around toys than we do around websites for children? You know, a lot of it involves changing defaults, doesn't it? Because if the default is that government or somebody out there has to prove that something is harmful before it gets taken away. That changes everything then if you began at a different point where these companies have to prove that these things are safe. Correct. Or they're permitted. Then the companies would find workarounds and they would play games with that too, but at least that would help some. Well, it would help some. And at least we'd be philosophically in the right place. By the way, Kris didn't say it, so I'll say it. You know, the mission of Children and Screens, lest we sound like Luddites here, is not get kids away from technology. Take away their smartphones. We all recognize that technology is here to stay. I think all of us appreciate the incredible upside that it brings to children's lives. The mission of Children and Screens is to help children lead healthy lives in a digital world. And part of the reason she and I often talk about the concerns we have is because the pros make the case for themselves. I mean, you know, no one needs to come here and tell you how amazing it is that you could Google something or that you could get somewhere with GPS. I mean, we know it's amazing and we all rely on it. And none of us are ever talking about getting rid of that stuff. That makes good sense. It's like, you know, children benefit from the fact that they can get around with their parents in the automobile. But you want to have car seats in there to protect them. Exactly. And that's exactly right. There needs to be assurances of safety and they're none. I mean, they're really virtually none. The age getting is a joke. And even if we accept it as effective, the age set of 13 is too young, in my opinion. We started this conversation talking about these medias being addictive, I believe they're addictive. There are legitimate academics that will debate me on that, and I'm happy to join that debate. But as I said before, it's a tough argument to win when people spending upwards of 10 to 16 hours a day doing it. I don't know what you call that besides addictive. We can argue about what percentage are doing that, but nevertheless, once you accept something as addictive, for other addictive things we immediately age gate it above 18 or 21, right? Mm-hmm. We don't believe that the teenagers have the ability to regulate their alcohol or tobacco or gambling, all of which we accept are addictive. In fact, in the case of alcohol, we raised the age from 18 to 21 because we thought even 18-year-olds weren't able to do it. And yet somehow for this behavior, we think of it as just so different that it doesn't require greater cognitive capacity. And I don't believe that. Yeah, very good point. Kris, let me ask you a question about how you and your colleagues at Children and Screens set priorities because there are a lot of things that one could potentially worry about as outcomes. There's violence that kids see on social media. There's cognitive and brain development, social developments, social interactions, and bullying. Mental health, body image, diet, all these things are out there. How do you decide what to work on? Well, we try to work on all of it. And in fact, we've built up a fair amount of expertise and resources around almost 25 different topics. And we also understand that, you know, childhood is a long period of time. Birth to 18, birth to 21, birth to 25, depending on who you talk to. So, we're able to take those 25 topics and also provide deeper, you might say, resources that address the different stages of development. We're really trying to do as much as we can. What's been interesting over these last few years is trying to figure out when to be reactive, when to be proactive. And by being proactive, we go out looking for the research, translating it, digesting it, and creating materials with it that we think are really accessible and actionable. At the same time, as Dimitri points out, there are policy windows and there are opportunities that present themselves that you have to react to. If you just only talk about what you want to talk about to each other you're missing some of these external opportunities to inform policy and policy makers. Help influence the way that parents and providers are talking about the issue. Framing it in such a way that engages youth and makes them want what we want for them. We're really excited by increasing opportunities to partner in coalitions with others that care about kids and teachers and nurses and doctors. But we also are speaking directly to leaders in states and school districts at the federal level, at the local level. You would be, I'm sure, not surprised to hear that we are contacted every day by groups that support parents and families. Asking for resources, asking for support, because they're seeing the impact now over many years on their children, their development. Their academic ability. Their cognitive and analytical ability. Their social emotional ability. Their ability to pay attention to tasks that we all know are critical in building that foundation for essentially, you know, future success. The Institute is being pulled in many directions. Ee try really hard to be strategic about what are people asking us for? What does the research say and how can we get that to them as quickly as possible? Dimitri - Can I add to that? You know, I want to emphasize that the concern around the effects of screen use on children's lives is shared by parents on both sides of the aisle. 75% of parents are concerned about the impact of screens on their children's lives. 