Small Talks, No. 28
September 17, 2021
Dear Small Talker,
Welcome to the twenty eight 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 -
The U.S. Treasury Department released a new report on the state of the child care market that highlights the causes and ramifications of insufficient supply, causing shortages in communities around the country. Interesting to see lower participation of women in the workforce relative to Canada, UK or France, and the massively inadequate supply of child care across income levels.
The Cherokee Nation announced a $40m investment in early learning.
This is an exciting commitment - for the youngest Native American children to learn about their history, culture, and language.
NBA star Steph Curry and his wife, entrepreneur Ayesha Curry turned a school bus into a free bookstore and pantry for Oakland kids.
What I’m listening to-
Freakonomics discusses “Why Does the Richest Country in the World Have So Many Poor Kids?” Bottom line: child poverty rates are higher than other wealthy nations, and this is unacceptable. Children are the future of our society.
Dr. Dana Suskind makes the compelling case for why supports for parents and children should be a priority.
Dr. Kimberly Noble discusses Baby's First Years, in which she is testing whether reducing poverty through cash payments drive healthier child development.
Professor Hilary Hoynes has 2 simple answers as to why child poverty is so high in the US: Our social safety net isn't strong enough, and wages are too low.
Dr. Lisa Gennetian discusses the common misconception that if we give people more money, they will work less/buy drugs or alcohol/will have more children out of wedlock. She discusses how the evidence does NOT support those arguments.
Acting mayor of Boston, Kim Janey, refutes poverty as a choice, as if "people wake up saying, 'I want to be poor today.'"
Mitt Romney discusses how reducing child poverty is a bipartisan issue.
What I’m reading -
This week, I read a book by self-proclaimed “edtech Cassandra” Audrey Watters, Teaching Machines. Although I don’t fully agree with the points she makes in the book, I appreciated the historical perspective on personalized learning with the Skinner teaching machine, and it helped me reflect on where we are today. For a different perspective, please see an enthusiastic write-up.
What I’m watching -
This interview of Meghan Fitzgerald, CEO/co-founder of Tinkergarten on the impact of nature play on early development.
On a related topic, I enjoyed this piece "if outdoor learning is safer during COVID, why aren’t more. schools doing it?”. I am also inspired by schools like Briya PCS in Washington DC moving outdoor school experiments run for healthy safety during COVID to permanent models, recognizing that outdoor play / learning has many benefits for children.
What I’m learning and exploring more deeply -
Great blog on latest research on language and literacy:
New family-based intervention showed that adults who start to include more back-and-forth exchanges in their conversations with 4-to-6 year-old children improve the child’s language abilities within nine weeks, regardless of socioeconomic status. More here.
Other researchers are working on a “social agent” (a robot powered by AI) to support meaningful interactions between adults and children. Promising initial results.
In “We can’t just go back to school; we must reinvent it”, Abby Falik, founder and CEO of Global Citizen Year, outlines an inspiring vision for education framed around 4 pillars of resilience, empathy, agency and leadership practices — curiosity, conviction, and courage.
In “Mental Health is a Big Important Issue for Student Parents”, Lesley Del Rio, shares her experience as a student and as a single mom, trying to do it all during COVID-19.
Story 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.
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Have a wonderful week. Please stay safe and care for each other.
Isabelle