Small Talks, No. 50

March 11, 2022

Mar 11

Dear Small Talker,

Welcome to the fiftieth 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 -

Visions for the Future of Child Care in the U.S. by ideo.org is inspiring. I appreciated all the 8 themes, and in particular: “A Community That is Built Around, Centers, and Honors Children and Elders”, “A Society Rooted in Transformative Justice”, “A World Where Black Boys Have An Equal Chance at Success”, and “A System Powered By Collaborative Care”.
Moody’s Paid leave and universal child care could boost the economy by $1 trillion by 2028- yes, $1Trillion…
Major philanthropic donations from MacKenzie Scott going toward the care economy according to this reporting.
This past week, I had the chance to participate in the Stanford Startup Garage Class, an experiential class about entrepreneurship for Stanford students. It was inspiring to see that all teams were led by women, with diverse teams, working on key societal challenges: child care, elderly care, mental health and post-death management.
This 2-min listen is what many of us now need…Option 4 brightened my day. On repeat mode!

What I’m listening to -

1800 Days (that refers to the the time from birth to kindergarten) is a new podcast by the Erikson Institute. It is excellent… Episode 1 explores inequities in child care during the pandemic specifically. Episode 2 looks at the history of early care and education from slavery to Head Start, and why child care is disproportionately provided by women of color and under-valued.

What I’m reading -

Imagine if…Creating a Future for Us All by late Sir Ken Robinson and his daughter Kate Robinson is about imagination and asks key questions such as what is education for? “expand our consciousness, capabilities, sensitivities, and cultural understanding.” Please see an excerpt of the book here.

What I’m watching -

The Wisdom of Trauma by Gabor Maté is an important documentary about trauma in our society. It has been viewed by 6m people, which speaks for the needs out there. It proposes a trauma-informed education system.

What I’m learning and exploring more deeply -

LENA published sobering data: Children born nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic produced fewer vocalizations and experienced fewer serve-and-return interactions in the first months of life than those born before the pandemic. [note: the work is not cited yet and was conducted on small sample of 136 children]
“The secret to being a better teacher? Be kind your students.”
Inspiring exhibit featuring 120 statues of women in STEM at the Smithsonian for Women’s History Month.

Quote 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 of you who are sending me amazing suggestions.

Small Talks