35% of teenagers are concerned about their dependents on screens and that it has a negative effect on their lives. Actually by some studies, some surveys, even more than 35 to 50% of teenagers are concerned. And both sides of the political aisle agree in large part of this. And Kris and Kelly, you guys are the policy wonks, you can speak more to that. So it's a serious indictment on us as grownups and as a society that we have not done more to deliver on this issue. Why? When there's bipartisan agreement amongst many policymakers. This is not a political [00:22:00] issue to speak of and there is widespread concern on the part of parents and even teenagers. Why is nothing happening? Well, one has to look no further than where the money is. And that's a problem. I mean, that's a serious indictment on our political system when we can't deliver something that is needed and basically wanted by everybody but the industry itself. We'll come back and talk in a few moments about the policy issues and where industry gets involved here. But let me take just a bit of a detour from that and talk about the book that I mentioned earlier, because I think it's such a valuable resource. Now, when I mention the name of this book I'm urging our listeners to write this down or to remember it because you can get the book at no cost. And I'll come back, Kris, and explain what made that possible and why the decision was to make this an open access book. But Dimitri, let's begin with you. So you, along with Lauren Hale, edited this book that's entitled, The Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media Development and Wellbeing From Birth Through Adolescence. I think it's an extraordinary piece of work, but tell, tell us about the book.  It was an extraordinary undertaking. There's I think 178 or 180 authors. Literally, it's a who's who of experts in children and media research in all disciplines. It represents pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, communications experts, demography, lawyers, neuroscientists. I don't know who I'm forgetting. Every single discipline is represented. Leading scientists in all of those areas. Virtually every topic that someone might be of interest to people. And we deliberately made the chapters short and easily accessible. So, it is, I think, a great resource for the constituents we serve. For teachers, for parents, for researchers, for policymakers. And it is free. The hardest part of it, to be honest, as an editor, was getting peer reviewers because unfortunately, every expert was conflicted since they all had an article in it. But it was a long time coming. And again, this was really the brainchild of Pam (Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra) and we're grateful to have brought it along. So, you go all the way from the neuroscience, how children's brains are reacting to this, all the way out there into the public policy and legal arena about what can be done about it. And then kind of everything in between. It's remarkable how much the book covers. It's almost a thousand pages. I mean, it is a tome to be sure. And don't forget to mention, Dimitri, we aren't even two months post publication, and we have 1.6 million views of the document, despite its gargantuan size. I think that is really a tribute to experts like you and others that have really studied this issue and can speak directly to its impacts. It's been great to see the success so far. You know, not a small number of those views is from me logging on. And then a million from me and then we got there. So, it is free because it's online and you can download it. You can also order a hard copy for I think, $60, but I'm not sure why you would do that if you can download it for free. But it's up to you. So, Kris, it's unusual for a book like this to be made open access and free to the general public. What made that possible and why was that so important? We want the maximum number of people to use it and treat it like the premier resource that it is. And the only way you can really do that is to fund it to be open access and find a publisher that does open access publishing, which we did with Springer. I mean, most journal articles are behind a paywall and publishers do require you to purchase either a subscription or the document itself to download it or order it. And we just really wanted maximum access. So, we funded it to be published in that way. And I think honestly, it helped us even sort of create it in the first place. People want to be a part of something that has that level of access and is available so widely. So, I think it was a kind of mutually beneficial. It gets more people to read it, but it got more people to write for it too, I think. Right, Dimitri? Dimitri - I agree. I mean, you know, the numbers 1.6 million are extraordinary. I mean, Kelly, you've been internal editor. I mean, as a editor of JAMA Pediatrics, if an article gets 70,000 views, it's in our top 1%, you know, 200,000 views is 0.01%. 1.6 million in growing is really extraordinary. And that's about the number of people that read my articles. 1.6. And of course, they're not all scientists. I mean, many of them are parents and maybe are policy makers, but that's Kris's point, you know. The moment anyone hits a paywall, even if it's a dollar or two, they're going to walk away. It's great to see it get so much traction. Alright, so again, for our listeners, the title of the book is The Handbook of Children and Screens. And it's really a terrific resource. Alright, so let's turn our attention to a really important matter. And we've sort of touched on this, but who's in charge of protecting our children? You know, Dimitri at the end of the day help survey this landscape for us. I mean, is it congress, is it the administrative branch of government? What role do the courts play? Are there legal actors taking meaningful action? What's being done does it come anywhere near, meeting the need. Tell us about what that landscape is like? Well, there isn't adequate protections for children. And we talked a little bit about that earlier. There's been an enormous loophole, unfortunately, created by Congress when they added the Section 230 to the Communications Decency Act in 1996. And that was put in place