Small Talks, No. 23

August 13, 2021

Aug 13, 2021

Welcome to the twenty third edition of Small Talks. Every Friday, I highlight 6 areas of weekly joys and reflections in early childhood and the whole family. Small Talks leverages my experience at the intersection of education, philanthropy and impact investing. Enjoy!

What I’m celebrating -

This strong statement on relational health by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which feels timeless, but was just issued on July 25, 2021: “The American Academy of Pediatrics asserts that safe, stable, nurturing relationships are biological necessities for all children because they mitigate childhood toxic stress responses and proactively build resilience by fostering the adaptive skills needed to cope with future adversity in a healthy manner.”
This post by Chian Gong at Reach Capital, a leading early stage edtech fund, on innovations for our youngest learners and the future of families.

This beautiful piece featuring the friendship between a 2-year old and a 100-year old.

What I’m listening -

I enjoyed participating in two key events this week:
- The 6th Head Start Innovation Summit pushed the field’s reflections on the future of the early childhood workforce, AI, voice, SEL and other topics.
- ASU GSV Summit, my first in-person event in over 2 years, featured exceptional content in child care and early childhood. A key takeaway from this conference was the rising role of employers in providing benefits, including child care, and family supports in a tight labor market. I also had the chance to participate in a panel on a highly impactful/under-appreciated gem- inter-generational learning-, exploring the opportunity to better leverage the wisdom and time of the 1Bn grandadults over 60 to accelerate learning of younger learners and foster empathy.

What I’m reading -

The Family Firm by Emily Oster, now a NYT bestseller, was candidly a tough read for me. The book offers consulting frameworks and data to make decision about children education. I left with many questions, and the almost visceral refusal to think or run my family like a business. See nuanced book review.

What I’m watching -

Great TED Talk by psychologist Yuko Munakata on parenting. She offers an alternative, research-backed reality that highlights how parenting is just one of many factors that influence the chaotic complexity of childhood development.

What I’m learning and exploring more deeply -

The Kindergarten exodus compiles data on changes in public school enrollment and highlights how online classes led many families to reconsider their choices, especially in low-income neighborhoods.

Important policy report by Children’s Equity on how to build universal preschool anchored around Head Start’s model and strengths.
This long piece by global education investor Sandeep Sanuja is worth a read on the three challenges in education of access, quality and relevance.
Latest IPCC climate report is sobering and raises many questions about the future for the next generation. “The role of human influence on the climate system is undisputed.”
This op-ed on building relationships vs. networking deeply resonated.

Poem I am pondering -

Feedback is a gift. Which part above is your favorite? What did I miss? What do you want more or less of? Other recommendations? Please kindly let me know. Thank to all all of you who are sending me amazing suggestions.

Small Talks