essentially to provide protections for internet companies. And it basically said that they should be treated like bookstores and not publishers. That they weren't responsible for content they were just conveying it. And what that means, in effect, was that the companies had sort of carte blanche to do whatever they want. And they've used that very effectively, legally, to argue that any restriction, any culpability on their part, is protected by that Act. That they're exonified for any ill that occurs as a result of their product. The only exception that's been made of it, to date, was around sex trafficking on back page, if anyone remembers that. But other than that, social media sites and internet sites in general have been able to say that they're not liable for anything that's done. And I think that was a huge mistake that was made. It needs to be rectified. It's being challenged in the courts presently. My own belief is that, and I'm not speaking as a lawyer, is that when that law was passed, it was under the assumption as I said, that they were just conveying information. No one at the time foresaw the development of algorithms that would feed the information. It's really not a bookstore when you are making recommendations. Once you start recommending things, I think you're no longer merely a purveyor of product. You're actually pushing it. So, Kris, tell us about the Children and Screens and the role the organization plays in this space. And how do you deal with policy and is it possible to be bipartisan? Yeah, I mean, it's essential. There's no way to get anything done, anywhere on these policy matters at a population level without working in a bipartisan or non-partisan manner, which is what we've always done. And it's easy to do that when you're following the science, not ideology. And you're putting the science first and you're creating resources and tools and support for those mostly staffers, honestly, that are trying to help their bosses get smarter and better at talking about these issues as they evolve and become more complicated over time. It takes more effort to staff a lawmaker on this front. And they're very anxious to learn and understand because they're meeting with parents of children who have been harmed. Or frankly didn't even survive their childhood because of the social media platform. There's great urgency on the part of policymakers. We've heard everything from school phone bans to outright social media bans proposed as policies. And one thing I like to come back to is it's one thing to want to take action and make your best guess at what would have the best impact. But it's another thing to study whether or not that policy actually achieved its result. And it's a part of this that by staying bipartisan, nonpartisan allows us to say, 'Hey lawmaker, if you're able to get that to happen, we'd really like to come in and help study whether or not your idea actually achieves the results that you wanted, or if it needs to be adjusted or amended over time.' Fantastic. That's so important to be doing that work, and I'm delighted the organization is doing it. Let me ask a question here. If you think about some of the areas of public health that I've been following, like tobacco, for example. Opioids more recently. Vaping products. And in the case of my own particular work food policy. The administrative legislative branches of government have been almost completely ineffective. If I think about food policy over the years, relatively little has been accomplished. Even though lots of people have worked really hard on it. Same thing happened with tobacco for many years. Opioids, same thing.  And it's until you get the third branch of government involved, the judiciary, and you start suing the actors who were causing the harm do you get much action. Not only do the lawsuits seem to have an effect, but they soften the ground for legislative things that then can occur because public opinion has changed. And then those things help make a difference as well. What do you think about that kind of issue in this space?  I think you're exactly right. I mean, I think the failure of our legislative branch to enact policy leaves us with very few options at this point anyway, except to try to pursue it through the judiciary. There are challenges there. First and foremost, it's a big and well-funded industry, not unlike tobacco or big food, as you mentioned and there's this Section 230 that's given them kind of blanket immunity to date. But there are many, many very large pending cases in several jurisdictions brought by individuals, brought by school districts, brought by states. And those, at least provisionally have gotten further than prior cases have with which have been thrown out based on Section 230. So, we'll see what happens with that litigation. But right now, my guess is it's the best chance we have to set some guardrails. And I think there are plenty of guardrails that could be set. Everything that these companies have done to make their products addictive can be undone. Can be made protective. The tobacco company deliberately designed their products to be addictive. While they tried to make the claims that they were less addictive, you know. They made light cigarettes that had holes in the filter so that it would diffuse the carbon and nicotine, but people quickly learned they could cover those up with their fingers and think they were smoking light cigarettes, and smoke more of them. There's a lot of things that can be done in this space to undesign the problematic nature of the products. And quite apart from the financial settlements, which will get companies attention, I hope that that's part of any settlement if it gets that far. It'll be interesting to see where those go. And, also historically, one important part of these lawsuits is what gets turned up in discovery. And what sort of intent the companies have and how much do they know about harms. And how much do they know about addiction and things like that. And how they might have proceeded in the face of that information that then doesn't get disclosed to the public. In any event, we'll see where that goes. Dimitri, what about the argument that responsibility resides with parents. It's up to parents to protect their kids from this, and government doesn't need to be involved. I've never understood that argument. I mean parents obviously are children's most important safeguard, but as a society, we enact policies and laws to assist parents in that. I mean to me, if I made the argument, well, why, why do we have minimum ages of drinking. It's parents' job to make sure their kids don't drink. How would that possibly play out? Look, it's hard enough as a parent anyway, because kids do get around these laws. But we still have them and it's a lot easier as a parent. I think most parents would agree their life's made easier by minimum age restrictions on certain things. We have seatbelt laws. I mean, why do we have seatbelt laws? Why don't we just tell its parents' job to make sure their kids buckle up? The truth is its society and parents working hand in hand to try and keep children safe. And I think it also helps parents to be able to say that there are laws around this, and I expect you to follow the laws. So, I don't think it's an either or. Okay, well, I think that's a very good way to frame it. There are many, many precedents where we protect children. And why not do it here too? So let me end with a question I'd like to ask both of you. So, in this sea of concerns that we've discussed, is there a reason for optimism? And Kris, let me start, start with you. What do you think? Absolutely. I think the young people I've met that are leading among their peers are incredibly impressive and are armed with the research and their energy and their own lived experience in ways that are very compelling. At the same time, I think the vast amount of research that has now been compiled and translated and acted upon, whether in courtrooms or in state houses, it's becoming more, and we're all getting more steeped and aware of more nuanced information. And finally, I would just say, there is a tipping point. We are reaching as a society, adults and kids alike, we are reaching a tipping point where we can't withstand the pressure of technology in every aspect, every corner of our day, our life. And we want relief. We deserve relief. And I think that's what's going to take us over the finish line. Good. Well, I'm glad to hear those optimistic notes. Dimitri, what about you? I can find reasons to be optimistic. I mean, look, the reality is that technologies have enriched our lives in many ways. And I think if we put guardrails in place, we can make sure that future ones do even better. I have a piece coming out in JAMA Pediatrics around the use of AI, which people are very concerned about, I think rightly. But specifically, about the use of AI and people with intellectual developmental disabilities, making the use case, that there are ways in which it could be extremely beneficial to that population. A population I care deeply about in my role as the Chief Health Officer at Special Olympics International. And in particular, let's say in terms of the doctor patient interaction where it could facilitate their communication with their provider, and it could also help the provider better communicate with them. Look, that use case isn't going to be a priority for the purveyors of artificial intelligence. It's a small, non-lucrative use of a technology. But it's a good one. And if we created the right incentives and put in the right guardrails, we could find many other ways that technology can serve the needs of all of us going forward. I think the problem is that we've tended to be reactive rather than proactive. And to not start with the do no harm first premise, particularly when it comes to children. AI is another example of that where I hope we don't make the same mistake we made with social media. Bios Kris Perry is the executive director of the Children and Screens Institute. Kris most recently served as Senior Advisor to Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Deputy Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency where she led the development of the California Master Plan for Early Learning and Care and the expansion of access to high-quality early childhood programs. She led systems change efforts at the local, state and national levels in her roles as executive director of First 5 San Mateo, First 5 California and of the First Five Years Fund. Through it all, Perry has fought to protect children, improve and expand early learning programs, and increase investments in low-income children. Perry was instrumental in returning marriage equality to California after the landmark 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling Hollingsworth v. Perry, which she wrote about in her book Love on Trial (Roaring Forties Press, 2017). Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH is the Children and Screens Institute's inaugural Chief Science Officer. He is also the George Adkins Professor at the University of Washington, Editor in Chief of JAMA Pediatrics, and the Chief Health Officer at Special Olympics International. Christakis is a leading expert on how media affects child health and development. He has published over 270 peer reviewed articles (h-index 101) including dozens of media-related studies and co-authored a groundbreaking book, The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television Work for Your Kids. His work has been featured on Anderson Cooper 360, the Today Show, ABC, NBC, and CBS news as well as all major national newspapers. Christakis received his undergraduate degree at Yale University and his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed his residency and Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar Fellowship at the University of Washington School of Medicine. 

What happens when passion, culture, and purpose come full circle in early childhood education? In this powerful and heartfelt episode of the Child Care Genius Podcast, Brian and Carol sit down with Tania Delinois, a dynamic child care owner from South Florida who turned a high school after-school job into a thriving career. Tanya opens up about her unconventional path—from earning degrees in social psychology and nonprofit management to finding her way back to her first love: preschool. Her journey is anything but ordinary, and her story is a must-listen for anyone looking to reignite their passion for the child care industry.   Tanya shares the remarkable story of how she launched not one, but two trilingual preschool centers—serving her diverse community in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. With deep ties to her Haitian heritage and an eye for the unique needs of her community, Tania has created culturally rich environments where language, identity, and early learning thrive side by side. You'll hear how these schools became a reflection of the vibrant South Florida community and a safe haven where children of all backgrounds can feel seen, celebrated, and supported.   But Tania's growth didn't stop with her centers. She candidly shares her struggles with leadership, burnout, and the realization that true business transformation starts from within. Her vulnerable reflection on how the Child Care Genius coaching program helped her build mindset, confidence, and emotional resilience will resonate with every center owner who has ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or alone in leadership. Her testimony of going from “fight or flight” to finding joy again in the work is nothing short of inspiring.   From powerful aha moments at her first CCGU LIVE Conference in Vegas to learning to delegate with confidence, Tania's story is proof that investing in yourself is the key to unlocking everything else. Whether you're just starting your child care journey or a seasoned owner searching for your next breakthrough, this episode will remind you that your leadership matters—and with the right mindset, support, and community, you can build something truly incredible. Tune in and be inspired.       Mentioned in this episode:   GET TICKETS to the Child Care Genius LEVERAGE Conference:  https://childcaregenius.com/leverage/   Need help with your child care marketing? Reach out! At Child Care Genius Marketing we offer website development, hosting, and security, Google Ads creation and management, done for you social media content and ads management. If you'd rather do it yourself, we also have the Genius Box, which is a monthly subscription chock full of social media & blog content, as well as a new monthly lead magnet every month! Learn more at Child Care Genius Marketing. https://childcaregenius.com/marketing-solutions/  Schedule a no obligation call to learn more about how we can partner together to ignite your marketing efforts. If you need help in your child care business, consider joining our coaching programs at Child Care Genius University. Learn More Here. https://childcaregenius.com/university     Connect with us:  Child Care Genius Website Like us on Facebook Join our Owners Only Private Mastermind Group on Facebook    Join our Child Care Mindset Facebook Group Follow Us on Instagram Connect with us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our YouTube Channel Buy our Books Check out our Free Resources

What is a brave space, and why can that change how we perceive our early childhood settings? How can it help children meet the challenge of trying new things? Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about changing the focus of the sort of spaces we set up for young children.

Rep. Adam Bernbaum has been to a lot of places and done a lot of things, but Port Angeles is home and the Legislature is his new job. Hit the play button now to get to know a chamnpion of rural issues, a housing advocate, and a guardian of the taxpayer's purse, all in one.

Adults often think of recess or outdoor time as a fun time for all children. Some children, however, find the outdoor, free-play, slightly chaotic environment stressful. In this episode, Cindy and Alison discuss the causes of that stress and how we can reduce it.

Send us a textJoin us on this episode for a fun look into our upcoming Preschool Enrollment Fair on Saturday, April 5. Principal Jackie Plantner is our guest on Petey Podcast, and she shares all the great things she and her staff have planned for that day.On April 5, parents can take a tour of the Early Childhood Village (EECV)--see the classrooms, meet the staff and see for themselves what makes EECV preschool so special. (Psst! Rumor is, they're also having cookies and milk!)Don't miss out on this chance to secure your preschooler's spot for the fall – we're looking forward to meeting you and your little one! It's a great day to be a Pioneer! Thanks for listening. Find Elyria Schools on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!

Smart Start Study Highlights the Power of Community-Based Early Learning by Radio Islam

In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward explores the surprising power of plants in early learning environments. From purifying air to boosting focus and promoting empathy, plants bring more than beauty—they bring connection. Carla shares research-backed insights, practical tips, and how educators can start their own “plant movement” without spending a dime. Whether in a centre, home child care, or school-age program, this episode will leave educators inspired to grow something meaningful.Sign up for The Everything ECE Summit at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠elfoundations.com/ecesummit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Sign Up for our Newsletter:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click Here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Show Notes: https://www.elfoundations.com/183

The Children's Museum of Southern Oregon in Medford, which operates a dynamic museum and expansive preschool program, is a beacon of connection for children and families. They are scaling up their museum and preschool operations and expanding to another rural Southern Oregon community. Executive director Sunny Spicer speaks to the value of these ‘third spaces' in a community, places curating connections like schools, museums, and libraries, and how philanthropy can best support them.

Has a family ever asked you to stop other families from allowing their children to watch particular TV shows? Has a parent ever asked you to tell other families to stop dressing their children in clothes that depict characters from video games or shows? This sort of request seems to be happening more often. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about helping families understand that we cannot ask others to change their practices to match someone else.

Kevin Boston-Hill speaks with Dr Amy Jackson, Chief Early Learning Strategy Officer at Primrose Schools, about the importance of having children begin school-based learning as early as possible. Since the brain is 90% developed within the first 5 years, it may be worth exploring getting children in school early.

We are thrilled to present this episode entirely in Spanish! Today we are taking a behind the scenes look at how HSD supports a bright and early start for childhood education. Early childhood learning is a broad term for programs that support the development of a child's social, emotional, cognitive and physical needs. At HSD this is the focus of our preschool programs and we will be hearing from three Education Liaisons who work in this area. We are excited to share about the accomplishments happening inside our preschools and the staff who strategically support them.Episode Host: Yaquelyn Vazquez BurgosFeatured staff:Maria Sandoval Cornejo — Education Liaison, Office for School PerformanceMonica Sandoval Cornejo — Education Liaison, Office for School PerformanceElia Tellez — Education Liaison, Office for School PerformanceHave a question about Early Learning? Share your questions and experiences here ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠HR High Five Podcast Feedback⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Secure, nurturing attachments are essential from the time children are infants and as they get older. In this episode, Cindy and Alison talk about the importance of children learning trust instead of fear and how you can make that happen.NOTE: This episode may evoke strong feelings. Though the episode does not focus on extreme situations, we encourage you to take care of yourself. If the episode is upsetting to you, please know you can walk away and come back next week for a new topic.

Colour is more than just decoration—it influences mood, focus, and the overall energy of a learning environment. In this episode of The Everything ECE Podcast, Carla Ward explores the psychology of colour in early childhood settings, sharing research-backed insights on how different hues impact both children and educators. She offers creative, budget-friendly ways to introduce colour into child care programs without painting the walls. Plus, Carla shares a personal story about a bright red table that completely changed her perspective on classroom design. Tune in for practical strategies and inspiration to create a space that supports learning, play, and emotional well-being.Sign up for The Everything ECE Summit at ⁠⁠⁠elfoundations.com/ecesummit⁠⁠⁠.Sign Up for our Newsletter:⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click Here⁠⁠⁠Show Notes: https://www.elfoundations.com/181

Have you ever thought about the fact that most early childhood teaching topics are nouns? Join Cindy and Alison as they discuss how using verbs for teaching topics opens up more possibilities for the curiosity and exploration of young children.

Being good with your own company or solitude is beneficial to everyone, including young children. Some children want the spotlight and others do not. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about the children who stand out by not being in the spotlight.

It can be challenging to set screen time limits, but it is worth it! Cindy and Alison talk about the life lessons that come from teaching children that they have the power to limit their actions.

Washougal School District is offering free early learning programs for the 2025-26 school year, including Transition to Kindergarten, Developmental Preschool, and more. These programs provide high-quality education to help children start kindergarten with confidence. Families can apply now—learn more at https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/youth/washougal-early-learning-enrollment-now-open/ #Washougal #earlylearning #kindergartenreadiness #preschool #TransitionToKindergarten #DevelopmentalPreschool #ECEAP #earlyeducation #childdevelopment #ClarkCountyWa #localnews

Family Child Care providers are early educators! Join Cindy and Alison to learn more about these nurturing home settings and what a quality family child care environment values and provides for children and families.

In prior generations, many children were taught to hide their feelings. We aren't going to do that anymore! In this episode, Cindy and Alison talk about the hows and whys of granting permission and making room for children's many emotions, from joy to anger to sadness.

Picture books and naming objects is important for teaching vocabulary, but there is so much more we can do when we read aloud with infants and toddlers. Join Cindy and Alison to learn more about reading with our youngest children.

Send us a textChildren in inclusive high-quality childcare programs learn to be accepting of others and knowledgeable about the unique abilities of others. When childcare providers offer inclusive care, they meet the educational needs of each child allowing everyone to thrive. That's why every year in February we celebrate Inclusive Early Learning Week. Here to talk about the importance of inclusion in early childcare and Inclusive Early Learning Week are Inclusion and Behavior Support Supervisor Margaret Freeman and Specialist Esther Whitaker; Rachel Robertson, Georgia's Pre-K Teacher of the Year; and parents Jim and Lauren Tiller. Inclusive Early Learning Week is February 10-14, 2025.Support the show

When children are upset or in need in any way, we should avoid assuming how we can help. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about assuming nothing and getting children used to thinking about and expressing their own needs.

Today's children don't see coins, paper money, stamps, and other items or experiences that were part of our childhoods. Everyone is swiping, tapping, and hitting send instead. Even learning to use cursive writing is still being debated. Join Cindy and Alison for a discussion about if it is valuable to still teach about these disappearing items and actions.

We need to talk about the impact of the childcare crisis on the workforce! Some people may wonder why this topic matters beyond its impact on families of young children. The truth is, this issue has wide-reaching ramifications for the nation's economy as a whole, and that deserves our attention whether we have children or not. In this episode, I share what the research and statistics reveal about the direct link between the exorbitant price of childcare and the labor shortage that's crunching companies across the U.S. Let's break down why this is a problem everyone should care about:The disproportionate impact of childcare costs on different demographics;The broader ramifications on the economy as a whole;What organizations can do to start making a difference.Related Links:Episode 424, The Jobs of America's Next Silicon Valley https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode424Episode 434, The Economic Imperative of Affordable Childcare - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode434EPIC- Executives Partnering To Invest In Children - https://www.coloradoepic.org/Episode 463, a Different Approach to My Second Maternity Leave - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode463Episode 479, America's Parents Are Not Okay - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode479Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/30/2016-22986/child-care-and-development-fund-ccdf-programHow Much Childcare Costs by State in the USA in 2024 - https://illumine.app/blog/how-much-childcare-costs-by-state-in-usa/Economic Data Underscores the Need for Significant, Sustained Investment in Child Care and Early Learning - https://www.ffyf.org/resources/2021/12/latest-economic-data-underscores-the-need-for-significant-sustained-investment-in-child-care-and-early-learning/Over Half of Families are Spending More Than 20% of Income on Child Care - https://www.ffyf.org/resources/2022/06/over-half-of-families-are-spending-more-than-20--on-child-care/How Child Care Disruptions Hurt Parents of Color Most - https://www.americanprogress.org/article/child-care-disruptions-hurt-parents-color/U.S. Child Care Crisis Is Holding Back The Workforce - https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariaflynn/2023/11/02/us-child-care-crisis-is-holding-back-the-workforce/U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the labor force that is “Employed - With a job, not at work, Childcare problems” - https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU02096055$122 Billion: The Growing, Annual Cost of the Infant-Toddler Child Care Crisis - https://strongnation.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/1598/05d917e2-9618-4648-a0ee-1b35d17e2a4d.pdf?1674854626&inline;%20filename=%22$122%20Billion:%20The%20Growing,%20Annual%20Cost%20of%20the%20Infant-Toddler%20Child%20Care%20Crisis.pdf%22UPS Expands Emergency Day Care After Pilot Program Cuts Turnover - https://www.hrdive.com/news/ups-emergency-day-care-pilot-program-cut-turnover/697205/Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens Joins UPS CEO Carol B. Tomé at the 2023 UPS Impact Summit - https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/press-releases/our-strategy/2023-ups-impact-summit.htmlTAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeactionBossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/

Sharing and taking turns are two different actions, and one comes before the other. Join Cindy and Alison to examine these skills and ensure you are talking with children about what they are actually doing - sharing or taking turns.

In today's episode, we explore the world of accelerated learning and skill mastery with Scott Young, a leading expert on self-directed learning and productivity. As the best-selling author of Ultralearning and Get Better at Anything: 12 Maxims for Mastery, Scott has transformed the way people approach acquiring new skills, pushing the boundaries of what's possible through deliberate practice and innovative techniques. Known for his ambitious project of learning MIT's 4-year computer science curriculum in just one year without attending any classes, Scott has dedicated his career to understanding how we can learn faster, overcome our fears, and achieve mastery in any field.  Join us for an insightful conversation with Scott Young as he shares with us the art and science of ultra learning—how we can master new skills at an accelerated pace and break through the barriers that hold us back. What are the most effective ways to learn quickly and efficiently? How can we overcome the fear of failure and the anxiety that often accompanies new challenges? Scott shares his expert insights into the principles of deliberate practice, the importance of feedback, and the myths that often cloud our understanding of talent and ability. What to Listen For Introduction – 00:00:28 How did Scott Young become a leading expert in self-directed learning and skill mastery? What inspired Scott to tackle the challenge of learning MIT's 4-year computer science curriculum in just one year without attending any classes? What are the core ideas behind Scott's books Ultra Learning and Get Better at Anything, and how can they help you master new skills faster? The Three Pillars of Learning – 00:02:34 What are the three essential steps to mastering any skill? What examples demonstrate that talent often appears effortless due to extensive practice and refinement? How can you apply these insights to push past the limits of what you believe is possible for yourself? Overcoming Fear and Embracing Exposure – 00:10:49 Why is exposure to what you're afraid of critical for overcoming fear and anxiety in learning? How can gradual exposure to challenging situations, like public speaking or cold calling, help reduce fear over time? What are some practical strategies to start applying exposure therapy in your personal and professional life? Unlearning Bad Habits – 00:18:42 What challenges come with unlearning ingrained habits, and how can you effectively replace them with better techniques? How did AJ's experience with unlearning a golf swing illustrate the difficulties and importance of relearning a skill the right way? Why is it sometimes necessary to learn completely new approaches when trying to unlearn bad habits? The Importance of Simplification in Early Learning – 00:22:21 How does starting with simplified versions of a skill help accelerate the learning process? What can we learn from flight simulators about the benefits of practicing in a controlled, simplified environment before facing real-world challenges? Why does beginning with the basics lay a stronger foundation for mastering more complex skills later on? The Value of Variable Practice – 00:28:04 How does variable practice, or mixing up different types of practice, enhance learning and adaptability? Why is practicing in varied conditions more effective than repetitive practice, and how can this approach be applied to everyday learning? What are some examples of variable practice that can be used for skills like language learning, sports, or public speaking? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices