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"content": "\u003cp>For low-income working families in the United States, the federal government offers financial aid to help pay for childcare. That is, if families can get off the waitlist for it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the second half of last year, there were an estimated 400,000 children on waitlists for childcare assistance programs across the U.S., according to a \u003ca href=\"https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/State-of-Child-Care-2026-FINAL-WEB.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">report\u003c/a> by the National Women’s Law Center released in May. That’s nearly the size of the population of Minneapolis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That figure has more than tripled over the past two years. Around 118,800 kids were on waitlists in early 2024, the group found.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there has not been nearly enough money available for caregivers looking for financial help, especially recently, as childcare costs have ballooned nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Valentina Sosa of Cypress, Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. She’s still on a waiting list. Sosa’s wages as a part-time real estate assistant aren’t enough to cover the cost of local daycare. While the family waits, Ameea mostly stays at home with Sosa while she works, which she often does remotely.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know she needs the development that she’s not getting, the engagement that she’s not getting here with me, because if I’m working, I can only do so much,” said Sosa, who is a single mother. “That’s horrible to see for her. But I do what I can.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Childcare advocates blame the expanding waitlists in part on a failure by Congress to appropriate enough money for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the federal government’s main source of funding to help families pay for childcare. The program \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/occ/data/fy-2023-preliminary-data-table-1\" target=\"_blank\">serves\u003c/a> over 1.6 million children across the U.S. in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have public funding for our schools because we recognize it as a public good that is important for our economy, for the well-being and future success of young people,” said Karen Schulman, senior director of state childcare policy at the National Women’s Law Center. “We don’t fund our childcare system like that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other forces have compounded in recent years to make waitlists even longer. More low-income families are applying for assistance, advocates say, and federal COVID-19 relief money that temporarily helped boost U.S. childcare programs ran out. It’s forced many caregivers balancing their jobs with their childcare responsibilities to wait and see if their number on the waitlist will be called.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Almost one-third of U.S. states have waitlists\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seventeen states currently have waitlists for childcare assistance or have stopped taking new applications, according to the NWLC report. (In states where county governments run the childcare assistance program, waitlists may exist in some counties but not others.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the past, the number of states with waitlists has been higher, but Schulman said she doesn’t remember a time when this many children were in line for assistance. For example, 21 states had waitlists in 2001, encompassing a total of around 202,900 children — roughly half of the current total.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A big reason for the queue is a lack of funding for subsidized childcare. Federal stimulus dollars had buoyed the childcare sector during the pandemic, Schulman said; now, that money is gone. Roughly $39 billion from the American Rescue Plan \u003ca href=\"https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/understanding-the-landscape-of-stabilization-grant-funding\" target=\"_blank\">went toward childcare\u003c/a>, but states had to use the money by September 2024. She added that CCDF funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10511#:~:text=care%20administrative%20costs.-,Table%201.%2010%2DYear%20CCDF%20Funding%20History,TBD,-Source%3A%20CRS\" target=\"_blank\">has been “stalling” in recent years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Furthermore, childcare assistance programs are operated by states, which have different eligibility requirements for families and subsidy rates for providers. States can also decide whether to spend their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars on childcare, and Schulman said some states facing budgetary pressures may have less of their own money to divert to assistance programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That creates a difficult math problem for state officials, who have to balance the number of families they serve with the amount they spend on care, said Jordan Pargeter, federal initiatives and strategic policy administrator in Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Is it better to serve more families but not help them very much with the cost of care?” Pargeter said. “Or is it better to serve less families but actually get closer to the true cost of care that providers are facing?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oregon established a statewide waitlist in 2023 that currently has around 26,000 children waiting to apply (though not all of them may be eligible). Certain priority groups, such as families in the state’s child welfare system, can bypass the waitlist. Beyond that, though, no families have come off the waitlist in nearly three years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alyssa Chatterjee, director of Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care, said Oregon pays childcare providers well and doesn’t require high co-payments from families. Co-payments in Oregon are typically just 2% to 4% of a family’s income, well below the 7% maximum allowed under a previous federal rule. It has meant that a smaller number of families are receiving a greater amount of financial aid.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oregon really has chosen to focus on maintaining that quality of programming that works well for providers and families by keeping those copays low, paying providers well,” Chatterjee said. “That means we have to serve fewer families with the resources available.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because of those financial pressures nationwide, the CCDF reaches only a fraction of the families it was designed for. The program has had one of the \u003ca href=\"https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/9e9000cb7b1e4e30c2e616e547ed9bd9/program-eligibility-participation-brief-december-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">lowest participation rates\u003c/a> among federal safety net programs, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107754\" target=\"_blank\">just 22%\u003c/a> of families who qualify under their state’s rules receiving assistance in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This comes at a time when childcare costs are spiking across the country. According to the group Child Care Aware of America, childcare costs \u003ca href=\"https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/\" target=\"_blank\">increased 29%\u003c/a> between 2020 and 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">“It would definitely change a lot”\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Parents with very young, preschool-age children — for whom schooling is not yet an option — may be at a particular disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kim Kofron, executive director of early childhood education at Children at Risk, a Texas nonprofit that advocates for children, said waiting lists of even a few years can impact some families during a critical period when they need childcare.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you think about a child’s life in that zero-to-five space, a one- or two-year waiting list is a huge period of that time,” Kofron said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were more than 93,000 children on childcare assistance waitlists in Texas as of January 2025, according to the most recent data provided by the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg\" alt=\"Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list.\" class=\"wp-image-66563\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list. \u003ccite> (Valentina Sosa)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Right now, Valentina Sosa earns around $300 per week in her real estate job. The cheapest childcare option she found was $975 per month at a local church, which would eat up a significant share of her monthly income.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m also living at my mom’s house, so if I can’t even pay for rent, how am I also going to do both or even one right now?” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With Ameea at home, Sosa manages to work about 20 hours per week, flipping open her laptop when her daughter is eating lunch or taking a nap.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With an affordable childcare option, though, Sosa said she could take on more hours at her job and earn more money for her family. She strives to make enough to be able to move out of her mom’s house and get an apartment for her and Ameea.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Getting off the waitlist and receiving government assistance to pay for childcare could make that a reality, Sosa said. “It would definitely change a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changes to CCDF under Trump\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said recent changes to the $12.3 billion program could help get more children off of waitlists across the country, but advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding#:~:text=Melissa%20Boteach%2C%20chief%20policy%20officer%20at%20Zero%20to%20Three%2C%20a%20nonprofit%20that%20advocates%20for%20infants%2C%20toddlers%20and%20families%2C%20said%20the%20proposed%20policy%20changes%20introduce%20%22chaos%20and%20confusion%22%20by%20rolling%20back%20provisions%20that%20aimed%20to%20make%20the%20child%20care%20industry%20more%20stable%20and%20affordable.\" target=\"_blank\">worry those changes could also destabilize\u003c/a> the childcare system for low-income families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the Biden administration, officials \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/occ/law-regulation/overview-2024-ccdf-final-rule-improving-child-care-access-affordability\" target=\"_blank\">overhauled CCDF rules\u003c/a> to lower costs for families and make payments to childcare providers more predictable. States were pushed to cap a family’s co-payments at 7% of their household income. They were also instructed to pay providers in advance based on enrollment — much like a family would pay out of pocket — rather than retroactively and based on attendance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Health and Human Services recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding\" target=\"_blank\">reversed\u003c/a> those rules, citing in part the potential for fraud by childcare providers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, the Administration for Children and Families said removing the 7% cap allows “states to halt costly implementation efforts and redirect funds toward serving additional children, including getting more children off waitlists and into child care. This allows states to serve more children as they deem possible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The statement noted that while the Trump administration removed those Biden-era requirements, states could still adhere to the previous rules.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kofron, of Children at Risk, said all levels of government will have to step up to ensure the national system works as it should and that families aren’t left waiting for years for financial assistance. Ideally, she said, Congress would increase CCDF funding, states would find other sources of revenue to supplement their programs, and cities and counties would work on their own solutions to the problem of high childcare costs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we all have a piece of the pie, then we can really actually get our waitlists down to a manageable level and actually get families the care that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the second half of last year, there were an estimated 400,000 children on waitlists for childcare assistance programs across the U.S., according to a \u003ca href=\"https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/State-of-Child-Care-2026-FINAL-WEB.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">report\u003c/a> by the National Women’s Law Center released in May. That’s nearly the size of the population of Minneapolis.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That figure has more than tripled over the past two years. Around 118,800 kids were on waitlists in early 2024, the group found.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Valentina Sosa of Cypress, Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. She’s still on a waiting list. Sosa’s wages as a part-time real estate assistant aren’t enough to cover the cost of local daycare. While the family waits, Ameea mostly stays at home with Sosa while she works, which she often does remotely.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know she needs the development that she’s not getting, the engagement that she’s not getting here with me, because if I’m working, I can only do so much,” said Sosa, who is a single mother. “That’s horrible to see for her. But I do what I can.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Childcare advocates blame the expanding waitlists in part on a failure by Congress to appropriate enough money for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the federal government’s main source of funding to help families pay for childcare. The program \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/occ/data/fy-2023-preliminary-data-table-1\" target=\"_blank\">serves\u003c/a> over 1.6 million children across the U.S. in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have public funding for our schools because we recognize it as a public good that is important for our economy, for the well-being and future success of young people,” said Karen Schulman, senior director of state childcare policy at the National Women’s Law Center. “We don’t fund our childcare system like that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other forces have compounded in recent years to make waitlists even longer. More low-income families are applying for assistance, advocates say, and federal COVID-19 relief money that temporarily helped boost U.S. childcare programs ran out. It’s forced many caregivers balancing their jobs with their childcare responsibilities to wait and see if their number on the waitlist will be called.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Other forces have compounded in recent years to make waitlists even longer. More low-income families are applying for assistance, advocates say, and federal COVID-19 relief money that temporarily helped boost U.S. childcare programs ran out. It’s forced many caregivers balancing their jobs with their childcare responsibilities to wait and see if their number on the waitlist will be called.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seventeen states currently have waitlists for childcare assistance or have stopped taking new applications, according to the NWLC report. (In states where county governments run the childcare assistance program, waitlists may exist in some counties but not others.)\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the past, the number of states with waitlists has been higher, but Schulman said she doesn’t remember a time when this many children were in line for assistance. For example, 21 states had waitlists in 2001, encompassing a total of around 202,900 children — roughly half of the current total.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A big reason for the queue is a lack of funding for subsidized childcare. Federal stimulus dollars had buoyed the childcare sector during the pandemic, Schulman said; now, that money is gone. Roughly $39 billion from the American Rescue Plan \u003ca href=\"https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/understanding-the-landscape-of-stabilization-grant-funding\" target=\"_blank\">went toward childcare\u003c/a>, but states had to use the money by September 2024. She added that CCDF funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10511#:~:text=care%20administrative%20costs.-,Table%201.%2010%2DYear%20CCDF%20Funding%20History,TBD,-Source%3A%20CRS\" target=\"_blank\">has been “stalling” in recent years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A big reason for the queue is a lack of funding for subsidized childcare. Federal stimulus dollars had buoyed the childcare sector during the pandemic, Schulman said; now, that money is gone. Roughly $39 billion from the American Rescue Plan \u003ca href=\"https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/understanding-the-landscape-of-stabilization-grant-funding\" target=\"_blank\">went toward childcare\u003c/a>, but states had to use the money by September 2024. She added that CCDF funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10511#:~:text=care%20administrative%20costs.-,Table%201.%2010%2DYear%20CCDF%20Funding%20History,TBD,-Source%3A%20CRS\" target=\"_blank\">has been “stalling” in recent years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Furthermore, childcare assistance programs are operated by states, which have different eligibility requirements for families and subsidy rates for providers. States can also decide whether to spend their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars on childcare, and Schulman said some states facing budgetary pressures may have less of their own money to divert to assistance programs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Furthermore, childcare assistance programs are operated by states, which have different eligibility requirements for families and subsidy rates for providers. States can also decide whether to spend their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars on childcare, and Schulman said some states facing budgetary pressures may have less of their own money to divert to assistance programs.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That creates a difficult math problem for state officials, who have to balance the number of families they serve with the amount they spend on care, said Jordan Pargeter, federal initiatives and strategic policy administrator in Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That creates a difficult math problem for state officials, who have to balance the number of families they serve with the amount they spend on care, said Jordan Pargeter, federal initiatives and strategic policy administrator in Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Is it better to serve more families but not help them very much with the cost of care?” Pargeter said. “Or is it better to serve less families but actually get closer to the true cost of care that providers are facing?”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Is it better to serve more families but not help them very much with the cost of care?” Pargeter said. “Or is it better to serve less families but actually get closer to the true cost of care that providers are facing?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Oregon established a statewide waitlist in 2023 that currently has around 26,000 children waiting to apply (though not all of them may be eligible). Certain priority groups, such as families in the state’s child welfare system, can bypass the waitlist. Beyond that, though, no families have come off the waitlist in nearly three years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Oregon established a statewide waitlist in 2023 that currently has around 26,000 children waiting to apply (though not all of them may be eligible). Certain priority groups, such as families in the state’s child welfare system, can bypass the waitlist. Beyond that, though, no families have come off the waitlist in nearly three years.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alyssa Chatterjee, director of Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care, said Oregon pays childcare providers well and doesn’t require high co-payments from families. Co-payments in Oregon are typically just 2% to 4% of a family’s income, well below the 7% maximum allowed under a previous federal rule. It has meant that a smaller number of families are receiving a greater amount of financial aid.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Alyssa Chatterjee, director of Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care, said Oregon pays childcare providers well and doesn’t require high co-payments from families. Co-payments in Oregon are typically just 2% to 4% of a family’s income, well below the 7% maximum allowed under a previous federal rule. It has meant that a smaller number of families are receiving a greater amount of financial aid.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Oregon really has chosen to focus on maintaining that quality of programming that works well for providers and families by keeping those copays low, paying providers well,” Chatterjee said. “That means we have to serve fewer families with the resources available.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Oregon really has chosen to focus on maintaining that quality of programming that works well for providers and families by keeping those copays low, paying providers well,” Chatterjee said. “That means we have to serve fewer families with the resources available.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because of those financial pressures nationwide, the CCDF reaches only a fraction of the families it was designed for. The program has had one of the \u003ca href=\"https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/9e9000cb7b1e4e30c2e616e547ed9bd9/program-eligibility-participation-brief-december-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">lowest participation rates\u003c/a> among federal safety net programs, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107754\" target=\"_blank\">just 22%\u003c/a> of families who qualify under their state’s rules receiving assistance in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Because of those financial pressures nationwide, the CCDF reaches only a fraction of the families it was designed for. The program has had one of the \u003ca href=\"https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/9e9000cb7b1e4e30c2e616e547ed9bd9/program-eligibility-participation-brief-december-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">lowest participation rates\u003c/a> among federal safety net programs, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107754\" target=\"_blank\">just 22%\u003c/a> of families who qualify under their state’s rules receiving assistance in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>This comes at a time when childcare costs are spiking across the country. According to the group Child Care Aware of America, childcare costs \u003ca href=\"https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/\" target=\"_blank\">increased 29%\u003c/a> between 2020 and 2024.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>This comes at a time when childcare costs are spiking across the country. According to the group Child Care Aware of America, childcare costs \u003ca href=\"https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/\" target=\"_blank\">increased 29%\u003c/a> between 2020 and 2024.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Parents with very young, preschool-age children — for whom schooling is not yet an option — may be at a particular disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Parents with very young, preschool-age children — for whom schooling is not yet an option — may be at a particular disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kim Kofron, executive director of early childhood education at Children at Risk, a Texas nonprofit that advocates for children, said waiting lists of even a few years can impact some families during a critical period when they need childcare.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Kim Kofron, executive director of early childhood education at Children at Risk, a Texas nonprofit that advocates for children, said waiting lists of even a few years can impact some families during a critical period when they need childcare.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If you think about a child’s life in that zero-to-five space, a one- or two-year waiting list is a huge period of that time,” Kofron said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If you think about a child’s life in that zero-to-five space, a one- or two-year waiting list is a huge period of that time,” Kofron said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There were more than 93,000 children on childcare assistance waitlists in Texas as of January 2025, according to the most recent data provided by the state.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There were more than 93,000 children on childcare assistance waitlists in Texas as of January 2025, according to the most recent data provided by the state.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg\" alt=\"Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list.\" class=\"wp-image-66563\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list. \u003ccite> (Valentina Sosa)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg\" alt=\"Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list.\" class=\"wp-image-66563\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list. \u003ccite> (Valentina Sosa)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Right now, Valentina Sosa earns around $300 per week in her real estate job. The cheapest childcare option she found was $975 per month at a local church, which would eat up a significant share of her monthly income.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Right now, Valentina Sosa earns around $300 per week in her real estate job. The cheapest childcare option she found was $975 per month at a local church, which would eat up a significant share of her monthly income.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m also living at my mom’s house, so if I can’t even pay for rent, how am I also going to do both or even one right now?” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I’m also living at my mom’s house, so if I can’t even pay for rent, how am I also going to do both or even one right now?” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With Ameea at home, Sosa manages to work about 20 hours per week, flipping open her laptop when her daughter is eating lunch or taking a nap.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>With Ameea at home, Sosa manages to work about 20 hours per week, flipping open her laptop when her daughter is eating lunch or taking a nap.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>With an affordable childcare option, though, Sosa said she could take on more hours at her job and earn more money for her family. She strives to make enough to be able to move out of her mom’s house and get an apartment for her and Ameea.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>With an affordable childcare option, though, Sosa said she could take on more hours at her job and earn more money for her family. She strives to make enough to be able to move out of her mom’s house and get an apartment for her and Ameea.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Getting off the waitlist and receiving government assistance to pay for childcare could make that a reality, Sosa said. “It would definitely change a lot.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Getting off the waitlist and receiving government assistance to pay for childcare could make that a reality, Sosa said. “It would definitely change a lot.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Changes to CCDF under Trump",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changes to CCDF under Trump\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changes to CCDF under Trump\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said recent changes to the $12.3 billion program could help get more children off of waitlists across the country, but advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding#:~:text=Melissa%20Boteach%2C%20chief%20policy%20officer%20at%20Zero%20to%20Three%2C%20a%20nonprofit%20that%20advocates%20for%20infants%2C%20toddlers%20and%20families%2C%20said%20the%20proposed%20policy%20changes%20introduce%20%22chaos%20and%20confusion%22%20by%20rolling%20back%20provisions%20that%20aimed%20to%20make%20the%20child%20care%20industry%20more%20stable%20and%20affordable.\" target=\"_blank\">worry those changes could also destabilize\u003c/a> the childcare system for low-income families.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said recent changes to the $12.3 billion program could help get more children off of waitlists across the country, but advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding#:~:text=Melissa%20Boteach%2C%20chief%20policy%20officer%20at%20Zero%20to%20Three%2C%20a%20nonprofit%20that%20advocates%20for%20infants%2C%20toddlers%20and%20families%2C%20said%20the%20proposed%20policy%20changes%20introduce%20%22chaos%20and%20confusion%22%20by%20rolling%20back%20provisions%20that%20aimed%20to%20make%20the%20child%20care%20industry%20more%20stable%20and%20affordable.\" target=\"_blank\">worry those changes could also destabilize\u003c/a> the childcare system for low-income families.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the Biden administration, officials \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/occ/law-regulation/overview-2024-ccdf-final-rule-improving-child-care-access-affordability\" target=\"_blank\">overhauled CCDF rules\u003c/a> to lower costs for families and make payments to childcare providers more predictable. States were pushed to cap a family’s co-payments at 7% of their household income. They were also instructed to pay providers in advance based on enrollment — much like a family would pay out of pocket — rather than retroactively and based on attendance.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Department of Health and Human Services recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding\" target=\"_blank\">reversed\u003c/a> those rules, citing in part the potential for fraud by childcare providers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Department of Health and Human Services recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding\" target=\"_blank\">reversed\u003c/a> those rules, citing in part the potential for fraud by childcare providers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, the Administration for Children and Families said removing the 7% cap allows “states to halt costly implementation efforts and redirect funds toward serving additional children, including getting more children off waitlists and into child care. This allows states to serve more children as they deem possible.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, the Administration for Children and Families said removing the 7% cap allows “states to halt costly implementation efforts and redirect funds toward serving additional children, including getting more children off waitlists and into child care. This allows states to serve more children as they deem possible.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The statement noted that while the Trump administration removed those Biden-era requirements, states could still adhere to the previous rules.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Kofron, of Children at Risk, said all levels of government will have to step up to ensure the national system works as it should and that families aren’t left waiting for years for financial assistance. Ideally, she said, Congress would increase CCDF funding, states would find other sources of revenue to supplement their programs, and cities and counties would work on their own solutions to the problem of high childcare costs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When we all have a piece of the pie, then we can really actually get our waitlists down to a manageable level and actually get families the care that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Child Care and Development Fund, the U.S. government's main source of funding to help low-income families pay for childcare, serves over 1.6 million children in a typical month.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For low-income working families in the United States, the federal government offers financial aid to help pay for childcare. That is, if families can get off the waitlist for it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the second half of last year, there were an estimated 400,000 children on waitlists for childcare assistance programs across the U.S., according to a \u003ca href=\"https://nwlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/State-of-Child-Care-2026-FINAL-WEB.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">report\u003c/a> by the National Women’s Law Center released in May. That’s nearly the size of the population of Minneapolis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That figure has more than tripled over the past two years. Around 118,800 kids were on waitlists in early 2024, the group found.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there has not been nearly enough money available for caregivers looking for financial help, especially recently, as childcare costs have ballooned nationwide.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Valentina Sosa of Cypress, Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. She’s still on a waiting list. Sosa’s wages as a part-time real estate assistant aren’t enough to cover the cost of local daycare. While the family waits, Ameea mostly stays at home with Sosa while she works, which she often does remotely.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know she needs the development that she’s not getting, the engagement that she’s not getting here with me, because if I’m working, I can only do so much,” said Sosa, who is a single mother. “That’s horrible to see for her. But I do what I can.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Childcare advocates blame the expanding waitlists in part on a failure by Congress to appropriate enough money for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the federal government’s main source of funding to help families pay for childcare. The program \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/occ/data/fy-2023-preliminary-data-table-1\" target=\"_blank\">serves\u003c/a> over 1.6 million children across the U.S. in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have public funding for our schools because we recognize it as a public good that is important for our economy, for the well-being and future success of young people,” said Karen Schulman, senior director of state childcare policy at the National Women’s Law Center. “We don’t fund our childcare system like that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Other forces have compounded in recent years to make waitlists even longer. More low-income families are applying for assistance, advocates say, and federal COVID-19 relief money that temporarily helped boost U.S. childcare programs ran out. It’s forced many caregivers balancing their jobs with their childcare responsibilities to wait and see if their number on the waitlist will be called.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Almost one-third of U.S. states have waitlists\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seventeen states currently have waitlists for childcare assistance or have stopped taking new applications, according to the NWLC report. (In states where county governments run the childcare assistance program, waitlists may exist in some counties but not others.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the past, the number of states with waitlists has been higher, but Schulman said she doesn’t remember a time when this many children were in line for assistance. For example, 21 states had waitlists in 2001, encompassing a total of around 202,900 children — roughly half of the current total.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A big reason for the queue is a lack of funding for subsidized childcare. Federal stimulus dollars had buoyed the childcare sector during the pandemic, Schulman said; now, that money is gone. Roughly $39 billion from the American Rescue Plan \u003ca href=\"https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/understanding-the-landscape-of-stabilization-grant-funding\" target=\"_blank\">went toward childcare\u003c/a>, but states had to use the money by September 2024. She added that CCDF funding \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF10511#:~:text=care%20administrative%20costs.-,Table%201.%2010%2DYear%20CCDF%20Funding%20History,TBD,-Source%3A%20CRS\" target=\"_blank\">has been “stalling” in recent years\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Furthermore, childcare assistance programs are operated by states, which have different eligibility requirements for families and subsidy rates for providers. States can also decide whether to spend their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) dollars on childcare, and Schulman said some states facing budgetary pressures may have less of their own money to divert to assistance programs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That creates a difficult math problem for state officials, who have to balance the number of families they serve with the amount they spend on care, said Jordan Pargeter, federal initiatives and strategic policy administrator in Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Is it better to serve more families but not help them very much with the cost of care?” Pargeter said. “Or is it better to serve less families but actually get closer to the true cost of care that providers are facing?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Oregon established a statewide waitlist in 2023 that currently has around 26,000 children waiting to apply (though not all of them may be eligible). Certain priority groups, such as families in the state’s child welfare system, can bypass the waitlist. Beyond that, though, no families have come off the waitlist in nearly three years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Alyssa Chatterjee, director of Oregon’s Department of Early Learning and Care, said Oregon pays childcare providers well and doesn’t require high co-payments from families. Co-payments in Oregon are typically just 2% to 4% of a family’s income, well below the 7% maximum allowed under a previous federal rule. It has meant that a smaller number of families are receiving a greater amount of financial aid.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oregon really has chosen to focus on maintaining that quality of programming that works well for providers and families by keeping those copays low, paying providers well,” Chatterjee said. “That means we have to serve fewer families with the resources available.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because of those financial pressures nationwide, the CCDF reaches only a fraction of the families it was designed for. The program has had one of the \u003ca href=\"https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/9e9000cb7b1e4e30c2e616e547ed9bd9/program-eligibility-participation-brief-december-2021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">lowest participation rates\u003c/a> among federal safety net programs, with \u003ca href=\"https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-107754\" target=\"_blank\">just 22%\u003c/a> of families who qualify under their state’s rules receiving assistance in a typical month.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>This comes at a time when childcare costs are spiking across the country. According to the group Child Care Aware of America, childcare costs \u003ca href=\"https://www.childcareaware.org/price-landscape24/\" target=\"_blank\">increased 29%\u003c/a> between 2020 and 2024.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">“It would definitely change a lot”\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Parents with very young, preschool-age children — for whom schooling is not yet an option — may be at a particular disadvantage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kim Kofron, executive director of early childhood education at Children at Risk, a Texas nonprofit that advocates for children, said waiting lists of even a few years can impact some families during a critical period when they need childcare.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If you think about a child’s life in that zero-to-five space, a one- or two-year waiting list is a huge period of that time,” Kofron said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There were more than 93,000 children on childcare assistance waitlists in Texas as of January 2025, according to the most recent data provided by the state.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg\" alt=\"Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list.\" class=\"wp-image-66563\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189.jpeg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/08/img-1189-768x576.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Valentina Sosa, a real estate assistant in Texas, first applied for childcare assistance for her 18-month-old daughter, Ameea, in March. The pair is on a waiting list. \u003ccite> (Valentina Sosa)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Right now, Valentina Sosa earns around $300 per week in her real estate job. The cheapest childcare option she found was $975 per month at a local church, which would eat up a significant share of her monthly income.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m also living at my mom’s house, so if I can’t even pay for rent, how am I also going to do both or even one right now?” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With Ameea at home, Sosa manages to work about 20 hours per week, flipping open her laptop when her daughter is eating lunch or taking a nap.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>With an affordable childcare option, though, Sosa said she could take on more hours at her job and earn more money for her family. She strives to make enough to be able to move out of her mom’s house and get an apartment for her and Ameea.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Getting off the waitlist and receiving government assistance to pay for childcare could make that a reality, Sosa said. “It would definitely change a lot.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Changes to CCDF under Trump\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Trump administration said recent changes to the $12.3 billion program could help get more children off of waitlists across the country, but advocates \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding#:~:text=Melissa%20Boteach%2C%20chief%20policy%20officer%20at%20Zero%20to%20Three%2C%20a%20nonprofit%20that%20advocates%20for%20infants%2C%20toddlers%20and%20families%2C%20said%20the%20proposed%20policy%20changes%20introduce%20%22chaos%20and%20confusion%22%20by%20rolling%20back%20provisions%20that%20aimed%20to%20make%20the%20child%20care%20industry%20more%20stable%20and%20affordable.\" target=\"_blank\">worry those changes could also destabilize\u003c/a> the childcare system for low-income families.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the Biden administration, officials \u003ca href=\"https://acf.gov/occ/law-regulation/overview-2024-ccdf-final-rule-improving-child-care-access-affordability\" target=\"_blank\">overhauled CCDF rules\u003c/a> to lower costs for families and make payments to childcare providers more predictable. States were pushed to cap a family’s co-payments at 7% of their household income. They were also instructed to pay providers in advance based on enrollment — much like a family would pay out of pocket — rather than retroactively and based on attendance.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Department of Health and Human Services recently \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/01/05/nx-s1-5667019/hhs-child-care-federal-funding\" target=\"_blank\">reversed\u003c/a> those rules, citing in part the potential for fraud by childcare providers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In an emailed statement, the Administration for Children and Families said removing the 7% cap allows “states to halt costly implementation efforts and redirect funds toward serving additional children, including getting more children off waitlists and into child care. This allows states to serve more children as they deem possible.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The statement noted that while the Trump administration removed those Biden-era requirements, states could still adhere to the previous rules.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Kofron, of Children at Risk, said all levels of government will have to step up to ensure the national system works as it should and that families aren’t left waiting for years for financial assistance. Ideally, she said, Congress would increase CCDF funding, states would find other sources of revenue to supplement their programs, and cities and counties would work on their own solutions to the problem of high childcare costs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When we all have a piece of the pie, then we can really actually get our waitlists down to a manageable level and actually get families the care that they need,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about child care workers was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DENVER — It was nap time at Family Star Montessori, and Sue Alexander, a retired accountant, settled onto the floor beside a little girl named Ophelia. The child leaned against her and announced: “I love squishy things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander’s “squishy thing” — her arm — just earned her a new friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander is a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.earlychildhoodservicecorps.org/\">Early Childhood Service Corps\u003c/a>, which trains adults ages 50 and older to work as substitute teachers in child care centers like this one in Denver and the surrounding suburbs. In addition to helping to staff an industry that chronically lacks workers, ECSC also offers personal fulfillment and community connection for its members in the years after retirement\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>participants say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Training was a lot, but it was really well put together,” Alexander said of the program. “They’ve got good people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shortage of child care teachers is a well-known problem, but a lack of qualified substitute teachers doesn’t always get as much attention. Legally, centers are required to maintain a certain number of adults for the children they have in care. Without reliable substitutes, full-time teachers can barely step out of the room for a short break, much less make longer appointments for something like a trip to the doctor. The program also offers volunteer “business advisers” who provide back-office support to centers that need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The early care and education field is just full of clever people who are trying to find ways to shore up the system in any way possible,” said Elizabeth Pufall Jones, the director of preparation and work environment programs at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. Early childhood teachers are often perceived as babysitters whose roles can be easily filled, she said, but that’s not true. With ECSC members, “you know they’re a well-qualified individual to go into these classrooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66208\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66208\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Woman standing in room\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Armao, founder and executive director, Early Childhood Services Corps. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lisa Armao, who has worked in early childhood education for more than 30 years, founded ECSC in 2022, inspired by a documentary called \u003ca href=\"https://thegrowingseasonfilm.com/\">“The Growing Season”\u003c/a> that features a program in Seattle housing a senior center and a daycare center under one roof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She visited the Seattle program with the intention of trying to start a similar model in Denver. The pandemic upended her plan to create a stand-alone facility, but Armao has been able to raise over $440,000 in state and local funding for the ECSC model of placing older adults in child care centers both as substitute teachers and as office staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last three years, ECSC has placed about 150 volunteers in Montessori programs and other child care centers around the Denver area. Those who want to work as teachers attend three to four months of online classes offered by Red Rocks Community College. Those who want to work with children but don’t want the extra training take 19 hours of training modules offered by ECSC. Volunteer business advisers take seven hours of free training on early childhood regulations before being placed at a center. Some of the participants in the program are paid, while others provide support to child care centers for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66210\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66210\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Older adults playing with preschooler in school\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kit Karbler and Sunanda Babu both received early childhood training through the Early Childhood Service Corps. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Family Star Montessori educates 230 children, ranging from 8 weeks to 6 years old, in its two schools and its home-based learning program. Alexander’s presence in a classroom means teachers can step out to take a phone call or go to the bathroom without worrying about whether there are enough adults in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t talk about bathroom breaks enough,” Armao said. “If you need to go to the bathroom, there has to be someone to come in to cover you in that space, and that can make for a very uncomfortable working environment. Meeting the needs of the adults helps with morale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ECSC has attracted a steady stream of local media attention, which is how most older adults learn about the program, but finding corps members to meet the need remains a challenge. Armao said she has received inquiries about replication from people in California, Ohio, Oregon and Washington state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as Family Star executive director Lindsay McNicholas relies on Alexander to help care for kids, she depends on another ECSC member, Jean Townsend, for administrative support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66206\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66206\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Older woman next to learning child\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunanda Babu received early childhood training through programs offered through the Early Childhood Service Corps. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before she retired, Townsend owned a local economics consulting firm and, among other accomplishments, helped to start the Colfax Marathon, an annual race that brings out thousands of runners. She came to Family Star with extensive contacts among business and political leaders as well as a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve learned that if you’ve got a problem, you solve it,” Townsend said. She is working with the center as it plans to sell one site and buy another with more modern heating, closer to where most of the families live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Townsend’s business background has been invaluable, McNicholas said. “I’ve been able to meet officials and city planners in Jefferson County, which is a new county for us. That has given us a jump-start with this really incredible opportunity for our organization.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Armao said the corps members come from a variety of professional backgrounds and have a range of different expectations for the experience. Along the way, they gain insight into a largely invisible profession. “They get a schooling in the state of early childhood and they come to understand it in a deeper way. Some grab onto the fact that it’s an economic driver. Others grab onto the simple fact that these children are going to be humans running our world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kit Karbler, 72, is a glass artist whose work is displayed at the Denver Art Museum. “If I hadn’t found this, I can’t imagine what I’d be doing,” he said about being a substitute child care worker at an early learning center based at \u003ca href=\"https://elc.emanueldenver.org/\">Temple Emanuel\u003c/a> in Denver. Karbler works 20 hours a week, more if they need him. “What would I be doing that would give me this emotional return?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kamal Fakhouri, 68, worked in education and business all over the Middle East. At Monarch Montessori, a public school with 250 children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, Fakhouri fills in as a substitute teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Lebanon, she lived in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before moving to Denver to be near her daughter and grandchildren. This was during the height of the Covid pandemic. Fakhouri said she especially prizes moments of connection. “I was reading with a child in a class that I haven’t been to in a while, when [a child] just came and hugged me from the back and started telling me about what work they’re doing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bethanne Rodriguez, executive director of the five-site \u003ca href=\"https://thrivepreschool.com/\">Thrive Preschool\u003c/a> network in the Denver area, which has welcomed corps members, said she appreciates their “older faces and older energy” — as well the example they set for the rest of the staff. “They have had a career and have that life experience to know and understand the investment that this work is,” she said. “They know what it means to show up for work and know what it means to not call out when you’re just having a bad day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66207\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66207\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Older woman playing with toddlers\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yvonne Wilder, 57, works with children at Thrive Preschool in Littleton, Colo. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the corps members at Thrive’s Littleton location is Yvonne Wilder. After her first week in the baby room, her muscles ached in places she’d forgotten existed. The retired wetlands biologist, who’d spent decades cataloging ecosystems for the city of Tampa, was discovering that an eight-hour shift there demanded a different kind of stamina than fieldwork ever had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a very physically challenging job,” said Wilder, 57. “I change diapers all the time. I do everything. I admire all the people who do this full time because it is not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During her first year, Wilder says, she got sick constantly, and her adult children asked her if she really wanted to continue. Soon, though, her immune system caught up, and she discovered that spending time with the children, germs and all, makes her happy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve had them ask me, ‘Are you my grandma?’” she said. “And I’ll say, ‘I can be your school grandma.’ It’s such a privilege to know them and to be known by them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Support for this reporting came from the Better Life Lab at New America.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about child care workers was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about child care workers was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DENVER — It was nap time at Family Star Montessori, and Sue Alexander, a retired accountant, settled onto the floor beside a little girl named Ophelia. The child leaned against her and announced: “I love squishy things.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander’s “squishy thing” — her arm — just earned her a new friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alexander is a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.earlychildhoodservicecorps.org/\">Early Childhood Service Corps\u003c/a>, which trains adults ages 50 and older to work as substitute teachers in child care centers like this one in Denver and the surrounding suburbs. In addition to helping to staff an industry that chronically lacks workers, ECSC also offers personal fulfillment and community connection for its members in the years after retirement\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>participants say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Training was a lot, but it was really well put together,” Alexander said of the program. “They’ve got good people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The shortage of child care teachers is a well-known problem, but a lack of qualified substitute teachers doesn’t always get as much attention. Legally, centers are required to maintain a certain number of adults for the children they have in care. Without reliable substitutes, full-time teachers can barely step out of the room for a short break, much less make longer appointments for something like a trip to the doctor. The program also offers volunteer “business advisers” who provide back-office support to centers that need it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The early care and education field is just full of clever people who are trying to find ways to shore up the system in any way possible,” said Elizabeth Pufall Jones, the director of preparation and work environment programs at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. Early childhood teachers are often perceived as babysitters whose roles can be easily filled, she said, but that’s not true. With ECSC members, “you know they’re a well-qualified individual to go into these classrooms.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66208\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66208\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Woman standing in room\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lisa Armao, founder and executive director, Early Childhood Services Corps. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Lisa Armao, who has worked in early childhood education for more than 30 years, founded ECSC in 2022, inspired by a documentary called \u003ca href=\"https://thegrowingseasonfilm.com/\">“The Growing Season”\u003c/a> that features a program in Seattle housing a senior center and a daycare center under one roof.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She visited the Seattle program with the intention of trying to start a similar model in Denver. The pandemic upended her plan to create a stand-alone facility, but Armao has been able to raise over $440,000 in state and local funding for the ECSC model of placing older adults in child care centers both as substitute teachers and as office staff.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last three years, ECSC has placed about 150 volunteers in Montessori programs and other child care centers around the Denver area. Those who want to work as teachers attend three to four months of online classes offered by Red Rocks Community College. Those who want to work with children but don’t want the extra training take 19 hours of training modules offered by ECSC. Volunteer business advisers take seven hours of free training on early childhood regulations before being placed at a center. Some of the participants in the program are paid, while others provide support to child care centers for free.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66210\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66210\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Older adults playing with preschooler in school\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kit Karbler and Sunanda Babu both received early childhood training through the Early Childhood Service Corps. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Family Star Montessori educates 230 children, ranging from 8 weeks to 6 years old, in its two schools and its home-based learning program. Alexander’s presence in a classroom means teachers can step out to take a phone call or go to the bathroom without worrying about whether there are enough adults in the classroom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t talk about bathroom breaks enough,” Armao said. “If you need to go to the bathroom, there has to be someone to come in to cover you in that space, and that can make for a very uncomfortable working environment. Meeting the needs of the adults helps with morale.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ECSC has attracted a steady stream of local media attention, which is how most older adults learn about the program, but finding corps members to meet the need remains a challenge. Armao said she has received inquiries about replication from people in California, Ohio, Oregon and Washington state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just as Family Star executive director Lindsay McNicholas relies on Alexander to help care for kids, she depends on another ECSC member, Jean Townsend, for administrative support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66206\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66206\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Older woman next to learning child\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sunanda Babu received early childhood training through programs offered through the Early Childhood Service Corps. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Before she retired, Townsend owned a local economics consulting firm and, among other accomplishments, helped to start the Colfax Marathon, an annual race that brings out thousands of runners. She came to Family Star with extensive contacts among business and political leaders as well as a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve learned that if you’ve got a problem, you solve it,” Townsend said. She is working with the center as it plans to sell one site and buy another with more modern heating, closer to where most of the families live.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Townsend’s business background has been invaluable, McNicholas said. “I’ve been able to meet officials and city planners in Jefferson County, which is a new county for us. That has given us a jump-start with this really incredible opportunity for our organization.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Armao said the corps members come from a variety of professional backgrounds and have a range of different expectations for the experience. Along the way, they gain insight into a largely invisible profession. “They get a schooling in the state of early childhood and they come to understand it in a deeper way. Some grab onto the fact that it’s an economic driver. Others grab onto the simple fact that these children are going to be humans running our world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kit Karbler, 72, is a glass artist whose work is displayed at the Denver Art Museum. “If I hadn’t found this, I can’t imagine what I’d be doing,” he said about being a substitute child care worker at an early learning center based at \u003ca href=\"https://elc.emanueldenver.org/\">Temple Emanuel\u003c/a> in Denver. Karbler works 20 hours a week, more if they need him. “What would I be doing that would give me this emotional return?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kamal Fakhouri, 68, worked in education and business all over the Middle East. At Monarch Montessori, a public school with 250 children ages 6 weeks through 5 years, Fakhouri fills in as a substitute teacher.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Born in Lebanon, she lived in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Egypt before moving to Denver to be near her daughter and grandchildren. This was during the height of the Covid pandemic. Fakhouri said she especially prizes moments of connection. “I was reading with a child in a class that I haven’t been to in a while, when [a child] just came and hugged me from the back and started telling me about what work they’re doing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bethanne Rodriguez, executive director of the five-site \u003ca href=\"https://thrivepreschool.com/\">Thrive Preschool\u003c/a> network in the Denver area, which has welcomed corps members, said she appreciates their “older faces and older energy” — as well the example they set for the rest of the staff. “They have had a career and have that life experience to know and understand the investment that this work is,” she said. “They know what it means to show up for work and know what it means to not call out when you’re just having a bad day.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66207\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66207\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Older woman playing with toddlers\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/03/EC-child-care-older-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yvonne Wilder, 57, works with children at Thrive Preschool in Littleton, Colo. \u003ccite>(Sara Hertwig for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the corps members at Thrive’s Littleton location is Yvonne Wilder. After her first week in the baby room, her muscles ached in places she’d forgotten existed. The retired wetlands biologist, who’d spent decades cataloging ecosystems for the city of Tampa, was discovering that an eight-hour shift there demanded a different kind of stamina than fieldwork ever had.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a very physically challenging job,” said Wilder, 57. “I change diapers all the time. I do everything. I admire all the people who do this full time because it is not easy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During her first year, Wilder says, she got sick constantly, and her adult children asked her if she really wanted to continue. Soon, though, her immune system caught up, and she discovered that spending time with the children, germs and all, makes her happy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ve had them ask me, ‘Are you my grandma?’” she said. “And I’ll say, ‘I can be your school grandma.’ It’s such a privilege to know them and to be known by them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Support for this reporting came from the Better Life Lab at New America.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about child care workers was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "As Public Transitional Kindergarten Thrives, Child Care Centers Are Closing",
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"content": "\u003cp>California finally rolled out free preschool for all 4-year-olds in the 2025-26 school year, after more than a decade of expanding what the state calls transitional kindergarten. Many advocates hoped the move would ease child care shortages and close learning gaps between rich and poor. But a new University of California, Berkeley, \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/18KAT7-aXb1DoHDiFzaknPL9dNXgipri1/view\">study of Los Angeles\u003c/a> shows the opposite happened: More than 150 child care centers closed, and the biggest beneficiaries were families in the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why does free preschool sometimes backfire? The Berkeley report can’t definitively answer that, but the study’s lead author, Bruce Fuller, a retired Berkeley sociologist who has studied early childhood education for decades, says the new public school seats siphoned 4-year-olds away from community child care centers and private preschools. Many centers lost revenue when children left, and it wasn’t easy to pivot to serving younger toddlers or infants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found this worrisome finding that the death rate, so to speak, of pre-K centers has accelerated since the governor moved toward universal access” to transitional kindergarten, Fuller said. “Private pay centers can’t survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(California calls it \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/universal-prekindergarten-is-coming-to-california-bumpy-rollout-and-all/\">transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> because it was originally a bridge between preschool and kindergarten for the youngest kindergarteners. But its expansion, quite rapid since 2022, has transformed it into what the rest of the country would call preschool for 4-year-olds.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From 2020 to 2024, 167 Los Angeles County pre-K centers closed their doors or let their preschool licenses expire. That erased 12,000 child care slots. Many communities lost more child care seats than they gained in new public preschool ones. For example, public preschool enrollments climbed by 152 children in the Rolling Hills-Palos Verdes area, but the community then lost four pre-K centers or licensees, eliminating 316 child slots. In middle-class regions, such as Northridge, public preschool enrollments climbed by 96 children, while three pre-K centers shut down, a loss of 184 spaces for preschool children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As transitional kindergarten increased, slots for 3- and 4-year-olds in public and private pre-K centers decreased\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66013\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 936px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66013\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment.png\" alt=\"Graph showing one line trend down and the other go up\" width=\"936\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment.png 936w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment-160x113.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment-768x542.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 936px) 100vw, 936px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The red line shows the decline in child care center slots. The blue line shows enrollment in transitional kindergarten classes at public schools. Enrollment temporarily dipped when the pandemic erupted, but then recovered and continued to grow Source: Figure 9 in “Pre-K Pivot? How Preschools Shift to Younger Children in Los Angeles,” UC Berkeley Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood, December 2025\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fuller’s team also found that families in the highest-income communities were the most likely to apply for the new preschool seats at public schools. In the wealthiest fifth of ZIP codes of Los Angeles County, such as Brentwood, demand for public preschool skyrocketed 148 percent as families opted for a free program instead of paying as much as $36,000 a year for private preschool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, enrollment rose just 50 percent in the poorest fifth of ZIP codes, where many families stuck with subsidized child care centers or relatives — especially since some public schools offered only a half-day option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The full effect on the child care sector is still uncertain. California allowed child care centers that receive subsidies to retain their pre-pandemic budgets even as they lost 4-year-olds. That “hold harmless” subsidy is slated to end in July 2026, and more closures are expected to follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Policymakers hoped the new public school seats would free up scarce child care slots for younger children, as 4-year-olds flocked to the public schools. But there were many regulatory and financial hurdles that hindered pivoting to younger children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just flipping a switch to say this classroom is now going to serve 2- year-olds,” said Nina Buthee, executive director of EveryChild California, which advocates for publicly funded child care and early education. Operators need to reconfigure classrooms, install new sprinkler systems and hire a lot more teachers, Buthee explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a nightmare,” she said. “You need to get the OK by the fire marshal, and you need to get the OK by the community care licensing division of the Department of Social Services. That, in itself, takes six to 12 months, and that’s only if you have the money to be able to close that classroom and pay for those renovations, and then have new children ready for when you’re reopening.” Many operators decided it was easier to shut down, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More importantly, Buthee said the economics of child care centers rely on older 3- and 4-year-olds, who are cheaper to take care of. State regulations require one teacher for every three or four infants or toddlers. For 4-year-olds, it’s one teacher for every 12 children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Buthee, most child care centers operate their infant programs at a slight loss and offset that with revenue from their preschoolers. “When you’re losing those preschoolers, there are no funds to make up,” said Buthee. “The whole business model completely falls apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles officials are aware of the problems. ”The expansion of transitional kindergarten across California has many benefits, as well as unintended consequences,” a spokesperson from the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education within the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in an email. That office is trying to help child care and early education operators navigate the challenging market and published a new \u003ca href=\"https://childcare.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Navigating-Universal-Pre-K-in-LA-Guidebook-FINAL_10.21.25_online.pdf\">guidebook\u003c/a> of financial and business resources in October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One clear lesson, according to both Fuller and Buthee, is to allow community child care centers to be part of the expansion of publicly funded preschool programs rather than just public schools. That way, instead of losing children and revenue, these centers can hold on to older kids and continue operating. When Oklahoma expanded its preschool program in 1998, the state also experienced widespread closures of existing centers. Oklahoma then decided to open funding to community providers. Both Fuller and Buthee praised New York City for including community centers in its pre-K expansion from the start. Still, there were problems there too. As public subsidies rose for 4-year-olds, \u003ca href=\"https://policyequity.com/universal-pre-k-only-works-if-states-also-stabilize-infant-and-toddler-care-otherwise-it-can-be-detrimental/\">infant and toddler slots\u003c/a> shrunk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fuller remains a proponent of early childhood education, and agrees that middle class families need relief from child care expenses, but he warns there can be harmful consequences when well-intentioned ideas are poorly implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Education systems are complicated and when you tinker with one small part, there can be a ripple effect. Fuller doesn’t have a quick fix. Policymakers have to balance the sometimes conflicting goals of improving education for low-income children and offering relief from the high cost of childcare. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jill-barshay/\">\u003cem>Jill Barshay\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or \u003c/em>\u003cem>barshay@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-la-preschool/\">\u003cem>free preschool\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Child care centers that also served infants and toddlers became harder to keep open when 4-year-olds went to transitional kindergarten. Universal preschool promised equity but benefits went to the wealthy.",
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"title": "As Public Transitional Kindergarten Thrives, Child Care Centers Are Closing | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>California finally rolled out free preschool for all 4-year-olds in the 2025-26 school year, after more than a decade of expanding what the state calls transitional kindergarten. Many advocates hoped the move would ease child care shortages and close learning gaps between rich and poor. But a new University of California, Berkeley, \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/18KAT7-aXb1DoHDiFzaknPL9dNXgipri1/view\">study of Los Angeles\u003c/a> shows the opposite happened: More than 150 child care centers closed, and the biggest beneficiaries were families in the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Why does free preschool sometimes backfire? The Berkeley report can’t definitively answer that, but the study’s lead author, Bruce Fuller, a retired Berkeley sociologist who has studied early childhood education for decades, says the new public school seats siphoned 4-year-olds away from community child care centers and private preschools. Many centers lost revenue when children left, and it wasn’t easy to pivot to serving younger toddlers or infants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We found this worrisome finding that the death rate, so to speak, of pre-K centers has accelerated since the governor moved toward universal access” to transitional kindergarten, Fuller said. “Private pay centers can’t survive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(California calls it \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/universal-prekindergarten-is-coming-to-california-bumpy-rollout-and-all/\">transitional kindergarten\u003c/a> because it was originally a bridge between preschool and kindergarten for the youngest kindergarteners. But its expansion, quite rapid since 2022, has transformed it into what the rest of the country would call preschool for 4-year-olds.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From 2020 to 2024, 167 Los Angeles County pre-K centers closed their doors or let their preschool licenses expire. That erased 12,000 child care slots. Many communities lost more child care seats than they gained in new public preschool ones. For example, public preschool enrollments climbed by 152 children in the Rolling Hills-Palos Verdes area, but the community then lost four pre-K centers or licensees, eliminating 316 child slots. In middle-class regions, such as Northridge, public preschool enrollments climbed by 96 children, while three pre-K centers shut down, a loss of 184 spaces for preschool children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As transitional kindergarten increased, slots for 3- and 4-year-olds in public and private pre-K centers decreased\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66013\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 936px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66013\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment.png\" alt=\"Graph showing one line trend down and the other go up\" width=\"936\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment.png 936w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment-160x113.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/Hechinger-TK-enrollment-768x542.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 936px) 100vw, 936px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The red line shows the decline in child care center slots. The blue line shows enrollment in transitional kindergarten classes at public schools. Enrollment temporarily dipped when the pandemic erupted, but then recovered and continued to grow Source: Figure 9 in “Pre-K Pivot? How Preschools Shift to Younger Children in Los Angeles,” UC Berkeley Equity and Excellence in Early Childhood, December 2025\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Fuller’s team also found that families in the highest-income communities were the most likely to apply for the new preschool seats at public schools. In the wealthiest fifth of ZIP codes of Los Angeles County, such as Brentwood, demand for public preschool skyrocketed 148 percent as families opted for a free program instead of paying as much as $36,000 a year for private preschool.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, enrollment rose just 50 percent in the poorest fifth of ZIP codes, where many families stuck with subsidized child care centers or relatives — especially since some public schools offered only a half-day option.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The full effect on the child care sector is still uncertain. California allowed child care centers that receive subsidies to retain their pre-pandemic budgets even as they lost 4-year-olds. That “hold harmless” subsidy is slated to end in July 2026, and more closures are expected to follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Policymakers hoped the new public school seats would free up scarce child care slots for younger children, as 4-year-olds flocked to the public schools. But there were many regulatory and financial hurdles that hindered pivoting to younger children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not just flipping a switch to say this classroom is now going to serve 2- year-olds,” said Nina Buthee, executive director of EveryChild California, which advocates for publicly funded child care and early education. Operators need to reconfigure classrooms, install new sprinkler systems and hire a lot more teachers, Buthee explained.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a nightmare,” she said. “You need to get the OK by the fire marshal, and you need to get the OK by the community care licensing division of the Department of Social Services. That, in itself, takes six to 12 months, and that’s only if you have the money to be able to close that classroom and pay for those renovations, and then have new children ready for when you’re reopening.” Many operators decided it was easier to shut down, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More importantly, Buthee said the economics of child care centers rely on older 3- and 4-year-olds, who are cheaper to take care of. State regulations require one teacher for every three or four infants or toddlers. For 4-year-olds, it’s one teacher for every 12 children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Buthee, most child care centers operate their infant programs at a slight loss and offset that with revenue from their preschoolers. “When you’re losing those preschoolers, there are no funds to make up,” said Buthee. “The whole business model completely falls apart.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Los Angeles officials are aware of the problems. ”The expansion of transitional kindergarten across California has many benefits, as well as unintended consequences,” a spokesperson from the Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education within the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in an email. That office is trying to help child care and early education operators navigate the challenging market and published a new \u003ca href=\"https://childcare.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Navigating-Universal-Pre-K-in-LA-Guidebook-FINAL_10.21.25_online.pdf\">guidebook\u003c/a> of financial and business resources in October 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One clear lesson, according to both Fuller and Buthee, is to allow community child care centers to be part of the expansion of publicly funded preschool programs rather than just public schools. That way, instead of losing children and revenue, these centers can hold on to older kids and continue operating. When Oklahoma expanded its preschool program in 1998, the state also experienced widespread closures of existing centers. Oklahoma then decided to open funding to community providers. Both Fuller and Buthee praised New York City for including community centers in its pre-K expansion from the start. Still, there were problems there too. As public subsidies rose for 4-year-olds, \u003ca href=\"https://policyequity.com/universal-pre-k-only-works-if-states-also-stabilize-infant-and-toddler-care-otherwise-it-can-be-detrimental/\">infant and toddler slots\u003c/a> shrunk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fuller remains a proponent of early childhood education, and agrees that middle class families need relief from child care expenses, but he warns there can be harmful consequences when well-intentioned ideas are poorly implemented.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Education systems are complicated and when you tinker with one small part, there can be a ripple effect. Fuller doesn’t have a quick fix. Policymakers have to balance the sometimes conflicting goals of improving education for low-income children and offering relief from the high cost of childcare. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jill-barshay/\">\u003cem>Jill Barshay\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at 212-678-3595, jillbarshay.35 on Signal, or \u003c/em>\u003cem>barshay@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>SAN FRANCISCO — In a playground outside a YMCA, Mayra Aguilar rolled purple modeling dough into balls that fit easily into the palms of the toddlers sitting across from her. She helped a little girl named Wynter unclasp a bicycle helmet that she’d put on to zoom around the space on a tricycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar smiled, the sun glinting off her saucer-sized gold hoop earrings. “Say, ‘Thank you, teacher,’” Aguilar prompted Wynter, who was just shy of 3. Other toddlers crowded around Wynter and Aguilar and a big plastic bin of Crayola Dough, and Aguilar took the moment to teach another brief lesson. “Wynter, we share,” Aguilar pressed, scooting the tub between kids. “Say, ‘Can you pass it to me?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar and Wynter are both new at this. Wynter has been in the structured setting of a child care center only since mid-August. Aguilar started teaching preschoolers and toddlers, part-time, in February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It has been life-changing, in different ways, for them both. Wynter, an only child, is learning to share, count and recognize her letters. Aguilar is being paid to work and earning her first college credits — building the foundation for a new career, all while learning new ways to interact with her own three kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early educators are generally in short supply, and many who attempt this work quickly quit. The pay is on par with wages at fast food restaurants and big box stores, or even less. Yet unlike some other jobs with better pay, working with small children and infants usually requires some kind of education beyond a high school diploma. Moving up the ladder and pay scale often requires a degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s different for Aguilar compared to so many other people trying out this profession is that she is an apprentice — a training arrangement more commonly associated with welders, machinists and pipefitters. Apprentice programs for early childhood education have been in place in different parts of the country for at least a decade, but San Francisco’s program stands out. It is unusually well, and sustainably, funded by a real estate tax voters approved in 2018. The money raised is meant to cover the cost of programs that train early childhood educators and to boost pay enough so teachers can see themselves doing it for the long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66001\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66001\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids reading in a nook\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play in the playground of the Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some policy experts see apprenticeships as a potential game changer for the early educator workforce. The layers of support they provide can keep frazzled newcomers from giving up, and required coursework may cost them nothing. “We want it to be a position people want to go into as opposed to one that puts you in poverty,” said Cheryl Horney, who oversees the Early Learning Program that employs apprentices at Wu Yee Children’s Services in San Francisco, including the site where Aguilar works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar, 32, is paid to work 20 hours a week at the Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center, tucked inside a Y in a residential neighborhood a little under a mile from San Francisco Bay. She works alongside a mentor teacher who supports and coaches her. The apprenticeship covers the online classes, designed just for her and other apprentices and taught live from City College of San Francisco, that Aguilar takes a few nights a week. She was given all the tools needed for her courses, including a laptop, which she also uses for homework and discussions with other apprentices outside of class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66006\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66006\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids work with teachers at tables\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Early educator apprentice Mayra Aguilar, right, and her mentor teacher Jetoria Washington supervise children during outdoor play at the Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After high school, Aguilar had tried college, a medical assistant program that she quit after a few months. That was more than 10 years ago. She hadn’t touched a computer in all that time. When she was enrolling her youngest daughter at another Wu Yee location, Aguilar saw a flyer about the apprenticeship program and applied. She said is finding this work to be a far better fit: “This — I think I can do it. This, I like it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The need for more early educators is longstanding, and in recent years there’s been a push for early educators to get postsecondary training, both \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.4073/csr.2017.1\">to support young children’s development\u003c/a> and so the roles command higher salaries. For example, a 2007 change in federal law required at least half of teachers working in Head Start to have bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education by 2013, \u003ca href=\"https://www.newamerica.org/early-elementary-education/early-ed-watch/head-start-exceeds-requirement-that-half-of-teachers-earn-ba-in-early-childhood/\">a goal the program met\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite efforts to professionalize the workforce, salaries for those who work with young children remain low: \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/the-early-educator-workforce/early-educator-pay-economic-insecurity-across-the-states/\">87 percent of U.S. jobs pay more\u003c/a> than a preschool teacher earns on average; 98 percent pay more than what early child care workers earn. In 2022, Head Start lead teachers \u003ca href=\"https://nieer.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/hs_fullreport.pdf#page=27\">earned $37,685 a year\u003c/a> on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apprenticeships are seen as one way to disrupt that stubborn reality. Would-be teachers are paid while being trained for a range of positions – from entry-level roles that require a small number of college credits or training, to jobs such as running a child care center that require degrees and come with more responsibility and even higher pay. According to a June 2023 report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, \u003ca href=\"https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/BPC_WOIA_Apprenticeship_Report_RV2.pdf#page=9\">35 states\u003c/a> have some kind of early childhood educator apprenticeship program at the city, regional or state level, and more states are developing their own programs. U.S. Department of Labor data shows that more than 1,000 early educator apprentices have completed their programs since the 2021 fiscal year. Early Care & Educator Pathways to Success, which has received Labor Department grants to help set up apprenticeship programs, estimates the numbers are far larger given its work has cultivated hundreds of apprentices in 21 states, including Alaska, California, Connecticut and Nebraska.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These programs can be complicated to launch, however. They sometimes require painstaking work to find colleges that will provide coursework specific to local regulations and at hours that work for apprentices who may be in classrooms much of the workday as well as tending to their own children. They require money to pay the apprentices — on top of whatever it already costs to run child care centers and pay existing staff. The apprentices also typically need other layers of support: coaching, computers, sometimes child care and even meals for apprentices’ own kids as they study and take exams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66004\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66004\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids working with art supplies at a table\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children color and glue paper clothes on paper people during a classroom activity at the YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center in Richmond, Calif., a Head Start center that provides free child care. They had just read “Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?” \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, Horney advocated for her employer to set up an apprenticeship program for staffers at its 12 Head Start centers even before the tax money became available. She recalled losing teachers to chain retailers like Costco and Walgreens where they found less stressful jobs with more generous benefits. When she arrived in San Francisco to work in the classroom, with five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree, she was paid $15 an hour. “Now the lowest salary we pay is $28.67 for any sort of educator,” she said, and the wages and apprenticeships are even drawing people from other counties and stabilizing the San Francisco early educator workforce. “It has helped immensely.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other parts of the country have seen success with similar initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The YWCA Metro St. Louis in Missouri, which hasn’t had a single teacher vacancy at the child care centers it oversees for the last two years, credits its apprenticeship program. In Guilford County, North Carolina, vacancies and staff turnover were a plague until recently, but an apprenticeship program for entry-level early educators has kept new teachers on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, there is hope for those kinds of results. In the Oklahoma City area, an apprenticeship program started in 2023 just yielded its first graduate, who worked in a child care center for two years and completed a 288-hour training program. Curtiss Mays, who created the program for teachers at the group of Head Start centers he oversees, was in the midst of trying to hire 11 educators just as the first apprentice earned a credential that allows her to back up other teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a pretty major project,” Mays said. “We hope it’s the start of something really good.” Mays worked with the Oklahoma Department of Labor to set up the apprenticeship program, which he said has already pulled one person out of homelessness and is helping to lure more aspiring teachers. It will pay for education all the way through a bachelor’s degree if apprentices stick with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apprenticeship programs can be costly to run, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-young-casey-capito-reintroduce-bill-to-support-child-care-workforce/\">bipartisan federal legislation\u003c/a> to support them has never gained traction. (Advocates note that \u003ca href=\"https://www.first5alameda.org/wp-content/uploads/Measure-C-5-Year-Plan-June-2025.pdf\">apprenticeships can cost far less\u003c/a> than a traditional four-year college degree.) Labor Department money for organizations that help set up and grow early childhood educator apprenticeships helped increase the number of apprentices in so-called \u003ca href=\"https://www.apprenticeship.gov/employers/registered-apprenticeship-program\">registered apprenticeship programs\u003c/a> — ones that are proven and validated by the federal agency. But some of those grants \u003ca href=\"https://www.k12dive.com/news/staffed-up-federal-support-waning-for-registered-teacher-apprenticeships/748913/\">were axed\u003c/a> by the Trump administration in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, while setting up apprenticeships was as labor intensive as in many other places, the 2018 real estate tax provides a new, and deep, well of money to propel the early educator apprentice effort. The money pays for all of the things that are letting Aguilar and dozens of others in the county earn at least 12 college credits this year. In two semesters, Aguilar will have the credentials to be an associate teacher in any early education program in California. Other apprentices across San Francisco, in Head Start centers, family-owned child care programs, even some religious providers, can work toward associate or bachelor’s degrees using the new tax revenue to pay for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66005\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66005\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids play at a playground\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play at the playground of the YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center in Richmond, Calif. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Long before the ballot measure across the bay in San Francisco, Pamm Shaw dreamed up the forerunner of an early educator apprenticeship program in a moment of desperation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was over a decade ago, and Shaw, who was then working at the YMCA East Bay overseeing a collection of Head Start centers, said her agency was awarded a grant to add spaces for about 100 additional infants. Except her existing staff didn’t want to work with children younger than 3. So Shaw sent notices to the roughly 1,000 families with children enrolled in YMCA East Bay Head Start programs at the time and convinced about 20 people, largely parents of children enrolled in Head Start, to consider the role. She pulled together the training that would qualify the parents to become early educators — 12 college credits in six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The education piece, Shaw realized, was a huge draw. Some of the parents had spent 10 years working toward associate degrees on their own without getting them. Giving them the chance to earn those degrees in manageable chunks — while getting paid and receiving raises relatively quickly as their education advanced — proved a powerful recruitment tool. “It changed their lives,” Shaw said. And these new teachers had their eyes opened to how what they would be doing wasn’t just babysitting. They took away lessons they used with their own children — who in turn took notice of their parents studying. “It’s actually child care,” said Shaw. “So much happens in the first year of life that you never get to see again. Never, ever, ever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It changed Shaw’s life, too, and inspired many other apprenticeship programs all over. Her role morphed into fundraising to build out the apprenticeship pipeline. The program, now baked into the YMCA of the East Bay system, reflected the overall early educator workforce: It was made up entirely of women, mostly women of color, some of them immigrants and many first-generation college students. By the time Shaw retired a few years ago, more than 500 people in the Berkeley area had completed the educator apprenticeship program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66003\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66003\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Teacher reads to kids\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erica Davis, an early educator apprentice who works at the YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center in Richmond, Calif., reads a book to 2- and 3-year-olds during circle time. She will earn her bachelor’s degree from Cal State East Bay this spring. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Erica Davis, a single mom, is a success story of the program. When she met Shaw, Davis said, she was relying on public assistance and jobs caring for other people’s children, while taking care of a daughter with significant medical needs, as well as her toddler-age son. Davis was at a Head Start dropping off paperwork for the family of a child in her care when an employee told Davis her young son might be eligible for Head Start too. He was, and as Davis enrolled him, she learned about Shaw’s apprenticeship program. Davis missed the first window to apply, but as she put it, “I was blowing their phone up. I needed to get in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was 2020. By this spring, Davis will have earned her bachelor’s degree from Cal State East Bay. She works full-time at a Richmond, California, Head Start center while taking classes and supporting her kids, now in high school and elementary school. She can afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment, owns a car and no longer relies on state or federal assistance to pay bills. She’s on the dean’s list, and, she said proudly, she can squat 205.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t take my education seriously,” Davis, 41, said of her younger self. “I feel like I’m playing catch-up now.” She is in her element at YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center, reading to children, working on potty training and leading the kids through coloring-and-pasting exercises. She has even become an informal coach for newer apprentices. The network and family feel of these apprenticeships is some of what helps many succeed, she said. “I have a sad story, but it turned into something beautiful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Davis said she prefers the flexibility of taking classes at her own pace, other apprentices thrive in the kind of classes Aguilar attends, with a live instructor who starts off leading students in a mindfulness exercise. That is the same approach to teaching apprentices at EDvance College in San Francisco, which works exclusively with early childhood apprentices, according to its president and CEO, Lygia Stebbing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The college provides general education classes in reading, math and science for apprentices pursuing degrees, taught through an early childhood lens so it feels approachable and relevant. And every lesson can be applied nearly in real time, unlike other paths to degrees, in which in-person teaching experience comes only after many classes, Stebbing said. Before beginning classes, apprentices get a crash course in using technology, from distinguishing between a tablet and a laptop to using Google docs and Zoom, “so they can jump right into things,” she said. A writing coach and other student support staff are available in the evenings, when apprentices are taking courses or doing homework. Because many of the apprentices are older than typical college students and may even have used up their federal Pell Grants and other financial aid taking courses without earning a degree, the college works with foundations and local government agencies to offset the cost of courses so graduates don’t end up in debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve really put the student at the center,” Stebbing said.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66002\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66002\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two teachers\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Early educator apprentice Mayra Aguilar, left, and her mentor teacher Jetoria Washington at Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center. Aguilar works 20 hours a week while earning the credentials she needs to get a full-time teaching role. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Mayra Aguilar, her mentor teacher Jetoria Washington is a lifeline who can help her unstick an issue with any aspect of the apprenticeship — in the classes she takes or the classroom where she works. Taking courses online means she can be home with her own kids in the evenings. Earning money for the hours she spends in the classroom means she is not going into debt to earn the credential she needs to find a full-time job. The constellation of support has helped her shift from feeling in over her head to feeling ready to keep working toward a college degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she is having fun. On the playground, one of the kids had the idea to trace another with sidewalk chalk, working on their pencil grip as much as they were playing. Except it wasn’t just the other kids: They traced Aguilar, too. When it was time to go back inside, powdery green and pink lines crisscrossed the back of her brown pants and black blouse. She wasn’t bothered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the kids,” she said. “They always make me laugh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar has even picked up skills that she uses with her own children, something many apprentices describe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she sometimes says to her youngest daughter, “Catch a bubble.” That’s preschool speak for “Be quiet.” When a teacher needs the toddlers’ attention, kids hear this phrase, then fill their cheeks with air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, at home and at work, a brief silence follows. Then the kids look up, ready to hear what comes next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/nirvi-shah/\">\u003cem>Nirvi Shah\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at \u003c/em>\u003cem>212-678-3445, on Signal at NirviShah.14\u003c/em>\u003cem> or \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:shah@hechingerreport.org\">\u003cem>shah@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Reporting on this story was supported by the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://citizensandscholars.org/fellowships/higher-ed-media-fellowship/\">\u003cem>Higher Ed Media Fellowship\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/one-city-finding-early-educators/\">\u003cem>preschool teachers\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>The Hechinger Report\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>the Hechinger newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>SAN FRANCISCO — In a playground outside a YMCA, Mayra Aguilar rolled purple modeling dough into balls that fit easily into the palms of the toddlers sitting across from her. She helped a little girl named Wynter unclasp a bicycle helmet that she’d put on to zoom around the space on a tricycle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar smiled, the sun glinting off her saucer-sized gold hoop earrings. “Say, ‘Thank you, teacher,’” Aguilar prompted Wynter, who was just shy of 3. Other toddlers crowded around Wynter and Aguilar and a big plastic bin of Crayola Dough, and Aguilar took the moment to teach another brief lesson. “Wynter, we share,” Aguilar pressed, scooting the tub between kids. “Say, ‘Can you pass it to me?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar and Wynter are both new at this. Wynter has been in the structured setting of a child care center only since mid-August. Aguilar started teaching preschoolers and toddlers, part-time, in February.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It has been life-changing, in different ways, for them both. Wynter, an only child, is learning to share, count and recognize her letters. Aguilar is being paid to work and earning her first college credits — building the foundation for a new career, all while learning new ways to interact with her own three kids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early educators are generally in short supply, and many who attempt this work quickly quit. The pay is on par with wages at fast food restaurants and big box stores, or even less. Yet unlike some other jobs with better pay, working with small children and infants usually requires some kind of education beyond a high school diploma. Moving up the ladder and pay scale often requires a degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s different for Aguilar compared to so many other people trying out this profession is that she is an apprentice — a training arrangement more commonly associated with welders, machinists and pipefitters. Apprentice programs for early childhood education have been in place in different parts of the country for at least a decade, but San Francisco’s program stands out. It is unusually well, and sustainably, funded by a real estate tax voters approved in 2018. The money raised is meant to cover the cost of programs that train early childhood educators and to boost pay enough so teachers can see themselves doing it for the long term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66001\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66001\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids reading in a nook\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-2-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play in the playground of the Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some policy experts see apprenticeships as a potential game changer for the early educator workforce. The layers of support they provide can keep frazzled newcomers from giving up, and required coursework may cost them nothing. “We want it to be a position people want to go into as opposed to one that puts you in poverty,” said Cheryl Horney, who oversees the Early Learning Program that employs apprentices at Wu Yee Children’s Services in San Francisco, including the site where Aguilar works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar, 32, is paid to work 20 hours a week at the Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center, tucked inside a Y in a residential neighborhood a little under a mile from San Francisco Bay. She works alongside a mentor teacher who supports and coaches her. The apprenticeship covers the online classes, designed just for her and other apprentices and taught live from City College of San Francisco, that Aguilar takes a few nights a week. She was given all the tools needed for her courses, including a laptop, which she also uses for homework and discussions with other apprentices outside of class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66006\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66006\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids work with teachers at tables\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-7-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Early educator apprentice Mayra Aguilar, right, and her mentor teacher Jetoria Washington supervise children during outdoor play at the Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>After high school, Aguilar had tried college, a medical assistant program that she quit after a few months. That was more than 10 years ago. She hadn’t touched a computer in all that time. When she was enrolling her youngest daughter at another Wu Yee location, Aguilar saw a flyer about the apprenticeship program and applied. She said is finding this work to be a far better fit: “This — I think I can do it. This, I like it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The need for more early educators is longstanding, and in recent years there’s been a push for early educators to get postsecondary training, both \u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.4073/csr.2017.1\">to support young children’s development\u003c/a> and so the roles command higher salaries. For example, a 2007 change in federal law required at least half of teachers working in Head Start to have bachelor’s degrees in early childhood education by 2013, \u003ca href=\"https://www.newamerica.org/early-elementary-education/early-ed-watch/head-start-exceeds-requirement-that-half-of-teachers-earn-ba-in-early-childhood/\">a goal the program met\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite efforts to professionalize the workforce, salaries for those who work with young children remain low: \u003ca href=\"https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/the-early-educator-workforce/early-educator-pay-economic-insecurity-across-the-states/\">87 percent of U.S. jobs pay more\u003c/a> than a preschool teacher earns on average; 98 percent pay more than what early child care workers earn. In 2022, Head Start lead teachers \u003ca href=\"https://nieer.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/hs_fullreport.pdf#page=27\">earned $37,685 a year\u003c/a> on average.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apprenticeships are seen as one way to disrupt that stubborn reality. Would-be teachers are paid while being trained for a range of positions – from entry-level roles that require a small number of college credits or training, to jobs such as running a child care center that require degrees and come with more responsibility and even higher pay. According to a June 2023 report from the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank, \u003ca href=\"https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/BPC_WOIA_Apprenticeship_Report_RV2.pdf#page=9\">35 states\u003c/a> have some kind of early childhood educator apprenticeship program at the city, regional or state level, and more states are developing their own programs. U.S. Department of Labor data shows that more than 1,000 early educator apprentices have completed their programs since the 2021 fiscal year. Early Care & Educator Pathways to Success, which has received Labor Department grants to help set up apprenticeship programs, estimates the numbers are far larger given its work has cultivated hundreds of apprentices in 21 states, including Alaska, California, Connecticut and Nebraska.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These programs can be complicated to launch, however. They sometimes require painstaking work to find colleges that will provide coursework specific to local regulations and at hours that work for apprentices who may be in classrooms much of the workday as well as tending to their own children. They require money to pay the apprentices — on top of whatever it already costs to run child care centers and pay existing staff. The apprentices also typically need other layers of support: coaching, computers, sometimes child care and even meals for apprentices’ own kids as they study and take exams.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66004\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66004\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids working with art supplies at a table\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children color and glue paper clothes on paper people during a classroom activity at the YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center in Richmond, Calif., a Head Start center that provides free child care. They had just read “Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?” \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, Horney advocated for her employer to set up an apprenticeship program for staffers at its 12 Head Start centers even before the tax money became available. She recalled losing teachers to chain retailers like Costco and Walgreens where they found less stressful jobs with more generous benefits. When she arrived in San Francisco to work in the classroom, with five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree, she was paid $15 an hour. “Now the lowest salary we pay is $28.67 for any sort of educator,” she said, and the wages and apprenticeships are even drawing people from other counties and stabilizing the San Francisco early educator workforce. “It has helped immensely.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other parts of the country have seen success with similar initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The YWCA Metro St. Louis in Missouri, which hasn’t had a single teacher vacancy at the child care centers it oversees for the last two years, credits its apprenticeship program. In Guilford County, North Carolina, vacancies and staff turnover were a plague until recently, but an apprenticeship program for entry-level early educators has kept new teachers on the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elsewhere, there is hope for those kinds of results. In the Oklahoma City area, an apprenticeship program started in 2023 just yielded its first graduate, who worked in a child care center for two years and completed a 288-hour training program. Curtiss Mays, who created the program for teachers at the group of Head Start centers he oversees, was in the midst of trying to hire 11 educators just as the first apprentice earned a credential that allows her to back up other teachers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a pretty major project,” Mays said. “We hope it’s the start of something really good.” Mays worked with the Oklahoma Department of Labor to set up the apprenticeship program, which he said has already pulled one person out of homelessness and is helping to lure more aspiring teachers. It will pay for education all the way through a bachelor’s degree if apprentices stick with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Apprenticeship programs can be costly to run, but \u003ca href=\"https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-young-casey-capito-reintroduce-bill-to-support-child-care-workforce/\">bipartisan federal legislation\u003c/a> to support them has never gained traction. (Advocates note that \u003ca href=\"https://www.first5alameda.org/wp-content/uploads/Measure-C-5-Year-Plan-June-2025.pdf\">apprenticeships can cost far less\u003c/a> than a traditional four-year college degree.) Labor Department money for organizations that help set up and grow early childhood educator apprenticeships helped increase the number of apprentices in so-called \u003ca href=\"https://www.apprenticeship.gov/employers/registered-apprenticeship-program\">registered apprenticeship programs\u003c/a> — ones that are proven and validated by the federal agency. But some of those grants \u003ca href=\"https://www.k12dive.com/news/staffed-up-federal-support-waning-for-registered-teacher-apprenticeships/748913/\">were axed\u003c/a> by the Trump administration in May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, while setting up apprenticeships was as labor intensive as in many other places, the 2018 real estate tax provides a new, and deep, well of money to propel the early educator apprentice effort. The money pays for all of the things that are letting Aguilar and dozens of others in the county earn at least 12 college credits this year. In two semesters, Aguilar will have the credentials to be an associate teacher in any early education program in California. Other apprentices across San Francisco, in Head Start centers, family-owned child care programs, even some religious providers, can work toward associate or bachelor’s degrees using the new tax revenue to pay for it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66005\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66005\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Kids play at a playground\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children play at the playground of the YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center in Richmond, Calif. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Long before the ballot measure across the bay in San Francisco, Pamm Shaw dreamed up the forerunner of an early educator apprenticeship program in a moment of desperation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was over a decade ago, and Shaw, who was then working at the YMCA East Bay overseeing a collection of Head Start centers, said her agency was awarded a grant to add spaces for about 100 additional infants. Except her existing staff didn’t want to work with children younger than 3. So Shaw sent notices to the roughly 1,000 families with children enrolled in YMCA East Bay Head Start programs at the time and convinced about 20 people, largely parents of children enrolled in Head Start, to consider the role. She pulled together the training that would qualify the parents to become early educators — 12 college credits in six months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The education piece, Shaw realized, was a huge draw. Some of the parents had spent 10 years working toward associate degrees on their own without getting them. Giving them the chance to earn those degrees in manageable chunks — while getting paid and receiving raises relatively quickly as their education advanced — proved a powerful recruitment tool. “It changed their lives,” Shaw said. And these new teachers had their eyes opened to how what they would be doing wasn’t just babysitting. They took away lessons they used with their own children — who in turn took notice of their parents studying. “It’s actually child care,” said Shaw. “So much happens in the first year of life that you never get to see again. Never, ever, ever.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It changed Shaw’s life, too, and inspired many other apprenticeship programs all over. Her role morphed into fundraising to build out the apprenticeship pipeline. The program, now baked into the YMCA of the East Bay system, reflected the overall early educator workforce: It was made up entirely of women, mostly women of color, some of them immigrants and many first-generation college students. By the time Shaw retired a few years ago, more than 500 people in the Berkeley area had completed the educator apprenticeship program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66003\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66003\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Teacher reads to kids\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-4-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Erica Davis, an early educator apprentice who works at the YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center in Richmond, Calif., reads a book to 2- and 3-year-olds during circle time. She will earn her bachelor’s degree from Cal State East Bay this spring. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Erica Davis, a single mom, is a success story of the program. When she met Shaw, Davis said, she was relying on public assistance and jobs caring for other people’s children, while taking care of a daughter with significant medical needs, as well as her toddler-age son. Davis was at a Head Start dropping off paperwork for the family of a child in her care when an employee told Davis her young son might be eligible for Head Start too. He was, and as Davis enrolled him, she learned about Shaw’s apprenticeship program. Davis missed the first window to apply, but as she put it, “I was blowing their phone up. I needed to get in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That was 2020. By this spring, Davis will have earned her bachelor’s degree from Cal State East Bay. She works full-time at a Richmond, California, Head Start center while taking classes and supporting her kids, now in high school and elementary school. She can afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment, owns a car and no longer relies on state or federal assistance to pay bills. She’s on the dean’s list, and, she said proudly, she can squat 205.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I didn’t take my education seriously,” Davis, 41, said of her younger self. “I feel like I’m playing catch-up now.” She is in her element at YMCA of the East Bay Richmond Parkway Early Learning Center, reading to children, working on potty training and leading the kids through coloring-and-pasting exercises. She has even become an informal coach for newer apprentices. The network and family feel of these apprenticeships is some of what helps many succeed, she said. “I have a sad story, but it turned into something beautiful.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Davis said she prefers the flexibility of taking classes at her own pace, other apprentices thrive in the kind of classes Aguilar attends, with a live instructor who starts off leading students in a mindfulness exercise. That is the same approach to teaching apprentices at EDvance College in San Francisco, which works exclusively with early childhood apprentices, according to its president and CEO, Lygia Stebbing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The college provides general education classes in reading, math and science for apprentices pursuing degrees, taught through an early childhood lens so it feels approachable and relevant. And every lesson can be applied nearly in real time, unlike other paths to degrees, in which in-person teaching experience comes only after many classes, Stebbing said. Before beginning classes, apprentices get a crash course in using technology, from distinguishing between a tablet and a laptop to using Google docs and Zoom, “so they can jump right into things,” she said. A writing coach and other student support staff are available in the evenings, when apprentices are taking courses or doing homework. Because many of the apprentices are older than typical college students and may even have used up their federal Pell Grants and other financial aid taking courses without earning a degree, the college works with foundations and local government agencies to offset the cost of courses so graduates don’t end up in debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve really put the student at the center,” Stebbing said.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66002\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66002\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Two teachers\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/12/EC-Child-Care-Apprentices-3-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Early educator apprentice Mayra Aguilar, left, and her mentor teacher Jetoria Washington at Wu Yee Children’s Services’ Bayview Early Learning Center. Aguilar works 20 hours a week while earning the credentials she needs to get a full-time teaching role. \u003ccite>(Emmanuel Guillén Lozano for The Hechinger Report )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Mayra Aguilar, her mentor teacher Jetoria Washington is a lifeline who can help her unstick an issue with any aspect of the apprenticeship — in the classes she takes or the classroom where she works. Taking courses online means she can be home with her own kids in the evenings. Earning money for the hours she spends in the classroom means she is not going into debt to earn the credential she needs to find a full-time job. The constellation of support has helped her shift from feeling in over her head to feeling ready to keep working toward a college degree.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she is having fun. On the playground, one of the kids had the idea to trace another with sidewalk chalk, working on their pencil grip as much as they were playing. Except it wasn’t just the other kids: They traced Aguilar, too. When it was time to go back inside, powdery green and pink lines crisscrossed the back of her brown pants and black blouse. She wasn’t bothered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I love the kids,” she said. “They always make me laugh.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aguilar has even picked up skills that she uses with her own children, something many apprentices describe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, she sometimes says to her youngest daughter, “Catch a bubble.” That’s preschool speak for “Be quiet.” When a teacher needs the toddlers’ attention, kids hear this phrase, then fill their cheeks with air.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most of the time, at home and at work, a brief silence follows. Then the kids look up, ready to hear what comes next.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/nirvi-shah/\">\u003cem>Nirvi Shah\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at \u003c/em>\u003cem>212-678-3445, on Signal at NirviShah.14\u003c/em>\u003cem> or \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:shah@hechingerreport.org\">\u003cem>shah@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Reporting on this story was supported by the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://citizensandscholars.org/fellowships/higher-ed-media-fellowship/\">\u003cem>Higher Ed Media Fellowship\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/one-city-finding-early-educators/\">\u003cem>preschool teachers\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>The Hechinger Report\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>the Hechinger newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Last Wednesday was a big day for the Sussman and Frankel family. It was the first day of school at California Creative Academy, a charter school in Los Angeles where 5-year-old Eli is newly enrolled in kindergarten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were super freaked out,” Mollie Sussman told NPR, referring to herself and her husband, Brad Frankel. “We were really scared and [Eli] was pretty scared” leading up to the milestone, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among her fears was that Eli, an only child, might feel overwhelmed by the transition from a small preschool to a new elementary school with kids up to the eighth grade. She worried that he might cry, that he might have a meltdown, or that he wouldn’t handle the structure of a kindergarten day with no naps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after participating in a class activity, where they traced outlines of one another’s hands, Sussman and her husband eased out of the classroom with no issues. “He was ready when we left. He did really well and he was super brave.” In fact, she said laughing, the only one in their three-member family who shed a tear that day was her husband.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sussman and Frankel are not alone in their anxiety. Eli is one of more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3.6 million children born in 2020\u003c/a> amid the COVID-19 pandemic who are walking into elementary schools across the country this fall. They’re children who came into a world full of masked adults dousing themselves in hand sanitizer. Many spent the first year of their lives either in isolation in lockdowns or with only a handful of trusted people in their bubbles. And the long-term impact on these “COVID kindergartners” remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4800x2860+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2F9c%2Fc7bce52b46e880ddd95664a108f4%2Fgettyimages-1211233711.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stops to view a public art installation aimed at turning boarded-up shopfronts into works of art in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020.\">\u003cfigcaption>A woman stops to view a public art installation aimed at turning boarded-up shopfronts into works of art in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020. \u003ccite> (Frederic J. Brown | AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Research shows that \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2812812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">early childhood experiences can have lasting effects\u003c/a> on development and growth, according to a 2023 study published in the \u003cem>Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatrics)\u003c/em>. While nurturing experiences can increase cognitive capabilities and academic achievement, early life disadvantages can lead to a persistent deficit in skills to manage adversity, stress and self-esteem. It follows then, that parents, experts and educators are hypervigilant, tracking how the hardships of the pandemic may manifest in this generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just being in utero during a highly stressful time had some developmental effects on infants,” Dani Dumitriu, a pediatrician and neuroscientist at Columbia University and chair of an ongoing study on pandemic newborns, told NPR. “They weren’t large effects but that was a very worrisome sign given that so many women gave birth during that period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dumitriu’s research, \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2787479\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published in 2022\u003c/a>, found that 6-month-old infants born during the early months of the pandemic had slightly lower scores on a screening of their gross motor, fine motor and personal social skills, compared with a historical cohort of infants born before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking about things like baby being able to sit up, baby being able to reach for things, maybe engaging in a face-to-face interaction, very basic things,” she said, explaining that mothers filled out a standard developmental \u003ca href=\"https://agesandstages.com/products-pricing/asq3/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">questionnaire\u003c/a> providing the data for the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Dumitriu said, as they’ve continued to track these children and expanded the study to include more kids born pre-pandemic, they have found that the COVID babies quickly caught up. “The good news is that it looks like that trend really is restricted to the early pandemic phase of 2020 and did not continue past that year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A child’s brain is extraordinarily plastic or malleable,” she said. “One of the important things about child development is that what happens at 6 months is not predictive of what happens at 24 months and it’s not predictive of what happens at 5 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Eli’s journey\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Sussman said these findings parallel her family’s experience. As working parents, Sussman and her husband enrolled Eli in day care at 11 months. He’s since been enrolled in nursery school and pre-K. He seemed to be meeting all of the established metrics, but at about 2 years old, Sussman realized Eli wasn’t speaking at the level that her mommy apps told her he should be. “There were for sure a number of words you should know by a certain time and he didn’t know them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.epicresearch.org/articles/childhood-speech-development-delays-increasing-since-the-start-of-the-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2023 study\u003c/a> published in \u003cem>Epic Research\u003c/em> found that children who turned 2 between October and December 2021 were about 32% more likely to have a speech delay diagnosis than those who turned 2 in 2018. That rate increased dramatically, up to nearly 88%, for children who turned 2 between January and March 2023. Overall, the speech delay diagnoses increased from an average of 9% of children in 2018 to nearly 17% in the first quarter of 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4873x3299+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2c%2Fa0%2F719c556945c486c1f0234ec68556%2Fgettyimages-1275890753.jpg\" alt=\"Masked schoolchildren wait to have their portraits taken for picture day in September 2020 at Rogers International School in Stamford, Conn.\">\u003cfigcaption>Masked schoolchildren wait to have their portraits taken for picture day in September 2020 at Rogers International School in Stamford, Conn. \u003ccite> (John Moore | Getty Images North America)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sussman immediately sought help and enrolled Eli in speech therapy, where she was relieved to hear that this was a common issue. “The speech therapist said that they had seen an increase in the number of kids coming to speech therapy. Likely because of the lack of exposure to mouths and facial expressions, because it’s a big part of how you learn to talk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time Eli turned 3 “he was so much more verbal and really in a great place,” Sussman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pandemic behaviors and habits that can spell trouble for kindergartners\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Other effects of the pandemic and subsequent social-distancing practices have led to lingering, potentially detrimental behaviors in children, which can show up in kindergarten or much later, according to Dumitriu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the most important is parental stress, Dumitriu said. “Many studies around the world show there’s a very well-described intergenerational effect of maternal stress during pregnancy on the developing child,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children also \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Young%20children%E2%80%99s%20screen%20time%20during%20the%20first%20COVID-19%20lockdown%20in%2012%20countries.&author=C%20Bergmann&author=N%20Dimitrova&author=K%20Alaslani&publication_year=2022&journal=Sci%20Rep&volume=12&pages=2015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spent more time on screens\u003c/a> during lockdown than they did in a pre-pandemic world and that can make them less ready for school, according to a study published in the journal \u003cem>Nature\u003c/em>. Michelle Yang, a resident physician with Children’s Hospital of Orange County who studied screen time use in kids, said there are many dangers associated with television electronic devices for children ages 2 to 5 years. “Exposing children at this age to two to three hours of screen time showed increased likelihood of behavioral problems, poor vocabulary, and delayed milestones. This is especially true for children with special needs,” she wrote in an \u003ca href=\"https://health.choc.org/the-effects-of-screen-time-on-children-the-latest-research-parents-should-know/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article\u003c/a> providing guidelines for parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School attendance and preschool enrollment levels have also suffered since the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/chronic-absenteeism#:~:text=The%20Department%20is%20using%20every%20tool%20in,suggests%20that%20children%20who%20are%20chronically%20absent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most recent study\u003c/a> on attendance found that the rate of chronic absenteeism — which is when students miss 10% or more of school — averaged 28% across the country during the 2022-2023 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results of the changes in behavior and habits are reflected in test scores, Kristen Huff, head of measurement at Curriculum Associates, a company that provides national grade level testing, told NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since school returned after the pandemic, even students who were not in school because they were too young to be in kindergarten during the [lockdowns] are coming into kindergarten behind or less prepared rather than their pre-pandemic peers,” Huff said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the company’s \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.bfldr.com/LS6J0F7/at/j37vw8rh26mgjtr6sk47pq3r/ca-sosl-executive-summary-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2025 State of Student Learning report\u003c/a>, the percentage of 5-year-olds who are arriving kindergarten-ready in reading has declined by 8 points since 2019 — from 89% to 81%. The declines are even greater in math. Only 70% of kindergarten students are testing at expected grade level, compared to the 2019 cohort, which was at 84% in 2019. The disparities are deeper still when broken out by race and income. Since 2023, majority Black and majority Hispanic schools continue to show a steady increase in test scores across most grades, but their test scores remain well below their white counterparts. The same is true for students whose families live on incomes below $50,000 per year versus those living above $75,000 annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news, Huff said, is that students are making strides. But while they’re growing at comparable rates to pre-pandemic, the improvement is not enough to make up for the academic ground that has been lost, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is why we need to focus on that acceleration in the rate at which they’re learning,” Huff said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Dumitriu, Huff focuses on the malleability of children’s brains as well as the expertise of educators. They just need the right resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know what works,” she said. “We know what is needed in classrooms, in schools and for students and to support teachers. And when those things are in place, these schools — even when they’re in low-income communities — can buck the trend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LEILA FADEL, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millions of children born during the COVID pandemic start kindergarten this year. NPR’s Vanessa Romo went to find out – are the nation’s 5-year-olds ready for school?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VANESSA ROMO, BYLINE: Last Wednesday was a big day for the Sussman and Frankel family. It was 5-year-old Eli Frankel’s first day of school at California Creative Academy, a charter school in Los Angeles. Mollie Sussman, his mom, told me about the day sitting at her kitchen table while the Hot Wheels-obsessed boy played next to us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MOLLIE SUSSMAN: As parents, every single milestone you go through feels like the biggest deal when you’re in it. And then afterwards, you’re like, oh, like, we got through it. It’s totally fine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among her fears was that Eli might feel overwhelmed by the transition from a small preschool to a bigger school. She worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle the structure or just cry. But to her surprise, only her husband teared up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ELI FRANKEL: I was playing a monster truck race (ph).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: And who’s winning?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: The Sussman and Frankels are not alone in their anxiety. Three-point-six million children were born in 2020 as the coronavirus ushered in one of the most extraordinary periods in modern history. And scientists are still trying to figure out how this generation may be different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DANI DUMITRIU: First of all, I’d say we’re way too early, right? Like, trying to say something about 5-year-olds right now is scientifically impossible because science lags by at least a couple years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: That’s Dani Dumitriu at Columbia University. She’s the co-chair of an ongoing study on pandemic newborns. One of their first findings, published in 2023, was that 6-month-old infants born during the early months of the pandemic showed slight developmental delays in their motor skills. That was particularly troubling, Dumitriu said, because there’s ample research showing that early childhood experiences can have lasting effects on development and growth. But the good news is that those infants quickly caught up, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DUMITRIU: The early child brain is extraordinarily malleable, and any measure that we use in that very early phase is not really predictive. It’s just an indicator of that child in that moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: Kristen Huff has been tracking the academic growth of K-through-12 kids since before the pandemic. Huff is head of measurement at Curriculum Associates, which provides national-grade-level testing. Their latest study, which covers the 2023-24 school year, found that…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KRISTEN HUFF: Even students who were not in school because they were too young to be in kindergarten during the pandemic are coming into kindergarten less prepared than their pre-pandemic peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: According to the report, just 81% of 5-year-olds are arriving kindergarten-ready in reading. That’s down from 89% in 2019. And scores dropped 14 points in math. Still, Huff is optimistic about the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HUFF: We know what is needed in classrooms and schools and to support teachers. And when those things are in place, these schools, they can buck the trend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: That’s just going to take a lot of commitment from the grown-ups, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vanessa Romo, NPR News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF DJ SHADOW, ET AL.’S “SCARS”)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last Wednesday was a big day for the Sussman and Frankel family. It was the first day of school at California Creative Academy, a charter school in Los Angeles where 5-year-old Eli is newly enrolled in kindergarten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were super freaked out,” Mollie Sussman told NPR, referring to herself and her husband, Brad Frankel. “We were really scared and [Eli] was pretty scared” leading up to the milestone, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among her fears was that Eli, an only child, might feel overwhelmed by the transition from a small preschool to a new elementary school with kids up to the eighth grade. She worried that he might cry, that he might have a meltdown, or that he wouldn’t handle the structure of a kindergarten day with no naps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But after participating in a class activity, where they traced outlines of one another’s hands, Sussman and her husband eased out of the classroom with no issues. “He was ready when we left. He did really well and he was super brave.” In fact, she said laughing, the only one in their three-member family who shed a tear that day was her husband.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sussman and Frankel are not alone in their anxiety. Eli is one of more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3.6 million children born in 2020\u003c/a> amid the COVID-19 pandemic who are walking into elementary schools across the country this fall. They’re children who came into a world full of masked adults dousing themselves in hand sanitizer. Many spent the first year of their lives either in isolation in lockdowns or with only a handful of trusted people in their bubbles. And the long-term impact on these “COVID kindergartners” remains unclear.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4800x2860+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2F9c%2Fc7bce52b46e880ddd95664a108f4%2Fgettyimages-1211233711.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stops to view a public art installation aimed at turning boarded-up shopfronts into works of art in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020.\">\u003cfigcaption>A woman stops to view a public art installation aimed at turning boarded-up shopfronts into works of art in Los Angeles on April 28, 2020. \u003ccite> (Frederic J. Brown | AFP via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Research shows that \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2812812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">early childhood experiences can have lasting effects\u003c/a> on development and growth, according to a 2023 study published in the \u003cem>Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatrics)\u003c/em>. While nurturing experiences can increase cognitive capabilities and academic achievement, early life disadvantages can lead to a persistent deficit in skills to manage adversity, stress and self-esteem. It follows then, that parents, experts and educators are hypervigilant, tracking how the hardships of the pandemic may manifest in this generation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Just being in utero during a highly stressful time had some developmental effects on infants,” Dani Dumitriu, a pediatrician and neuroscientist at Columbia University and chair of an ongoing study on pandemic newborns, told NPR. “They weren’t large effects but that was a very worrisome sign given that so many women gave birth during that period.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dumitriu’s research, \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2787479\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">published in 2022\u003c/a>, found that 6-month-old infants born during the early months of the pandemic had slightly lower scores on a screening of their gross motor, fine motor and personal social skills, compared with a historical cohort of infants born before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re talking about things like baby being able to sit up, baby being able to reach for things, maybe engaging in a face-to-face interaction, very basic things,” she said, explaining that mothers filled out a standard developmental \u003ca href=\"https://agesandstages.com/products-pricing/asq3/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">questionnaire\u003c/a> providing the data for the study.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, Dumitriu said, as they’ve continued to track these children and expanded the study to include more kids born pre-pandemic, they have found that the COVID babies quickly caught up. “The good news is that it looks like that trend really is restricted to the early pandemic phase of 2020 and did not continue past that year.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A child’s brain is extraordinarily plastic or malleable,” she said. “One of the important things about child development is that what happens at 6 months is not predictive of what happens at 24 months and it’s not predictive of what happens at 5 years.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Eli’s journey\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Sussman said these findings parallel her family’s experience. As working parents, Sussman and her husband enrolled Eli in day care at 11 months. He’s since been enrolled in nursery school and pre-K. He seemed to be meeting all of the established metrics, but at about 2 years old, Sussman realized Eli wasn’t speaking at the level that her mommy apps told her he should be. “There were for sure a number of words you should know by a certain time and he didn’t know them,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://www.epicresearch.org/articles/childhood-speech-development-delays-increasing-since-the-start-of-the-pandemic\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2023 study\u003c/a> published in \u003cem>Epic Research\u003c/em> found that children who turned 2 between October and December 2021 were about 32% more likely to have a speech delay diagnosis than those who turned 2 in 2018. That rate increased dramatically, up to nearly 88%, for children who turned 2 between January and March 2023. Overall, the speech delay diagnoses increased from an average of 9% of children in 2018 to nearly 17% in the first quarter of 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4873x3299+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2c%2Fa0%2F719c556945c486c1f0234ec68556%2Fgettyimages-1275890753.jpg\" alt=\"Masked schoolchildren wait to have their portraits taken for picture day in September 2020 at Rogers International School in Stamford, Conn.\">\u003cfigcaption>Masked schoolchildren wait to have their portraits taken for picture day in September 2020 at Rogers International School in Stamford, Conn. \u003ccite> (John Moore | Getty Images North America)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sussman immediately sought help and enrolled Eli in speech therapy, where she was relieved to hear that this was a common issue. “The speech therapist said that they had seen an increase in the number of kids coming to speech therapy. Likely because of the lack of exposure to mouths and facial expressions, because it’s a big part of how you learn to talk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By the time Eli turned 3 “he was so much more verbal and really in a great place,” Sussman said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pandemic behaviors and habits that can spell trouble for kindergartners\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Other effects of the pandemic and subsequent social-distancing practices have led to lingering, potentially detrimental behaviors in children, which can show up in kindergarten or much later, according to Dumitriu.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the most important is parental stress, Dumitriu said. “Many studies around the world show there’s a very well-described intergenerational effect of maternal stress during pregnancy on the developing child,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children also \u003ca href=\"https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Young%20children%E2%80%99s%20screen%20time%20during%20the%20first%20COVID-19%20lockdown%20in%2012%20countries.&author=C%20Bergmann&author=N%20Dimitrova&author=K%20Alaslani&publication_year=2022&journal=Sci%20Rep&volume=12&pages=2015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spent more time on screens\u003c/a> during lockdown than they did in a pre-pandemic world and that can make them less ready for school, according to a study published in the journal \u003cem>Nature\u003c/em>. Michelle Yang, a resident physician with Children’s Hospital of Orange County who studied screen time use in kids, said there are many dangers associated with television electronic devices for children ages 2 to 5 years. “Exposing children at this age to two to three hours of screen time showed increased likelihood of behavioral problems, poor vocabulary, and delayed milestones. This is especially true for children with special needs,” she wrote in an \u003ca href=\"https://health.choc.org/the-effects-of-screen-time-on-children-the-latest-research-parents-should-know/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">article\u003c/a> providing guidelines for parents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>School attendance and preschool enrollment levels have also suffered since the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/chronic-absenteeism#:~:text=The%20Department%20is%20using%20every%20tool%20in,suggests%20that%20children%20who%20are%20chronically%20absent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">most recent study\u003c/a> on attendance found that the rate of chronic absenteeism — which is when students miss 10% or more of school — averaged 28% across the country during the 2022-2023 school year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results of the changes in behavior and habits are reflected in test scores, Kristen Huff, head of measurement at Curriculum Associates, a company that provides national grade level testing, told NPR.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Since school returned after the pandemic, even students who were not in school because they were too young to be in kindergarten during the [lockdowns] are coming into kindergarten behind or less prepared rather than their pre-pandemic peers,” Huff said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the company’s \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.bfldr.com/LS6J0F7/at/j37vw8rh26mgjtr6sk47pq3r/ca-sosl-executive-summary-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2025 State of Student Learning report\u003c/a>, the percentage of 5-year-olds who are arriving kindergarten-ready in reading has declined by 8 points since 2019 — from 89% to 81%. The declines are even greater in math. Only 70% of kindergarten students are testing at expected grade level, compared to the 2019 cohort, which was at 84% in 2019. The disparities are deeper still when broken out by race and income. Since 2023, majority Black and majority Hispanic schools continue to show a steady increase in test scores across most grades, but their test scores remain well below their white counterparts. The same is true for students whose families live on incomes below $50,000 per year versus those living above $75,000 annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The good news, Huff said, is that students are making strides. But while they’re growing at comparable rates to pre-pandemic, the improvement is not enough to make up for the academic ground that has been lost, she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That is why we need to focus on that acceleration in the rate at which they’re learning,” Huff said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Dumitriu, Huff focuses on the malleability of children’s brains as well as the expertise of educators. They just need the right resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We know what works,” she said. “We know what is needed in classrooms, in schools and for students and to support teachers. And when those things are in place, these schools — even when they’re in low-income communities — can buck the trend.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>LEILA FADEL, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Millions of children born during the COVID pandemic start kindergarten this year. NPR’s Vanessa Romo went to find out – are the nation’s 5-year-olds ready for school?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VANESSA ROMO, BYLINE: Last Wednesday was a big day for the Sussman and Frankel family. It was 5-year-old Eli Frankel’s first day of school at California Creative Academy, a charter school in Los Angeles. Mollie Sussman, his mom, told me about the day sitting at her kitchen table while the Hot Wheels-obsessed boy played next to us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MOLLIE SUSSMAN: As parents, every single milestone you go through feels like the biggest deal when you’re in it. And then afterwards, you’re like, oh, like, we got through it. It’s totally fine.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: Yeah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among her fears was that Eli might feel overwhelmed by the transition from a small preschool to a bigger school. She worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle the structure or just cry. But to her surprise, only her husband teared up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ELI FRANKEL: I was playing a monster truck race (ph).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: And who’s winning?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: The Sussman and Frankels are not alone in their anxiety. Three-point-six million children were born in 2020 as the coronavirus ushered in one of the most extraordinary periods in modern history. And scientists are still trying to figure out how this generation may be different.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DANI DUMITRIU: First of all, I’d say we’re way too early, right? Like, trying to say something about 5-year-olds right now is scientifically impossible because science lags by at least a couple years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: That’s Dani Dumitriu at Columbia University. She’s the co-chair of an ongoing study on pandemic newborns. One of their first findings, published in 2023, was that 6-month-old infants born during the early months of the pandemic showed slight developmental delays in their motor skills. That was particularly troubling, Dumitriu said, because there’s ample research showing that early childhood experiences can have lasting effects on development and growth. But the good news is that those infants quickly caught up, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DUMITRIU: The early child brain is extraordinarily malleable, and any measure that we use in that very early phase is not really predictive. It’s just an indicator of that child in that moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: Kristen Huff has been tracking the academic growth of K-through-12 kids since before the pandemic. Huff is head of measurement at Curriculum Associates, which provides national-grade-level testing. Their latest study, which covers the 2023-24 school year, found that…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KRISTEN HUFF: Even students who were not in school because they were too young to be in kindergarten during the pandemic are coming into kindergarten less prepared than their pre-pandemic peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: According to the report, just 81% of 5-year-olds are arriving kindergarten-ready in reading. That’s down from 89% in 2019. And scores dropped 14 points in math. Still, Huff is optimistic about the future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>HUFF: We know what is needed in classrooms and schools and to support teachers. And when those things are in place, these schools, they can buck the trend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ROMO: That’s just going to take a lot of commitment from the grown-ups, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vanessa Romo, NPR News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF DJ SHADOW, ET AL.’S “SCARS”)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about talking to kids was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cem>The Hechinger Report\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, with support from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://spencerfellows.org\">\u003cem>Spencer Fellowship\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at Columbia Journalism School. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>the Early Childhood newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When Rickeyda Carter started teaching young children, she led story time the way she remembers being taught as a child. That meant children were expected to sit, listen — and remain silent. “When the teacher is reading, you don’t talk,” Carter recalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter didn’t think anything of this approach for nearly a decade, until the program where she was employed, New Rising Star Early Childhood Development Center, opted to participate in an initiative aimed at improving the interactions between teachers and children in their care. For 10 weeks, the 3- and 4-year-olds in Carter’s classroom donned miniature vests with “talk pedometers” nestled inside, meant to track how often children and their teachers converse. Carter received weekly coaching and data on how much, when and with whom she was talking in her classroom. As she learned about the science behind why those conversations are so important, Carter realized she wanted to change things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter started talking more with the children, especially during meal times and after they woke up from naps, times when the pedometers showed she wasn’t interacting with them as much. She prioritized connecting more with children getting the least attention. She revamped story time to make it more interactive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m learning that it’s OK for them to interrupt in the middle of a story and ask questions,” she said. Those changes made a difference. Children quickly became more engaged in activities and seemed to learn more, Carter said, especially when it came to literacy and reading comprehension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For child care programs, the strength and frequency of these myriad interactions between a caregiver and a child are central to quality. Babies need stimulation from a caregiver who talks frequently and responds to their sounds and cues. Older children, experts say, need thoughtful questioning and responses that help develop critical thinking skills and vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65269\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65269\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Teacher and child sitting at a table in a classroom\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1904\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-800x595.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-1020x758.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-768x571.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-1536x1142.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-2048x1523.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-1920x1428.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayla McCombs, a teacher at Hand in Hand Early Learning Program in southwest Birmingham, spends one-on-one time with a student. McCombs and her co-teacher say data on their interactions helped them hone in on children who weren’t getting as much attention during the day. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A growing number of cities, states and individual programs, including \u003ca href=\"https://info.lena.org/what-the-texas-rising-star-qris-can-tell-us-about-quality-child-care-interactions\">Texas\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-10-15/vdoe-daycare-preschool-quality-measurement-program-jenna-conway\">Virginia\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mississippifirst.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/74/2022/12/qss-full-report-11.1.22-1-1-1.pdf\">Mississippi\u003c/a> and Washington, \u003ca href=\"https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/relationships-matter-how-states-can-include-teacher-child-interactions-ece-and-essa-plans/\">D.C.\u003c/a>, are pouring resources into training teachers and evaluating programs on how warm and responsive teachers are, including how tuned-in they are to the children’s needs. The trend crosses traditional political divides. Cities including Providence, Rhode Island; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Birmingham, Alabama, have funneled money into the program used in Carter’s class, created by the nonprofit LENA, which focuses on improving early talk and responsive relationships among caregivers. Large child care chains like KinderCare have revamped their teacher training programs to add a greater emphasis on teacher-child interactions. And one state, \u003ca href=\"https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/edpolicyworks/edpolicyworks-research-projects/early-childhood-projects/study-early-education-louisiana\">Louisiana\u003c/a>, has gone all in, making interactions the sole focus of how it assesses child care quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of all the things that matter in children’s experiences in a classroom, nothing is more important than the relationships and interactions that they have with the educators and other children that they spend time with,” said Bridget Hamre, a research associate professor at the University of Virginia who co-authored an early childhood classroom scoring system that rates teacher-child interactions. Other elements of quality, like teacher education and ratios, are “only important to the degree to which they change the way that teachers interact with kids,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65270\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65270\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Children napping on cots in a preschool while teacher looks on\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1929\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-800x603.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-1020x769.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-768x579.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-2048x1543.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-1920x1447.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children rest at Annie Lee’s Day Care, a home-based child care program that participated in Small Magic’s program to increase conversation between teachers and children. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The type and amount of talking and play between teachers and children is critical because the brains of infants, toddlers and preschoolers develop faster during the years in which they are in child care than at any other time in their lives. Those brains grow through a process scientists have coined \u003ca href=\"https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/serve-and-return/\">serve and return\u003c/a>, when a caregiver and a child engage in back-and-forth exchanges like a “lively game of tennis,” according to researchers at Harvard University. This banter is so powerful, it helps strengthen circuits of the brain and creates the building blocks for language, social skills and other cognitive abilities. High-quality child care with nurturing, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4694586/\">responsive interactions\u003c/a> can \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407821/\">positively impact\u003c/a> a child’s \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4694586/\">school readiness\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13158-022-00327-w\">working memory\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://fpg.unc.edu/sites/fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/journal-articles/Improving%20Teacher-Child%20Interactions.pdf\">behavior\u003c/a>, academic development, and social and emotional skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide, research has found \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9886234/#:~:text=Child%2DLevel&text=Most%20individual%20children's%20interaction%20quality,with%20the%20teacher%20on%20average.\">many caregivers\u003c/a> struggle to provide ample, responsive interactions. National data compiled by LENA, for example, found about \u003ca href=\"https://www.lena.org/qris-and-interaction/\">1 in 4 children\u003c/a> experience little attention from their caregivers, even in programs with high overall ratings on state quality scales. In infant and toddler classrooms, a third of children in the classrooms LENA has worked with experienced so few interactions per hour, they essentially spent \u003ca href=\"https://www.lena.org/classroom-language-isolation/\">the majority of their day in isolation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Birmingham, where Carter teaches, the city has invested more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.wvtm13.com/article/city-of-birmingham-designates-1-million-in-funding-to-birmingham-talks/41771054\">$1 million\u003c/a> into a nonprofit, Small Magic, which runs a program using the LENA pedometers called “Birmingham Talks.” Since 2019, the program has coached more than 400 teachers in more than 60 child care programs in the area, including center-based and home-based settings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators who have participated in the program say it’s had a deep impact. Many thought they were interacting equally with all children but realized that wasn’t true upon seeing data from the LENA devices. That’s especially the case, educators say, with children who are quieter and may not get as much attention as those who naturally speak more or who present as a behavior challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many child care providers cite the relationships with children as their favorite part of the job, but the realities of working in a child care program in America often complicate teachers’ best efforts to devote time to nurturing, one-on-one relationships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65272\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65272\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A poster suggesting teaching strategies\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1925\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-800x602.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-1020x767.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-1536x1155.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-2048x1540.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-1920x1444.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A poster on the wall at New Rising Star Early Childhood Development Center in Birmingham, Alabama, gives educators tips on conversing more with preschoolers. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Child care teachers are often responsible for large numbers of children and paid poverty-level wages. Many are grappling with \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11251369/\">more disruptive child behavior\u003c/a> than prior to the pandemic. “The reality of being an early childhood teacher right now is so incredibly stressful,” said Hamre. “It makes it hard to prioritize those kinds of interactions when … you are supporting children who are coming in with so many challenges of their own,” she added. “Stress really reduces everybody’s capacity to invest in the kinds of relationships that matter most.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many communities, the situation is getting worse, not better. As pandemic relief aid has run out, many states have turned to \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/the-dark-future-of-american-child-care/\">deregulation\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/the-dark-future-of-american-child-care/\"> efforts\u003c/a> to solve child care shortages, bringing in less-experienced workers, cutting training requirements and increasing the number of children staff can watch on their own. And while deregulation efforts are typically championed by Republicans at the state level, they’ve gotten some conservative \u003ca href=\"https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/three-principles-for-conservative-early-childhood-policy/\">pushback\u003c/a>. “There are important dimensions of early-childhood education and childcare that just can’t be deregulated away. Young children need close adult supervision,” wrote \u003ca href=\"https://www.aei.org/profile/frederick-m-hess/\">Frederick M. Hess\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.aei.org/profile/michael-q-mcshane/\">Michael Q. McShane\u003c/a> of the conservative American Enterprise Institute in a 2024 early childhood policy report. “Removing regulations can certainly help on the margins, but that requirement won’t fundamentally change unless we want AI reading stories and robots monitoring playtime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mississippi, which has one of the highest staff-to-child toddler ratios in the country, Jackson-area child care director Lesia Daniel said relationships become more challenging as the number of children increases. “Can you imagine being in a room with 12 2-year-olds who are not potty trained by yourself every day?” Daniel said. “I mean, literally all you’re doing is changing diapers and trying to keep them alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel has provided training to her staff to help them learn the nuances of how to interact most meaningfully with young children. Instead of asking a question like, “What color is your car?” Daniel said questions should nurture vocabulary development and critical thinking skills. A teacher could ask: “Who’s riding in your car? Tell me about those people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Hand in Hand Early Learning Program in southwest Birmingham, an inclusive early learning center where children with and without disabilities and developmental delays learn and play together, conversations between teachers and children are detailed and deliberate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a fall morning, as teacher Kayla McCombs helped her pre-K students get settled in various activities around the room, one of the children summoned her to the small play kitchen in the corner of the classroom. It was an opportunity to converse one-on-one, introduce the child to vocabulary and help immerse him in deeper imaginative play than he would achieve by himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What are we doing?” McCombs asked as she slid into a tiny gray chair. “Are you going to cook some food?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes,” he replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, I’m so hungry,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Me, too,” he replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, you’re going to microwave?” McCombs asked as the child carefully placed a plastic cup inside the pretend microwave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah,” he replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Is it hot?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Be careful! Don’t burn your hands,” she replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCombs and her colleagues benefit from a smaller staff to child ratio — 1-to-6 at this age, far less than the 1-to-18 set by the \u003ca href=\"https://dhr.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/No-Highlighted-MS-for-CENTERS-revised.pdf\">state\u003c/a>. On this morning, there were two teachers in the class, as well as an assistant teacher and an occupational therapist, all working with 16 students. That meant McCombs could focus on these interactions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCombs’ co-teacher, Skylar Yeager, said the data they got from wearing LENA devices revealed how some children got far less conversational time with teachers than others. Now, staff are more purposeful about prioritizing one-on-one interactions with every child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the country, states including Georgia, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nccp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-New-Approach-to-Supporting-the-Quality-of-Early-Care-and-Education-Programs-in-Arkansas_-Case-Studies-of-Array.pdf\">Arkansas\u003c/a>, Texas and Vermont are trying a wide range of ways to teach early educators about interactions and adding or expanding a\u003ca href=\"https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-10-15/vdoe-daycare-preschool-quality-measurement-program-jenna-conway\"> teacher-child interaction\u003c/a> component on state child care quality rating systems. All Our Kin, a nonprofit focused on family child care homes, sends coaches into programs in Connecticut and New York to support those providers in relationships and interactions with children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/22.1-289.05/\">Virginia\u003c/a> has taken it even further. In 2020, state officials enacted a law requiring any early learning program that receives public funding to participate in the state’s child care improvement system, which includes a teacher-child interaction scale. Teachers in all types of programs are now observed twice a year to see how meaningfully they talk to and play with children. The data has given program officials the ability to zero in on classrooms where children aren’t having good experiences and offer intensive counseling to those teachers, said Jenna Conway, Virginia’s deputy superintendent of early childhood care and education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been challenges with the sweeping initiative. It involves what Conway called a mindset shift for teachers, particularly those working with infants. Some teachers fear that if they encourage more conversation, they’ll have more classroom management challenges, said Jill Gilkerson, chief research and evaluation officer at LENA. “A lot of the time, child care can be focused on behavior, and trying to make sure that there’s not a lot of rambunctiousness, keeping the level of sound down,” she said. “I think a lot of teachers will associate less talk with a more controlled environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many programs also struggle with high rates of teacher turnover, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.ffyf.org/resources/2022/05/research-shows-low-pay-is-associated-with-high-early-educator-turnover-and-poor-student-outcomes/\">disrupts relationships\u003c/a> with children. New staff then need training in how to engage most effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research out of Louisiana, the state that has done the most to prioritize interactions, provides hope that despite the challenges, that mindset shift on the part of child care teachers can improve quality. Ten years ago, under Conway’s direction, Louisiana \u003ca href=\"https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/louisianas-qris-quality/\">ditched\u003c/a> its complex quality rating system in favor of a rating scale that looked \u003ca href=\"https://policyinstitutela.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Class-Matters_Increasing-Quality-in-Louisiana-Early-Childhood-Programs_final-052218.pdf\">solely at interactions\u003c/a> between children and teachers. The state also increased the amount of money providers get when they serve children from lower-income families who pay with state subsidies and funded new educator certificate and preparation programs. In the four years following these changes, researchers found a \u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/23328584211011610\">substantial\u003c/a> improvement across child care programs in the state when it comes to such measures as the warmth and sensitivity of teachers and the language development support they provide to children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This focus on what may seem like small, insignificant interactions has continued to positively influence other aspects of child care, Conway said. “Directors and others became smarter and more strategic about who they’re hiring,” she added. That includes recruiting educators who have the right temperament for the classroom and educating new hires on what matters under the new quality scale. For infant teachers, for example, that means, “You’re gonna talk to the baby. You’re gonna talk while you’re feeding them. You’re gonna talk while you’re diapering them,” Conway said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s those little things that I think make the difference.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jackie-mader/\">\u003cem>Jackie Mader\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at (212) 678-3562 or \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:mader@hechingerreport.org\">\u003cem>mader@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about talking to kids was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cem>The Hechinger Report\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, with support from the Spencer Fellowship at Columbia Journalism School. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>the Early Childhood newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Serve and Return: How Talking with Young Children Helps Them Flourish | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about talking to kids was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cem>The Hechinger Report\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, with support from the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://spencerfellows.org\">\u003cem>Spencer Fellowship\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at Columbia Journalism School. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>the Early Childhood newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — When Rickeyda Carter started teaching young children, she led story time the way she remembers being taught as a child. That meant children were expected to sit, listen — and remain silent. “When the teacher is reading, you don’t talk,” Carter recalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter didn’t think anything of this approach for nearly a decade, until the program where she was employed, New Rising Star Early Childhood Development Center, opted to participate in an initiative aimed at improving the interactions between teachers and children in their care. For 10 weeks, the 3- and 4-year-olds in Carter’s classroom donned miniature vests with “talk pedometers” nestled inside, meant to track how often children and their teachers converse. Carter received weekly coaching and data on how much, when and with whom she was talking in her classroom. As she learned about the science behind why those conversations are so important, Carter realized she wanted to change things.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carter started talking more with the children, especially during meal times and after they woke up from naps, times when the pedometers showed she wasn’t interacting with them as much. She prioritized connecting more with children getting the least attention. She revamped story time to make it more interactive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m learning that it’s OK for them to interrupt in the middle of a story and ask questions,” she said. Those changes made a difference. Children quickly became more engaged in activities and seemed to learn more, Carter said, especially when it came to literacy and reading comprehension.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For child care programs, the strength and frequency of these myriad interactions between a caregiver and a child are central to quality. Babies need stimulation from a caregiver who talks frequently and responds to their sounds and cues. Older children, experts say, need thoughtful questioning and responses that help develop critical thinking skills and vocabulary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65269\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65269\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Teacher and child sitting at a table in a classroom\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1904\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-800x595.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-1020x758.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-768x571.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-1536x1142.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-2048x1523.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions02-1920x1428.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kayla McCombs, a teacher at Hand in Hand Early Learning Program in southwest Birmingham, spends one-on-one time with a student. McCombs and her co-teacher say data on their interactions helped them hone in on children who weren’t getting as much attention during the day. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A growing number of cities, states and individual programs, including \u003ca href=\"https://info.lena.org/what-the-texas-rising-star-qris-can-tell-us-about-quality-child-care-interactions\">Texas\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-10-15/vdoe-daycare-preschool-quality-measurement-program-jenna-conway\">Virginia\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.mississippifirst.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/74/2022/12/qss-full-report-11.1.22-1-1-1.pdf\">Mississippi\u003c/a> and Washington, \u003ca href=\"https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/relationships-matter-how-states-can-include-teacher-child-interactions-ece-and-essa-plans/\">D.C.\u003c/a>, are pouring resources into training teachers and evaluating programs on how warm and responsive teachers are, including how tuned-in they are to the children’s needs. The trend crosses traditional political divides. Cities including Providence, Rhode Island; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Birmingham, Alabama, have funneled money into the program used in Carter’s class, created by the nonprofit LENA, which focuses on improving early talk and responsive relationships among caregivers. Large child care chains like KinderCare have revamped their teacher training programs to add a greater emphasis on teacher-child interactions. And one state, \u003ca href=\"https://education.virginia.edu/research-initiatives/research-centers-labs/edpolicyworks/edpolicyworks-research-projects/early-childhood-projects/study-early-education-louisiana\">Louisiana\u003c/a>, has gone all in, making interactions the sole focus of how it assesses child care quality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Of all the things that matter in children’s experiences in a classroom, nothing is more important than the relationships and interactions that they have with the educators and other children that they spend time with,” said Bridget Hamre, a research associate professor at the University of Virginia who co-authored an early childhood classroom scoring system that rates teacher-child interactions. Other elements of quality, like teacher education and ratios, are “only important to the degree to which they change the way that teachers interact with kids,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65270\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65270\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Children napping on cots in a preschool while teacher looks on\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1929\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-800x603.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-1020x769.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-768x579.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-2048x1543.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions03-1920x1447.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Children rest at Annie Lee’s Day Care, a home-based child care program that participated in Small Magic’s program to increase conversation between teachers and children. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The type and amount of talking and play between teachers and children is critical because the brains of infants, toddlers and preschoolers develop faster during the years in which they are in child care than at any other time in their lives. Those brains grow through a process scientists have coined \u003ca href=\"https://developingchild.harvard.edu/key-concept/serve-and-return/\">serve and return\u003c/a>, when a caregiver and a child engage in back-and-forth exchanges like a “lively game of tennis,” according to researchers at Harvard University. This banter is so powerful, it helps strengthen circuits of the brain and creates the building blocks for language, social skills and other cognitive abilities. High-quality child care with nurturing, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4694586/\">responsive interactions\u003c/a> can \u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3407821/\">positively impact\u003c/a> a child’s \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4694586/\">school readiness\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13158-022-00327-w\">working memory\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://fpg.unc.edu/sites/fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/journal-articles/Improving%20Teacher-Child%20Interactions.pdf\">behavior\u003c/a>, academic development, and social and emotional skills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nationwide, research has found \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9886234/#:~:text=Child%2DLevel&text=Most%20individual%20children's%20interaction%20quality,with%20the%20teacher%20on%20average.\">many caregivers\u003c/a> struggle to provide ample, responsive interactions. National data compiled by LENA, for example, found about \u003ca href=\"https://www.lena.org/qris-and-interaction/\">1 in 4 children\u003c/a> experience little attention from their caregivers, even in programs with high overall ratings on state quality scales. In infant and toddler classrooms, a third of children in the classrooms LENA has worked with experienced so few interactions per hour, they essentially spent \u003ca href=\"https://www.lena.org/classroom-language-isolation/\">the majority of their day in isolation.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Birmingham, where Carter teaches, the city has invested more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.wvtm13.com/article/city-of-birmingham-designates-1-million-in-funding-to-birmingham-talks/41771054\">$1 million\u003c/a> into a nonprofit, Small Magic, which runs a program using the LENA pedometers called “Birmingham Talks.” Since 2019, the program has coached more than 400 teachers in more than 60 child care programs in the area, including center-based and home-based settings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Educators who have participated in the program say it’s had a deep impact. Many thought they were interacting equally with all children but realized that wasn’t true upon seeing data from the LENA devices. That’s especially the case, educators say, with children who are quieter and may not get as much attention as those who naturally speak more or who present as a behavior challenge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many child care providers cite the relationships with children as their favorite part of the job, but the realities of working in a child care program in America often complicate teachers’ best efforts to devote time to nurturing, one-on-one relationships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65272\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65272\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A poster suggesting teaching strategies\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1925\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-800x602.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-1020x767.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-1536x1155.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-2048x1540.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/03/maderinteractions04-1920x1444.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A poster on the wall at New Rising Star Early Childhood Development Center in Birmingham, Alabama, gives educators tips on conversing more with preschoolers. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Child care teachers are often responsible for large numbers of children and paid poverty-level wages. Many are grappling with \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11251369/\">more disruptive child behavior\u003c/a> than prior to the pandemic. “The reality of being an early childhood teacher right now is so incredibly stressful,” said Hamre. “It makes it hard to prioritize those kinds of interactions when … you are supporting children who are coming in with so many challenges of their own,” she added. “Stress really reduces everybody’s capacity to invest in the kinds of relationships that matter most.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In many communities, the situation is getting worse, not better. As pandemic relief aid has run out, many states have turned to \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/the-dark-future-of-american-child-care/\">deregulation\u003c/a>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/the-dark-future-of-american-child-care/\"> efforts\u003c/a> to solve child care shortages, bringing in less-experienced workers, cutting training requirements and increasing the number of children staff can watch on their own. And while deregulation efforts are typically championed by Republicans at the state level, they’ve gotten some conservative \u003ca href=\"https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/three-principles-for-conservative-early-childhood-policy/\">pushback\u003c/a>. “There are important dimensions of early-childhood education and childcare that just can’t be deregulated away. Young children need close adult supervision,” wrote \u003ca href=\"https://www.aei.org/profile/frederick-m-hess/\">Frederick M. Hess\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.aei.org/profile/michael-q-mcshane/\">Michael Q. McShane\u003c/a> of the conservative American Enterprise Institute in a 2024 early childhood policy report. “Removing regulations can certainly help on the margins, but that requirement won’t fundamentally change unless we want AI reading stories and robots monitoring playtime.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Mississippi, which has one of the highest staff-to-child toddler ratios in the country, Jackson-area child care director Lesia Daniel said relationships become more challenging as the number of children increases. “Can you imagine being in a room with 12 2-year-olds who are not potty trained by yourself every day?” Daniel said. “I mean, literally all you’re doing is changing diapers and trying to keep them alive.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Daniel has provided training to her staff to help them learn the nuances of how to interact most meaningfully with young children. Instead of asking a question like, “What color is your car?” Daniel said questions should nurture vocabulary development and critical thinking skills. A teacher could ask: “Who’s riding in your car? Tell me about those people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Hand in Hand Early Learning Program in southwest Birmingham, an inclusive early learning center where children with and without disabilities and developmental delays learn and play together, conversations between teachers and children are detailed and deliberate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On a fall morning, as teacher Kayla McCombs helped her pre-K students get settled in various activities around the room, one of the children summoned her to the small play kitchen in the corner of the classroom. It was an opportunity to converse one-on-one, introduce the child to vocabulary and help immerse him in deeper imaginative play than he would achieve by himself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What are we doing?” McCombs asked as she slid into a tiny gray chair. “Are you going to cook some food?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes,” he replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, I’m so hungry,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Me, too,” he replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oh, you’re going to microwave?” McCombs asked as the child carefully placed a plastic cup inside the pretend microwave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah,” he replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Is it hot?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yeah.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Be careful! Don’t burn your hands,” she replied.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCombs and her colleagues benefit from a smaller staff to child ratio — 1-to-6 at this age, far less than the 1-to-18 set by the \u003ca href=\"https://dhr.alabama.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/No-Highlighted-MS-for-CENTERS-revised.pdf\">state\u003c/a>. On this morning, there were two teachers in the class, as well as an assistant teacher and an occupational therapist, all working with 16 students. That meant McCombs could focus on these interactions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>McCombs’ co-teacher, Skylar Yeager, said the data they got from wearing LENA devices revealed how some children got far less conversational time with teachers than others. Now, staff are more purposeful about prioritizing one-on-one interactions with every child.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Across the country, states including Georgia, \u003ca href=\"https://www.nccp.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/A-New-Approach-to-Supporting-the-Quality-of-Early-Care-and-Education-Programs-in-Arkansas_-Case-Studies-of-Array.pdf\">Arkansas\u003c/a>, Texas and Vermont are trying a wide range of ways to teach early educators about interactions and adding or expanding a\u003ca href=\"https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-10-15/vdoe-daycare-preschool-quality-measurement-program-jenna-conway\"> teacher-child interaction\u003c/a> component on state child care quality rating systems. All Our Kin, a nonprofit focused on family child care homes, sends coaches into programs in Connecticut and New York to support those providers in relationships and interactions with children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/22.1-289.05/\">Virginia\u003c/a> has taken it even further. In 2020, state officials enacted a law requiring any early learning program that receives public funding to participate in the state’s child care improvement system, which includes a teacher-child interaction scale. Teachers in all types of programs are now observed twice a year to see how meaningfully they talk to and play with children. The data has given program officials the ability to zero in on classrooms where children aren’t having good experiences and offer intensive counseling to those teachers, said Jenna Conway, Virginia’s deputy superintendent of early childhood care and education.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been challenges with the sweeping initiative. It involves what Conway called a mindset shift for teachers, particularly those working with infants. Some teachers fear that if they encourage more conversation, they’ll have more classroom management challenges, said Jill Gilkerson, chief research and evaluation officer at LENA. “A lot of the time, child care can be focused on behavior, and trying to make sure that there’s not a lot of rambunctiousness, keeping the level of sound down,” she said. “I think a lot of teachers will associate less talk with a more controlled environment.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Many programs also struggle with high rates of teacher turnover, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.ffyf.org/resources/2022/05/research-shows-low-pay-is-associated-with-high-early-educator-turnover-and-poor-student-outcomes/\">disrupts relationships\u003c/a> with children. New staff then need training in how to engage most effectively.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research out of Louisiana, the state that has done the most to prioritize interactions, provides hope that despite the challenges, that mindset shift on the part of child care teachers can improve quality. Ten years ago, under Conway’s direction, Louisiana \u003ca href=\"https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/louisianas-qris-quality/\">ditched\u003c/a> its complex quality rating system in favor of a rating scale that looked \u003ca href=\"https://policyinstitutela.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Class-Matters_Increasing-Quality-in-Louisiana-Early-Childhood-Programs_final-052218.pdf\">solely at interactions\u003c/a> between children and teachers. The state also increased the amount of money providers get when they serve children from lower-income families who pay with state subsidies and funded new educator certificate and preparation programs. In the four years following these changes, researchers found a \u003ca href=\"https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/23328584211011610\">substantial\u003c/a> improvement across child care programs in the state when it comes to such measures as the warmth and sensitivity of teachers and the language development support they provide to children.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This focus on what may seem like small, insignificant interactions has continued to positively influence other aspects of child care, Conway said. “Directors and others became smarter and more strategic about who they’re hiring,” she added. That includes recruiting educators who have the right temperament for the classroom and educating new hires on what matters under the new quality scale. For infant teachers, for example, that means, “You’re gonna talk to the baby. You’re gonna talk while you’re feeding them. You’re gonna talk while you’re diapering them,” Conway said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s those little things that I think make the difference.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Contact staff writer \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/author/jackie-mader/\">\u003cem>Jackie Mader\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> at (212) 678-3562 or \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:mader@hechingerreport.org\">\u003cem>mader@hechingerreport.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about talking to kids was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cem>The Hechinger Report\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education, with support from the Spencer Fellowship at Columbia Journalism School. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/\">\u003cem>the Early Childhood newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents know they should talk and read to their young children. Dozens of nonprofit organizations have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.readingfoundation.org/readingfoundation\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">promoted the research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> evidence that it will help their children do better in school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the focus has been on improving literacy. Are there \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56136/talking-math-with-tweens-how-to-bring-math-into-daily-life-with-middle-schoolers\">similar things\u003c/a> that parents can do with their children to lay the foundation for success in math? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s important because Americans struggle with math, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Math-rankings-PISA-2022.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ranking toward the bottom\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on international assessments. Weak math skills impede a child’s progress later in life, preventing them from getting through \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/math-ends-the-education-careers-of-thousands-of-community-college-students-a-few-schools-are-trying-something-new/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">college\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a vocational program or even high school. Math skills, or the lack of them, can open or close the doors to lucrative science and technology fields.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A new wave of research over the past decade has looked at how much parents talk about numbers and shapes with their children, and whether these spontaneous and natural conversations help children learn the subject. Encouraging parents to talk about numbers could be a cheap and easy way to improve the nation’s dismal math performance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Irvine, teamed up to summarize the evidence from 22 studies conducted between 2010 and 2022. Their \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096524000602\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">meta-analysis\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was published in the July 2024 issue of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are four takeaways.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>1. There’s a link between parent math talk and higher math skills\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After looking at 22 studies, researchers found that the more parents talked about math with their children, the stronger their children’s math skills. In these studies, researchers typically observed parents and children interacting in a university lab, a school, a museum or at home and kept track of how often parents mentioned numbers or shapes. Ordinary sentences that included numbers counted. An example could be: “Hand me three potato chips.” Researchers also gave children a math test and found that children who scored higher tended to have parents who talked about math more during the observation period. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The link between parents’ math talk and a child’s math skills was strongest between ages three and five. During these preschool years, parents who talked more about numbers and shapes tended to have children with higher math achievement. Parents who didn’t talk as much about numbers and shapes tended to have children with lower math achievement. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With older children, the amount of time that parents spent talking about math was not as closely related to their math achievement. Researchers speculated that this was because once children start school, their math abilities are influenced more by the instruction they receive from their teachers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None of these studies proves that talking to your preschooler about math causes their math skills to improve. Parents who talk more about math may also have higher incomes and more education. Stronger math skills could be the result of all the other things that wealthier and more educated parents are giving their kids – nutritious meals, a good night’s sleep, visits to museums and vacations – and not the math talk per se. So far, studies haven’t been able to disentangle math talk from everything else that parents do for their children.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What the research is showing at this point is that talking more about math tends to be associated with better outcomes for children,” said Alex Silver, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh who led the meta-analysis. “It’s an easy way to bring math concepts into your day to day life that doesn’t require buying special equipment, or setting aside time to tutor your child and try to teach them arithmetic.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>2. Keep it natural\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The strongest link between parent talk about math and a child’s math performance was detected when researchers didn’t tell parents to do a math activity. Parents who naturally brought up numbers or shapes in a normal conversation had children who scored higher on math assessments. When researchers had parents do a math exercise with children, the amount of math-related words that a parent used wasn’t as strongly associated with better math performance for their children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Silver, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learning Research & Development Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, recommends bringing math into something that the child is paying attention to, rather than doing flashcards or workbooks. It could be as simple as asking “How many?” Here’s an example Silver gave me: “Oh, look, you have a whole lot of cars. How many cars do you have? Let’s count them. You have one, two, three. There’s three cars there.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you’re doing a puzzle together, turn the shape in a different direction and talk about what it looks like. Setting the dinner table, grocery shopping and keeping track of money are opportunities to talk about numbers or shapes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The idea is to make it fun and playful,” said Silver. “As you’re cooking, say, ‘We need to add two eggs. Oh wait, we’re doubling the recipe, so we need two more eggs. How many is that all together?’ ”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I asked Silver about the many early childhood math apps and exercises on the market, and whether parents should be spending time doing them with their children. Silver said they can be helpful for parents who don’t know where to start, but she said parents shouldn’t feel guilty if they’re not doing math drills with their kids. “It’s enough to just talk about it naturally, to find ways to bring up numbers and shapes in the context of what you’re already doing.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>3. Quality may matter more than quantity\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 22 studies, more math talk was associated with higher math achievement. But researchers are unable to advise parents on exactly how much or how often to talk about math during the day. Silver said 10 utterances a day about math is probably more beneficial than just one mention a day. “Right now the evidence is that more is better, but at some point it’s so much math, you need to talk about something else now,” she said. The point of diminishing returns is unknown.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultimately, the quantity of math talk may not be as important as how parents talk about math, Silver said. Reading a math textbook to your child probably wouldn’t be helpful, Silver said. It’s not just about saying a bunch of math words. Still, researchers don’t know if asking questions or just talking about numbers is what makes a difference. It’s also not clear how important it is to tailor the number talk to where a child is in his math development. These are important areas of future research.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Technology may help. The latest studies are using wearable audio recorders, enabling researchers to “listen” to hours of conversations inside homes, and analyzing these conversations with natural language processing algorithms to get a more accurate understanding of parents’ math talk. The 22 studies in this meta-analysis captured as little as three minutes and as much as almost 14 hours of parent-child interactions, and these snippets of life, often recorded in a lab setting, may not reflect how parents and children talk about math in a typical week.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>4. Low-income kids appear to benefit as much from math talk as high-income kids\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perhaps the most inspiring conclusion from this meta-analysis is that the association between a parent’s math talk and a child’s math performance was as strong for a low-income child as it was for a high-income child. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That’s a happy thing to see that this transcends other circumstances,” said Silver. “Targeting the amount of math input that a child receives is hopefully going to be easier, and more malleable than changing broader, systemic challenges.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While there are many questions left to answer, Silver is already putting her research into practice with her own three-year old son. She’s asked counting questions so many times that her little one has begun to tease her. Every time he sees a group of things, he pretends to be Mommy and asks, “How many? Let’s count them!” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> “It’s very funny,” Silver said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, Mommy really drilled that one into you, huh?’ Buddy knows what you’re up to.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This story about \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-parent-math-talk/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">math with preschoolers\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was written by Jill Barshay and produced by \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Proof Points\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and other \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hechinger newsletters\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents know they should talk and read to their young children. Dozens of nonprofit organizations have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.readingfoundation.org/readingfoundation\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">promoted the research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> evidence that it will help their children do better in school.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But the focus has been on improving literacy. Are there \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56136/talking-math-with-tweens-how-to-bring-math-into-daily-life-with-middle-schoolers\">similar things\u003c/a> that parents can do with their children to lay the foundation for success in math? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">That’s important because Americans struggle with math, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Math-rankings-PISA-2022.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ranking toward the bottom\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on international assessments. Weak math skills impede a child’s progress later in life, preventing them from getting through \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/math-ends-the-education-careers-of-thousands-of-community-college-students-a-few-schools-are-trying-something-new/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">college\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a vocational program or even high school. Math skills, or the lack of them, can open or close the doors to lucrative science and technology fields.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A new wave of research over the past decade has looked at how much parents talk about numbers and shapes with their children, and whether these spontaneous and natural conversations help children learn the subject. Encouraging parents to talk about numbers could be a cheap and easy way to improve the nation’s dismal math performance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Irvine, teamed up to summarize the evidence from 22 studies conducted between 2010 and 2022. Their \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096524000602\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">meta-analysis\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was published in the July 2024 issue of the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are four takeaways.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>1. There’s a link between parent math talk and higher math skills\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After looking at 22 studies, researchers found that the more parents talked about math with their children, the stronger their children’s math skills. In these studies, researchers typically observed parents and children interacting in a university lab, a school, a museum or at home and kept track of how often parents mentioned numbers or shapes. Ordinary sentences that included numbers counted. An example could be: “Hand me three potato chips.” Researchers also gave children a math test and found that children who scored higher tended to have parents who talked about math more during the observation period. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The link between parents’ math talk and a child’s math skills was strongest between ages three and five. During these preschool years, parents who talked more about numbers and shapes tended to have children with higher math achievement. Parents who didn’t talk as much about numbers and shapes tended to have children with lower math achievement. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With older children, the amount of time that parents spent talking about math was not as closely related to their math achievement. Researchers speculated that this was because once children start school, their math abilities are influenced more by the instruction they receive from their teachers. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">None of these studies proves that talking to your preschooler about math causes their math skills to improve. Parents who talk more about math may also have higher incomes and more education. Stronger math skills could be the result of all the other things that wealthier and more educated parents are giving their kids – nutritious meals, a good night’s sleep, visits to museums and vacations – and not the math talk per se. So far, studies haven’t been able to disentangle math talk from everything else that parents do for their children.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What the research is showing at this point is that talking more about math tends to be associated with better outcomes for children,” said Alex Silver, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh who led the meta-analysis. “It’s an easy way to bring math concepts into your day to day life that doesn’t require buying special equipment, or setting aside time to tutor your child and try to teach them arithmetic.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>2. Keep it natural\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The strongest link between parent talk about math and a child’s math performance was detected when researchers didn’t tell parents to do a math activity. Parents who naturally brought up numbers or shapes in a normal conversation had children who scored higher on math assessments. When researchers had parents do a math exercise with children, the amount of math-related words that a parent used wasn’t as strongly associated with better math performance for their children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Silver, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Pittsburgh’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.lrdc.pitt.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Learning Research & Development Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, recommends bringing math into something that the child is paying attention to, rather than doing flashcards or workbooks. It could be as simple as asking “How many?” Here’s an example Silver gave me: “Oh, look, you have a whole lot of cars. How many cars do you have? Let’s count them. You have one, two, three. There’s three cars there.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When you’re doing a puzzle together, turn the shape in a different direction and talk about what it looks like. Setting the dinner table, grocery shopping and keeping track of money are opportunities to talk about numbers or shapes.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The idea is to make it fun and playful,” said Silver. “As you’re cooking, say, ‘We need to add two eggs. Oh wait, we’re doubling the recipe, so we need two more eggs. How many is that all together?’ ”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I asked Silver about the many early childhood math apps and exercises on the market, and whether parents should be spending time doing them with their children. Silver said they can be helpful for parents who don’t know where to start, but she said parents shouldn’t feel guilty if they’re not doing math drills with their kids. “It’s enough to just talk about it naturally, to find ways to bring up numbers and shapes in the context of what you’re already doing.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>3. Quality may matter more than quantity\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the 22 studies, more math talk was associated with higher math achievement. But researchers are unable to advise parents on exactly how much or how often to talk about math during the day. Silver said 10 utterances a day about math is probably more beneficial than just one mention a day. “Right now the evidence is that more is better, but at some point it’s so much math, you need to talk about something else now,” she said. The point of diminishing returns is unknown.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ultimately, the quantity of math talk may not be as important as how parents talk about math, Silver said. Reading a math textbook to your child probably wouldn’t be helpful, Silver said. It’s not just about saying a bunch of math words. Still, researchers don’t know if asking questions or just talking about numbers is what makes a difference. It’s also not clear how important it is to tailor the number talk to where a child is in his math development. These are important areas of future research.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Technology may help. The latest studies are using wearable audio recorders, enabling researchers to “listen” to hours of conversations inside homes, and analyzing these conversations with natural language processing algorithms to get a more accurate understanding of parents’ math talk. The 22 studies in this meta-analysis captured as little as three minutes and as much as almost 14 hours of parent-child interactions, and these snippets of life, often recorded in a lab setting, may not reflect how parents and children talk about math in a typical week.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>4. Low-income kids appear to benefit as much from math talk as high-income kids\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perhaps the most inspiring conclusion from this meta-analysis is that the association between a parent’s math talk and a child’s math performance was as strong for a low-income child as it was for a high-income child. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“That’s a happy thing to see that this transcends other circumstances,” said Silver. “Targeting the amount of math input that a child receives is hopefully going to be easier, and more malleable than changing broader, systemic challenges.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While there are many questions left to answer, Silver is already putting her research into practice with her own three-year old son. She’s asked counting questions so many times that her little one has begun to tease her. Every time he sees a group of things, he pretends to be Mommy and asks, “How many? Let’s count them!” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> “It’s very funny,” Silver said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, Mommy really drilled that one into you, huh?’ Buddy knows what you’re up to.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This story about \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proof-points-parent-math-talk/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">math with preschoolers\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> was written by Jill Barshay and produced by \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Proof Points\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and other \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hechinger newsletters\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was \u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/07/03/pandemic-left-younger-students-struggling-to-make-academic-progress/\" rel=\"canonical\">originally published\u003c/a> by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at \u003ca href=\"https://ckbe.at/newsletters\">ckbe.at/newsletters\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While older children are showing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64116/congress-poured-billions-of-dollars-into-schools-did-it-help-students-learn\">encouraging signs of academic recovery\u003c/a>, younger children are not making that same progress, and are sometimes falling even further behind, especially in math.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.bfldr.com/LS6J0F7/at/4rqc5wtpxqf85mk4pxj6rm7/ca-2024-summer-research-student-growth-technical-report.pdf\">New data released Monday\u003c/a> points to the pandemic’s profound and enduring effects on the nation’s youngest public school children, many of whom were not yet in a formal school setting when COVID hit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s showing that these students — who were either toddlers or maybe in preschool — that their learning was disrupted somehow,” said Kristen Huff, the vice president for research and assessment at Curriculum Associates, which provides math and reading tests to millions of students each year and authored the new report. “It’s striking.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers and other experts have suggested several potential reasons for this trend. One is that the pandemic disrupted early childhood education and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57373/why-we-need-to-pay-more-attention-to-the-youngest-children-right-now-and-their-parents\">made it harder for many kids to learn foundational skills\u003c/a> — gaps that can compound over time. Fewer children enrolled in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-04-26/the-pandemic-erased-a-decade-of-public-preschool-gains\">preschool\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/9/22/21451625/kindergarten-enrollment-decline-coronavirus-pandemic-shift/\">kindergarten\u003c/a>, and many young children struggled with remote learning. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/01/upshot/pandemic-children-school-performance.html\">Increased parental stress and screen time\u003c/a> may also be factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also possible that schools \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63826/these-teens-were-missing-too-much-school-heres-what-it-took-to-get-them-back\">targeted more academic support to older children and teens\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can see it as a call to action to make sure that we, as an educational community, are prioritizing those early grades,” Huff said. Those are critical years when children learn their letters and numbers and start reading and counting. “These are all the basics for being able to move along that learning trajectory for the rest of your schooling career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64123/pandemic-aid-to-schools-paid-off-but-we-dont-know-how\">A slew of recent reports\u003c/a> have examined students’ academic progress post-pandemic. \u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/02/05/learning-loss-study-finds-surprising-academic-recovery-growing-inequality/\">Some researchers found\u003c/a> that students in third to eighth grade are making larger-than-usual gains, but that most kids are still behind their pre-pandemic peers. Meanwhile, academic gaps between students from low-income backgrounds and their more affluent peers have widened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new Curriculum Associates report, which analyzed results from some 4 million students, is unique in that it includes data points for younger children who haven’t yet taken state tests. Researchers looked at how students who entered kindergarten to fourth grade during the 2021-22 school year performed in math and reading over three years, and compared that against kids who started the same grades just prior to the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children who began kindergarten in the fall of 2021, for example, scored close to what kindergartners did prior to the pandemic in reading. But over the last few years, they’ve fallen behind their counterparts. Kids who started first grade in the fall of 2021 have been consistently behind children who started first grade prior to the pandemic in reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In math, meanwhile, students who started kindergarten, first grade, and second grade in the fall of 2021 all started off scoring lower than their counterparts did prior to the pandemic. And they’ve consistently made less progress — putting them “significantly behind” their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Younger children made less progress than their pre-pandemic peers regardless of whether they went to schools in cities, suburbs or rural communities. And the students who started off further behind had the most difficulty catching up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools may want to consider changing up their academic interventions to focus more on early elementary schoolers, researchers said. It will be especially important to pinpoint exactly which missing skills kids need to master so they can follow along with lessons in their current grade, Huff added. This year, many of the report’s struggling students will be entering third and fourth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Charleston County, South Carolina, where \u003ca href=\"https://screportcards.com/overview/academics/academic-achievement/details/?q=eT0yMDIyJnQ9RCZzaWQ9MTAwMTAwMA\">younger students are outperforming\u003c/a> others \u003ca href=\"https://ed.sc.gov/data/test-scores/state-assessments/sc-ready/2023/state-scores-by-grade-level/?districtCode=9999&districtName=Statewide&schoolCode=999\">in their state\u003c/a>, especially in math, the district is using a few strategies that officials think have helped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district made \u003ca href=\"https://www.live5news.com/2024/04/24/charleston-co-school-district-working-improve-reading-performance-levels/\">improving reading instruction a top priority\u003c/a>. Officials purchased a new curriculum to better align with the science of reading, gave teachers \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/letrs-program-teacher-training\">extensive literacy skills training\u003c/a>, and started providing families more information about their kids’ academic performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crucially, said Buffy Roberts, who oversees assessments for Charleston County schools, the district identified groups of kids who were very behind and what it would take to catch them up over several years. Taking a longer view helped teachers break down a big job and ensured kids who needed a lot of help got more support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really helped people understand that if our students were already behind, making typical growth is great, but it’s not going to cut it,” Roberts said. “It was really thinking very strategically and being very targeted about what a child needs in order to get out of that, I hate to call it a hole, but it is a hole.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Kalyn Belsha is a senior national education reporter based in Chicago. Contact her at \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"mailto:kbelsha@chalkbeat.org\">\u003ci>kbelsha@chalkbeat.org\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/07/03/pandemic-left-younger-students-struggling-to-make-academic-progress/\" rel=\"canonical\">Chalkbeat\u003c/a> is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story was \u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/07/03/pandemic-left-younger-students-struggling-to-make-academic-progress/\" rel=\"canonical\">originally published\u003c/a> by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at \u003ca href=\"https://ckbe.at/newsletters\">ckbe.at/newsletters\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While older children are showing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64116/congress-poured-billions-of-dollars-into-schools-did-it-help-students-learn\">encouraging signs of academic recovery\u003c/a>, younger children are not making that same progress, and are sometimes falling even further behind, especially in math.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.bfldr.com/LS6J0F7/at/4rqc5wtpxqf85mk4pxj6rm7/ca-2024-summer-research-student-growth-technical-report.pdf\">New data released Monday\u003c/a> points to the pandemic’s profound and enduring effects on the nation’s youngest public school children, many of whom were not yet in a formal school setting when COVID hit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s showing that these students — who were either toddlers or maybe in preschool — that their learning was disrupted somehow,” said Kristen Huff, the vice president for research and assessment at Curriculum Associates, which provides math and reading tests to millions of students each year and authored the new report. “It’s striking.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers and other experts have suggested several potential reasons for this trend. One is that the pandemic disrupted early childhood education and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/57373/why-we-need-to-pay-more-attention-to-the-youngest-children-right-now-and-their-parents\">made it harder for many kids to learn foundational skills\u003c/a> — gaps that can compound over time. Fewer children enrolled in \u003ca href=\"https://www.nprillinois.org/2022-04-26/the-pandemic-erased-a-decade-of-public-preschool-gains\">preschool\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2020/9/22/21451625/kindergarten-enrollment-decline-coronavirus-pandemic-shift/\">kindergarten\u003c/a>, and many young children struggled with remote learning. \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/07/01/upshot/pandemic-children-school-performance.html\">Increased parental stress and screen time\u003c/a> may also be factors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s also possible that schools \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63826/these-teens-were-missing-too-much-school-heres-what-it-took-to-get-them-back\">targeted more academic support to older children and teens\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can see it as a call to action to make sure that we, as an educational community, are prioritizing those early grades,” Huff said. Those are critical years when children learn their letters and numbers and start reading and counting. “These are all the basics for being able to move along that learning trajectory for the rest of your schooling career.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64123/pandemic-aid-to-schools-paid-off-but-we-dont-know-how\">A slew of recent reports\u003c/a> have examined students’ academic progress post-pandemic. \u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/02/05/learning-loss-study-finds-surprising-academic-recovery-growing-inequality/\">Some researchers found\u003c/a> that students in third to eighth grade are making larger-than-usual gains, but that most kids are still behind their pre-pandemic peers. Meanwhile, academic gaps between students from low-income backgrounds and their more affluent peers have widened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new Curriculum Associates report, which analyzed results from some 4 million students, is unique in that it includes data points for younger children who haven’t yet taken state tests. Researchers looked at how students who entered kindergarten to fourth grade during the 2021-22 school year performed in math and reading over three years, and compared that against kids who started the same grades just prior to the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Children who began kindergarten in the fall of 2021, for example, scored close to what kindergartners did prior to the pandemic in reading. But over the last few years, they’ve fallen behind their counterparts. Kids who started first grade in the fall of 2021 have been consistently behind children who started first grade prior to the pandemic in reading.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In math, meanwhile, students who started kindergarten, first grade, and second grade in the fall of 2021 all started off scoring lower than their counterparts did prior to the pandemic. And they’ve consistently made less progress — putting them “significantly behind” their peers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Younger children made less progress than their pre-pandemic peers regardless of whether they went to schools in cities, suburbs or rural communities. And the students who started off further behind had the most difficulty catching up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Schools may want to consider changing up their academic interventions to focus more on early elementary schoolers, researchers said. It will be especially important to pinpoint exactly which missing skills kids need to master so they can follow along with lessons in their current grade, Huff added. This year, many of the report’s struggling students will be entering third and fourth grade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Charleston County, South Carolina, where \u003ca href=\"https://screportcards.com/overview/academics/academic-achievement/details/?q=eT0yMDIyJnQ9RCZzaWQ9MTAwMTAwMA\">younger students are outperforming\u003c/a> others \u003ca href=\"https://ed.sc.gov/data/test-scores/state-assessments/sc-ready/2023/state-scores-by-grade-level/?districtCode=9999&districtName=Statewide&schoolCode=999\">in their state\u003c/a>, especially in math, the district is using a few strategies that officials think have helped.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The district made \u003ca href=\"https://www.live5news.com/2024/04/24/charleston-co-school-district-working-improve-reading-performance-levels/\">improving reading instruction a top priority\u003c/a>. Officials purchased a new curriculum to better align with the science of reading, gave teachers \u003ca href=\"https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/letrs-program-teacher-training\">extensive literacy skills training\u003c/a>, and started providing families more information about their kids’ academic performance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Crucially, said Buffy Roberts, who oversees assessments for Charleston County schools, the district identified groups of kids who were very behind and what it would take to catch them up over several years. Taking a longer view helped teachers break down a big job and ensured kids who needed a lot of help got more support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We really helped people understand that if our students were already behind, making typical growth is great, but it’s not going to cut it,” Roberts said. “It was really thinking very strategically and being very targeted about what a child needs in order to get out of that, I hate to call it a hole, but it is a hole.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Kalyn Belsha is a senior national education reporter based in Chicago. Contact her at \u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"mailto:kbelsha@chalkbeat.org\">\u003ci>kbelsha@chalkbeat.org\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chalkbeat.org/2024/07/03/pandemic-left-younger-students-struggling-to-make-academic-progress/\" rel=\"canonical\">Chalkbeat\u003c/a> is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"headTitle": "Young Children Need Help Identifying Emotions. ‘Little Safe Place’ Boxes Give Them Tools. | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Jenny Kist’s students walk through the classroom door every morning, they take out their “little safe place” boxes. Made to be a portable version of a calming physical space in Kist’s early childhood education classroom, these small plastic pencil boxes hold everything Kist’s students need throughout the day to practice \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62194/is-social-emotional-learning-effective-new-meta-analysis-adds-to-evidence-but-debate-persists\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-regulation and emotional identification\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developed when Kist’s classroom went virtual after the onset of covid, “little safe place” boxes are now a mainstay for Kist’s three to five year-old students. Each student is provided with their own box and practices self-regulating breathing techniques, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58790/why-kindness-and-emotional-literacy-matters-in-raising-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">providing compassion and empathy towards others\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and labeling and expressing their emotions throughout the school day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist, an early childhood educator with 27 years of experience, works at a school that follows the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://consciousdiscipline.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conscious Discipline\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> framework, which is rooted in social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://teachingstrategies.com/product/the-creative-curriculum-for-preschool/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative Curriculum\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a project-based early learning framework. Her school also encourages building a “school family” in order to foster safety and connection among the students, faculty and staff. For Kist, a big part of providing safety and connection in her classroom comes from \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61233/why-cultivating-emotional-intelligence-among-toddlers-has-become-more-urgent\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">helping young learners identify and process their emotions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and “little safe place” boxes are a tool for that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Being aware of your emotions is the first step in learning how to regulate them,” said \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cara Goodwin\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a child psychologist and author of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/parenting-translator\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parenting Translator newsletter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Identifying and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62501/want-your-kids-to-be-happier-and-healthier-start-talking-with-them-about-uncomfortable-emotions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expressing emotions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are “essential for the development of empathy and for maintaining healthy social relationships,” Goodwin continued.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>“Little safe place” boxes\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist starts the school year by introducing her young students to the four basic emotions: happy, sad, angry and scared. She spends a week on each one, starting with happiness, and uses books, songs, and other classroom visuals as learning aids. Kist continues like this until students are well acquainted with the concepts inside of the “little safe place” boxes. Then she distributes a box to each child.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63571\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-63571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jenny Kist created a “My Little Safe Place” box for every student in her early childhood classroom. It contains tools for emotional identification and regulation. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jenny Kist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, each morning Kist guides students through using the different tools in their boxes. They take out a card that has faces for the four basic feelings and mark which feeling they identify with that morning. Then, the children take out their breathing strategy card, which has four different icons that indicate different breathing strategies that they have learned. The boxes also have a card in them that remind the students of what Kist calls “I love you” rituals – nursery rhymes with the lyrics changed and designed to help students with attachment and connection. Students practice an “I love you” ritual one-on-one with a classroom adult each morning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist’s “little safe place” boxes are modeled from the self-regulation and emotional identification tools in the “safe place” corner of her classroom, an area that also contains a rug and pillows to comfort students. In a moment of dysregulation, whether the student is using the box or the safe place corner, a classroom adult can guide them to use these tools to recognize and move through their emotions. Each student also has a family photo in their box. “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63086/when-family-tree-projects-frustrate-students-community-maps-are-an-inclusive-alternative\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connections to home\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are just so helpful if they’re upset about anything,” said Kist.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Learning to identify emotions\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identifying emotions is a complex process. For young children the first steps in this process are learning to recognize facial expressions, tone of voice and body language, according to Goodwin, the child psychologist. They also need to learn to label those context clues with language.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Goodwin, children should be able to identify emotions by around three or four years old. Although most children will learn how to identify emotions naturally through social interaction, parents and educators can facilitate that learning. “The biggest thing you can do is just talk about emotions,” she said. Taking opportunities to talk about and label your own emotions or the emotions expressed in a children’s TV show or book can be helpful. It is also helpful for parents and educators to label emotions that a child is expressing for them so that “in the future they can then learn to label it themselves,” Goodwin said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help students \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62290/teaching-kids-the-right-way-to-say-im-sorry\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">build empathy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Goodwin recommends parents and educators ask young children what a character in a book or tv show might be feeling, and why they might be feeling that way. One activity that Goodwin has found useful in her personal and professional life is “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://rainbowdays.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Rainbow-Days-SEL-Resource-Feelings-Charades-on-website.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feeling charades\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.” In this game, both children and adults act out a feeling, while the other participants guess what feeling they are expressing. Feeling charades can also be played with puppets or toys.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Learning to regulate emotions\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Kist’s classroom, students practice emotional regulation strategies throughout the day, not just when there’s a peer conflict or an individual child is distressed. “You can’t teach it when they’re in the middle of it,” Kist said. When a child is upset, she takes time to acknowledge the student’s feelings, reflect back to them what their face is expressing and suggest an emotion that they might be feeling. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist’s students also practice different breathing techniques throughout the day. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63039/to-help-students-deal-with-trauma-this-school-holds-mindfulness-lessons-over-the-loudspeaker\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breathing exercises can be helpful for self-regulation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but young children need concrete explanations, so the techniques Kist uses have a symbol, such as a star or a balloon. The visual reminders are printed on a small laminated page in their “little safe place” box. When a student needs to access deep breathing, they can pull out their breathing card and choose an exercise. Kist and her students also make up their own breathing exercises, always involving a physical aspect like deep breathing while swinging their leg to kick an imaginary ball.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63512 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “safe place” corner of Jenny Kist’s classroom contains a rug and pillows to comfort students, as well as tools to help them identify and process their feelings. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jenny Kist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goodwin suggested encouraging children to breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth by pretending to smell a flower and blow out a candle. This can be given as a verbal explanation, but can also be helped by using fake flowers and candles, or even drawings for children to reference. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goodwin also uses \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMb2Bw4Ae8\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">belly breathing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where young children put their hands on their bellies as they breathe to feel how their abdomen expands and contracts with each breath, as well as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKdApTxsDP0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">five-finger breathing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where children trace their fingers on one hand with the index finger on their other hand as they take slow breaths, one per finger. Teaching these techniques can be frustrating because kids at this age are easily distracted and learning these skills for the first time. It “just takes like a lot of modeling,” and “a lot of reminding,” said Goodwin.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>COVID-19 origins and ongoing impact\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist originally created the “my little safe place” boxes when the early learning center went virtual in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the unfamiliar experience of virtual learning, she wanted to find a way to provide a portable and accessible version of the safe space corner for each student.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, not every student was given a “little safe place” box. But as she saw how helpful they were to the students that she had given them to during at home learning, Kist decided that every student in her classroom should have one. Since incorporating the boxes in her in-person classroom, she has seen students bring other students their boxes in moments of dysregulation. She has also seen some of her young learners singing their “I love you” nursery rhymes with each other unprompted.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Goodwin, we don’t yet have enough data to determine if distance learning had \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61310/are-the-pandemic-babies-and-kids-ok\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">any long-term effects\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on young children’s ability to identify and process emotions, but she is encouraged by the knowledge that children’s brains are very plastic. There is a sensitive period for developing the skills to process emotions, but that “doesn’t mean that’s the only time you can learn those skills,” Goodwin said. At the same time, she added, it doesn’t hurt for parents and educators to focus on educating young children on emotional and social emotional skills that they may have missed out on during the early years of the pandemic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Jenny Kist’s students walk through the classroom door every morning, they take out their “little safe place” boxes. Made to be a portable version of a calming physical space in Kist’s early childhood education classroom, these small plastic pencil boxes hold everything Kist’s students need throughout the day to practice \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62194/is-social-emotional-learning-effective-new-meta-analysis-adds-to-evidence-but-debate-persists\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">self-regulation and emotional identification\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developed when Kist’s classroom went virtual after the onset of covid, “little safe place” boxes are now a mainstay for Kist’s three to five year-old students. Each student is provided with their own box and practices self-regulating breathing techniques, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58790/why-kindness-and-emotional-literacy-matters-in-raising-kids\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">providing compassion and empathy towards others\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and labeling and expressing their emotions throughout the school day.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist, an early childhood educator with 27 years of experience, works at a school that follows the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://consciousdiscipline.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conscious Discipline\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> framework, which is rooted in social-emotional learning and trauma-informed practices, and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://teachingstrategies.com/product/the-creative-curriculum-for-preschool/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative Curriculum\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a project-based early learning framework. Her school also encourages building a “school family” in order to foster safety and connection among the students, faculty and staff. For Kist, a big part of providing safety and connection in her classroom comes from \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61233/why-cultivating-emotional-intelligence-among-toddlers-has-become-more-urgent\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">helping young learners identify and process their emotions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and “little safe place” boxes are a tool for that.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">“Being aware of your emotions is the first step in learning how to regulate them,” said \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cara Goodwin\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a child psychologist and author of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/tag/parenting-translator\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parenting Translator newsletter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Identifying and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62501/want-your-kids-to-be-happier-and-healthier-start-talking-with-them-about-uncomfortable-emotions\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expressing emotions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are “essential for the development of empathy and for maintaining healthy social relationships,” Goodwin continued.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>“Little safe place” boxes\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist starts the school year by introducing her young students to the four basic emotions: happy, sad, angry and scared. She spends a week on each one, starting with happiness, and uses books, songs, and other classroom visuals as learning aids. Kist continues like this until students are well acquainted with the concepts inside of the “little safe place” boxes. Then she distributes a box to each child.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63571\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-63571\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-800x1067.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1067\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-800x1067.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-1020x1360.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-160x213.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace5-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jenny Kist created a “My Little Safe Place” box for every student in her early childhood classroom. It contains tools for emotional identification and regulation. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jenny Kist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, each morning Kist guides students through using the different tools in their boxes. They take out a card that has faces for the four basic feelings and mark which feeling they identify with that morning. Then, the children take out their breathing strategy card, which has four different icons that indicate different breathing strategies that they have learned. The boxes also have a card in them that remind the students of what Kist calls “I love you” rituals – nursery rhymes with the lyrics changed and designed to help students with attachment and connection. Students practice an “I love you” ritual one-on-one with a classroom adult each morning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist’s “little safe place” boxes are modeled from the self-regulation and emotional identification tools in the “safe place” corner of her classroom, an area that also contains a rug and pillows to comfort students. In a moment of dysregulation, whether the student is using the box or the safe place corner, a classroom adult can guide them to use these tools to recognize and move through their emotions. Each student also has a family photo in their box. “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63086/when-family-tree-projects-frustrate-students-community-maps-are-an-inclusive-alternative\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Connections to home\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are just so helpful if they’re upset about anything,” said Kist.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Learning to identify emotions\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identifying emotions is a complex process. For young children the first steps in this process are learning to recognize facial expressions, tone of voice and body language, according to Goodwin, the child psychologist. They also need to learn to label those context clues with language.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Goodwin, children should be able to identify emotions by around three or four years old. Although most children will learn how to identify emotions naturally through social interaction, parents and educators can facilitate that learning. “The biggest thing you can do is just talk about emotions,” she said. Taking opportunities to talk about and label your own emotions or the emotions expressed in a children’s TV show or book can be helpful. It is also helpful for parents and educators to label emotions that a child is expressing for them so that “in the future they can then learn to label it themselves,” Goodwin said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To help students \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/62290/teaching-kids-the-right-way-to-say-im-sorry\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">build empathy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Goodwin recommends parents and educators ask young children what a character in a book or tv show might be feeling, and why they might be feeling that way. One activity that Goodwin has found useful in her personal and professional life is “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://rainbowdays.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Rainbow-Days-SEL-Resource-Feelings-Charades-on-website.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feeling charades\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.” In this game, both children and adults act out a feeling, while the other participants guess what feeling they are expressing. Feeling charades can also be played with puppets or toys.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>Learning to regulate emotions\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Kist’s classroom, students practice emotional regulation strategies throughout the day, not just when there’s a peer conflict or an individual child is distressed. “You can’t teach it when they’re in the middle of it,” Kist said. When a child is upset, she takes time to acknowledge the student’s feelings, reflect back to them what their face is expressing and suggest an emotion that they might be feeling. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist’s students also practice different breathing techniques throughout the day. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/63039/to-help-students-deal-with-trauma-this-school-holds-mindfulness-lessons-over-the-loudspeaker\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Breathing exercises can be helpful for self-regulation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but young children need concrete explanations, so the techniques Kist uses have a symbol, such as a star or a balloon. The visual reminders are printed on a small laminated page in their “little safe place” box. When a student needs to access deep breathing, they can pull out their breathing card and choose an exercise. Kist and her students also make up their own breathing exercises, always involving a physical aspect like deep breathing while swinging their leg to kick an imaginary ball.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63512\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-63512 size-medium\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-2048x1536.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/04/safeplace3-1920x1440.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The “safe place” corner of Jenny Kist’s classroom contains a rug and pillows to comfort students, as well as tools to help them identify and process their feelings. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Jenny Kist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goodwin suggested encouraging children to breathe in through their nose and out through their mouth by pretending to smell a flower and blow out a candle. This can be given as a verbal explanation, but can also be helped by using fake flowers and candles, or even drawings for children to reference. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Goodwin also uses \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMb2Bw4Ae8\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">belly breathing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where young children put their hands on their bellies as they breathe to feel how their abdomen expands and contracts with each breath, as well as \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKdApTxsDP0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">five-finger breathing\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, where children trace their fingers on one hand with the index finger on their other hand as they take slow breaths, one per finger. Teaching these techniques can be frustrating because kids at this age are easily distracted and learning these skills for the first time. It “just takes like a lot of modeling,” and “a lot of reminding,” said Goodwin.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cb>COVID-19 origins and ongoing impact\u003c/b>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kist originally created the “my little safe place” boxes when the early learning center went virtual in spring 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the unfamiliar experience of virtual learning, she wanted to find a way to provide a portable and accessible version of the safe space corner for each student.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, not every student was given a “little safe place” box. But as she saw how helpful they were to the students that she had given them to during at home learning, Kist decided that every student in her classroom should have one. Since incorporating the boxes in her in-person classroom, she has seen students bring other students their boxes in moments of dysregulation. She has also seen some of her young learners singing their “I love you” nursery rhymes with each other unprompted.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to Goodwin, we don’t yet have enough data to determine if distance learning had \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/61310/are-the-pandemic-babies-and-kids-ok\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">any long-term effects\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on young children’s ability to identify and process emotions, but she is encouraged by the knowledge that children’s brains are very plastic. There is a sensitive period for developing the skills to process emotions, but that “doesn’t mean that’s the only time you can learn those skills,” Goodwin said. At the same time, she added, it doesn’t hurt for parents and educators to focus on educating young children on emotional and social emotional skills that they may have missed out on during the early years of the pandemic.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Free child care exists in America — if you cross paths with the right philanthropist",
"headTitle": "Free child care exists in America — if you cross paths with the right philanthropist | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about the \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/free-child-care-exists-in-america-if-you-cross-paths-with-the-right-philanthropist\">Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning\u003c/a> was produced with support by the Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship at the Columbia Journalism School and by \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — On a bright fall morning last year, a shimmering, human-sized Hershey’s Kiss with bright blue eyes greeted delighted children and their parents outside of the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first early childhood education center launched by the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Catherine Hershey Schools\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for Early Learning\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inside the new \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nearly 51,000-square-foot facility\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, built to accommodate 150 students, children funneled into their bright, well-stocked classrooms. They were welcomed by teachers who had spent 12 months in paid professional development, unusual in a field where teacher training varies greatly. The young students, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years, went about their day in well-stocked, spacious classrooms, playing and learning in small groups. The ample staff provided low student-to-teacher ratios and allowed for large amounts of individual attention.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The day featured visits to the center’s outdoor “STEM Garden,” where children could learn about gardening, nature and animals from several interactive displays. The kids had abundant time to run, climb and pedal bikes in one of several outdoor play spaces. And they gathered with their classmates to enjoy several family-style meals and snacks, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, Southwest turkey chili and tuna casserole.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On paper, this child care program seems like it would cost parents tens of thousands of dollars a year, rivaling college tuition, as many early learning programs do. But here in picturesque Hershey, Derry Township’s best known community, it’s all free: the first brick and mortar of a new initiative cooked up by stewards of the Hershey billions. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The early learning center, located in a town that engenders Willy Wonka vibes with street names like “Chocolate Avenue,” street lights shaped like Hershey’s Kisses and a faint scent of sweetness that wafts through the air, is one of the most recent examples of billionaires launching child care programs. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63296\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63296\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Hershey, Pa., location of the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning has an interactive STEM garden that honors the school’s namesake, Catherine Hershey. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar efforts to provide free early care and learning are sprinkled throughout the country, including \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://bezosacademy.org/why-preschool/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Montessori-inspired” preschools in six states funded by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as several programs sponsored by hotel magnate Harris Rosen in Orlando, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rosenpreschool.com/media/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Florida\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In Pennsylvania, the Hershey early learning program is one of what will ultimately be six free early childhood education centers around Pennsylvania, at a cost of $350 million, funded by the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chslearn.org/milton-hershey-school-hershey-trust-company-seek-to-expand-impact-and-reach-through-new-cost-free-early-childhood-education-initiative/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Milton Hershey School Trust\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (Catherine Hershey Schools are a subsidiary of the Hershey-based residential Milton Hershey School.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a country with exorbitantly priced child care and a lack of available, high-quality options, initiatives like these provide a new opportunity to see the effect that free or heavily subsidized high-quality child care — something that is already the norm in many other wealthy, developed nations — could have in America. The fact that robust federal child care funding legislation has repeatedly been killed by legislators means that foundation funding may be among the few — and the fastest — ways to launch and test certain programs or approaches to the early years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hope is that ultimately, private investment will help a community “invest in something and push it forward and … help it move to the point where it gets public attention,” as well as public funds, said Rena Large, program manager at the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC), an organization that helps philanthropists invest in the early years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63303\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63303\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Hershey, Pa., location of the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is the first of what will eventually be six early childhood education centers across Pennsylvania. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the past few years, private foundations have taken on an outsized role in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabellehau-1/2022/04/01/how-women-billionaires-are-changing-the-face-of-early-childhood-education-and-care--and-philanthropy/?sh=646527b273b0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">early learning programs and systems\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, funding initiatives that raise staff compensation, support existing or new programs and provide emergency funds. Nationwide, the amount of grants aimed at early childhood has increased significantly, from $720.8 million between 2013 and 2015, to $1 billion between 2021 and 2023, according to data compiled by the collaborative from the nonprofit Candid’s philanthropy database. (Data is self-reported and categorized by funders.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the same time, philanthropic involvement in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/10/30/17862050/education-policy-charity\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">education overall\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, including in early learning, raises questions around best practices. Are philanthropists adequately considering the needs of communities? Are philanthropies listening to research and experts as they go forth and create? Should philanthropies reinvent the wheel or invest in what already exists? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hershey’s latest endeavor came from a clear community need identified by officials at the early childhood center. In Hershey — a community about 95 miles west of Philadelphia — and surrounding areas, child care is scarce and poverty is high. Over the past decade, teachers at the nearby Milton Hershey School, a private K-12 boarding school, noticed their youngest students were coming in markedly behind previous cohorts. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The needs of the children enrolling at 4 and 5 and 6 were more pronounced than they ever were before,” said Pete Gurt, president of the Milton Hershey School and Catherine Hershey Schools. They needed more support with social and emotional, academic, language and even life skills, like potty training.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63297\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63297\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Books sit in a library inside the Family Success Center at the Hershey-based Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning. Inside the center, caregivers can access coaching and other resources. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I visited the Catherine Hershey program in October, friends and colleagues delighted in the idea of chocolate billionaires funding child care:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Do they give them chocolate all day long?” (No, they do not.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I hope they give them dental screenings, ha.” (They do, for free.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Is it secretly a training pipeline for future Hershey employees?” (Not that I could tell, although officials from Hershey’s hospitality division were in the school’s lobby one morning to provide career information for parents.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to the trained educators, low ratios and research-based curricula, the Catherine Hershey Schools offer free transportation to its building, free diapers and wipes in classrooms, occupational and speech therapy, an in-house nurse, community partnerships, a parent resource center with individual parent coaches, external evaluators and an in-house researcher from the University of Pittsburgh who is tracking the school’s outcomes to see if all of this is working. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was mostly curious to see if free child care is as life-changing as many early childhood experts think it could be in America, especially for low-income families — Hershey sets income limits for families at 300% of the federal poverty level, or $77,460 for a family of three.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63298\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63298\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tracey Orellana watches one of her daughters from outside an observation window. Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning provide free child care for children from age 6 weeks to 5-years-old. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nearly two weeks after the first center launched, I met with Tracey Orellana, the mother of two toddlers at the school. Orellana was delivering packages for Amazon one day when she saw the early learning center, then under construction. She had been considering putting her two youngest children in child care so her husband, who works nights, could rest during the day while she was out working. The potential to get free child care made the decision a no-brainer.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We were juggling. We were juggling so much,” said Orellana, who also has two school-age daughters. At the time, the family had incurred a mountain of debt and was struggling to afford basic needs like groceries. Now that the toddlers are in child care at no cost to their family, Orellana has been able to increase her work hours to full time, adding to her income and stability. The family is now able to afford food and has almost caught up with bills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school “provides the opportunity to build a life for our kids and keep them out of whatever the situation may be, streets, poverty, keep them clothed, keep them fed, keep the electric on, the heat on,” she said. Her daughters also have opportunities they wouldn’t have at home, Orellana added, such as getting to ride bikes, play games and make new friends.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It gives them a childhood,” Orellana said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63304\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Allyson Anderson’s daughter, Lilah, shows her class an “alligator breath” that she made up.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other parents say they’ve been able to access a higher quality of care for their children now that money isn’t a factor. Allyson Anderson, the single mother of a preschooler, said previous child care programs her daughter ended up in were mediocre. But she had few other options.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Downstairs in a classroom for preschoolers, I watched 3-year-old Lilah, who was hard to miss in a bright red jumpsuit featuring one of her favorite characters (at that moment), the Grinch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Did you hear what happened to me this morning?” one of the teachers asked the children who sat, riveted, in front of her for morning circle time. “I woke up and I came downstairs and guess what?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What?” a child asked.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My dog had chewed one of my shoes!”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several children gasped.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I was so upset because they’re my favorite shoes. So, I started crying. Then I was so mad at my dog, and I started yelling. Do you think I made a very good choice?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“No,” the children said in low, disappointed voices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What do you think I should have done?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Take a deep breath,” one child suggested. The teacher nodded.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63300\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karen King, a teacher at Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, leads a morning group time in her preschool classroom. Each classroom at CHS has a lead, associate and assistant teacher. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While philanthropically-funded programs can benefit those lucky enough to access them, without receiving public funds or partnering with others to expand, experts caution that the reach of these programs will be limited and exist only in areas with willing funders. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Senate Alexander, executive director of Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, said he hopes the centers\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will ultimately become a model that can be replicated — once the program has the data to show it’s working to improve kindergarten readiness skills and outcomes for families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We thought about not wanting to fan out too far and too fast, we’re just starting this,” he said. “We want to get it right … we want to perfect the model.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While Hershey’s funding is limited in scope to programs within the state of Pennsylvania, Alexander said replicating the model in its entirety in other parts of the country is not out of the question. That could bring free childcare and extensive resources to more children. All it will take are a few more willing billionaires.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about the \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/free-child-care-exists-in-america-if-you-cross-paths-with-the-right-philanthropist\">Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning\u003c/a> was produced with support by the Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship at the Columbia Journalism School and by \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "In a country with exorbitantly priced child care, philanthropic efforts such as the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning offer an opportunity to see the effect that free or heavily subsidized high-quality child care could have.",
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"description": "In a country with exorbitantly priced child care and in the absence of federal funding, the ultra-rich are fronting the cost of child care initiatives.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about the \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/free-child-care-exists-in-america-if-you-cross-paths-with-the-right-philanthropist\">Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning\u003c/a> was produced with support by the Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship at the Columbia Journalism School and by \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — On a bright fall morning last year, a shimmering, human-sized Hershey’s Kiss with bright blue eyes greeted delighted children and their parents outside of the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">first early childhood education center launched by the \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Catherine Hershey Schools\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for Early Learning\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Inside the new \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">nearly 51,000-square-foot facility\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, built to accommodate 150 students, children funneled into their bright, well-stocked classrooms. They were welcomed by teachers who had spent 12 months in paid professional development, unusual in a field where teacher training varies greatly. The young students, ranging in age from 6 weeks to 5 years, went about their day in well-stocked, spacious classrooms, playing and learning in small groups. The ample staff provided low student-to-teacher ratios and allowed for large amounts of individual attention.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The day featured visits to the center’s outdoor “STEM Garden,” where children could learn about gardening, nature and animals from several interactive displays. The kids had abundant time to run, climb and pedal bikes in one of several outdoor play spaces. And they gathered with their classmates to enjoy several family-style meals and snacks, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, Southwest turkey chili and tuna casserole.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On paper, this child care program seems like it would cost parents tens of thousands of dollars a year, rivaling college tuition, as many early learning programs do. But here in picturesque Hershey, Derry Township’s best known community, it’s all free: the first brick and mortar of a new initiative cooked up by stewards of the Hershey billions. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The early learning center, located in a town that engenders Willy Wonka vibes with street names like “Chocolate Avenue,” street lights shaped like Hershey’s Kisses and a faint scent of sweetness that wafts through the air, is one of the most recent examples of billionaires launching child care programs. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63296\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63296\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool01-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Hershey, Pa., location of the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning has an interactive STEM garden that honors the school’s namesake, Catherine Hershey. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Similar efforts to provide free early care and learning are sprinkled throughout the country, including \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://bezosacademy.org/why-preschool/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Montessori-inspired” preschools in six states funded by Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, as well as several programs sponsored by hotel magnate Harris Rosen in Orlando, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.rosenpreschool.com/media/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Florida\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. In Pennsylvania, the Hershey early learning program is one of what will ultimately be six free early childhood education centers around Pennsylvania, at a cost of $350 million, funded by the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.chslearn.org/milton-hershey-school-hershey-trust-company-seek-to-expand-impact-and-reach-through-new-cost-free-early-childhood-education-initiative/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Milton Hershey School Trust\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (Catherine Hershey Schools are a subsidiary of the Hershey-based residential Milton Hershey School.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In a country with exorbitantly priced child care and a lack of available, high-quality options, initiatives like these provide a new opportunity to see the effect that free or heavily subsidized high-quality child care — something that is already the norm in many other wealthy, developed nations — could have in America. The fact that robust federal child care funding legislation has repeatedly been killed by legislators means that foundation funding may be among the few — and the fastest — ways to launch and test certain programs or approaches to the early years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The hope is that ultimately, private investment will help a community “invest in something and push it forward and … help it move to the point where it gets public attention,” as well as public funds, said Rena Large, program manager at the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative (ECFC), an organization that helps philanthropists invest in the early years.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63303\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63303\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool09-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Hershey, Pa., location of the Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning is the first of what will eventually be six early childhood education centers across Pennsylvania. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the past few years, private foundations have taken on an outsized role in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/isabellehau-1/2022/04/01/how-women-billionaires-are-changing-the-face-of-early-childhood-education-and-care--and-philanthropy/?sh=646527b273b0\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">early learning programs and systems\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, funding initiatives that raise staff compensation, support existing or new programs and provide emergency funds. Nationwide, the amount of grants aimed at early childhood has increased significantly, from $720.8 million between 2013 and 2015, to $1 billion between 2021 and 2023, according to data compiled by the collaborative from the nonprofit Candid’s philanthropy database. (Data is self-reported and categorized by funders.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the same time, philanthropic involvement in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/10/30/17862050/education-policy-charity\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">education overall\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, including in early learning, raises questions around best practices. Are philanthropists adequately considering the needs of communities? Are philanthropies listening to research and experts as they go forth and create? Should philanthropies reinvent the wheel or invest in what already exists? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hershey’s latest endeavor came from a clear community need identified by officials at the early childhood center. In Hershey — a community about 95 miles west of Philadelphia — and surrounding areas, child care is scarce and poverty is high. Over the past decade, teachers at the nearby Milton Hershey School, a private K-12 boarding school, noticed their youngest students were coming in markedly behind previous cohorts. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“The needs of the children enrolling at 4 and 5 and 6 were more pronounced than they ever were before,” said Pete Gurt, president of the Milton Hershey School and Catherine Hershey Schools. They needed more support with social and emotional, academic, language and even life skills, like potty training.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63297\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63297\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool02-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Books sit in a library inside the Family Success Center at the Hershey-based Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning. Inside the center, caregivers can access coaching and other resources. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When I visited the Catherine Hershey program in October, friends and colleagues delighted in the idea of chocolate billionaires funding child care:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Do they give them chocolate all day long?” (No, they do not.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I hope they give them dental screenings, ha.” (They do, for free.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Is it secretly a training pipeline for future Hershey employees?” (Not that I could tell, although officials from Hershey’s hospitality division were in the school’s lobby one morning to provide career information for parents.) \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to the trained educators, low ratios and research-based curricula, the Catherine Hershey Schools offer free transportation to its building, free diapers and wipes in classrooms, occupational and speech therapy, an in-house nurse, community partnerships, a parent resource center with individual parent coaches, external evaluators and an in-house researcher from the University of Pittsburgh who is tracking the school’s outcomes to see if all of this is working. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was mostly curious to see if free child care is as life-changing as many early childhood experts think it could be in America, especially for low-income families — Hershey sets income limits for families at 300% of the federal poverty level, or $77,460 for a family of three.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63298\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63298\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool03-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tracey Orellana watches one of her daughters from outside an observation window. Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning provide free child care for children from age 6 weeks to 5-years-old. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nearly two weeks after the first center launched, I met with Tracey Orellana, the mother of two toddlers at the school. Orellana was delivering packages for Amazon one day when she saw the early learning center, then under construction. She had been considering putting her two youngest children in child care so her husband, who works nights, could rest during the day while she was out working. The potential to get free child care made the decision a no-brainer.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We were juggling. We were juggling so much,” said Orellana, who also has two school-age daughters. At the time, the family had incurred a mountain of debt and was struggling to afford basic needs like groceries. Now that the toddlers are in child care at no cost to their family, Orellana has been able to increase her work hours to full time, adding to her income and stability. The family is now able to afford food and has almost caught up with bills.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The school “provides the opportunity to build a life for our kids and keep them out of whatever the situation may be, streets, poverty, keep them clothed, keep them fed, keep the electric on, the heat on,” she said. Her daughters also have opportunities they wouldn’t have at home, Orellana added, such as getting to ride bikes, play games and make new friends.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“It gives them a childhood,” Orellana said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63304\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool06-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Allyson Anderson’s daughter, Lilah, shows her class an “alligator breath” that she made up.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Other parents say they’ve been able to access a higher quality of care for their children now that money isn’t a factor. Allyson Anderson, the single mother of a preschooler, said previous child care programs her daughter ended up in were mediocre. But she had few other options.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Downstairs in a classroom for preschoolers, I watched 3-year-old Lilah, who was hard to miss in a bright red jumpsuit featuring one of her favorite characters (at that moment), the Grinch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Did you hear what happened to me this morning?” one of the teachers asked the children who sat, riveted, in front of her for morning circle time. “I woke up and I came downstairs and guess what?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What?” a child asked.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“My dog had chewed one of my shoes!”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several children gasped.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I was so upset because they’re my favorite shoes. So, I started crying. Then I was so mad at my dog, and I started yelling. Do you think I made a very good choice?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“No,” the children said in low, disappointed voices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“What do you think I should have done?”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Take a deep breath,” one child suggested. The teacher nodded.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_63300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-63300\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-800x533.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-1020x680.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2024/03/mader-Hershey-preschool05-1920x1280.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Karen King, a teacher at Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, leads a morning group time in her preschool classroom. Each classroom at CHS has a lead, associate and assistant teacher. \u003ccite>(Jackie Mader for The Hechinger Report)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While philanthropically-funded programs can benefit those lucky enough to access them, without receiving public funds or partnering with others to expand, experts caution that the reach of these programs will be limited and exist only in areas with willing funders. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Senate Alexander, executive director of Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning, said he hopes the centers\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> will ultimately become a model that can be replicated — once the program has the data to show it’s working to improve kindergarten readiness skills and outcomes for families. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“We thought about not wanting to fan out too far and too fast, we’re just starting this,” he said. “We want to get it right … we want to perfect the model.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">While Hershey’s funding is limited in scope to programs within the state of Pennsylvania, Alexander said replicating the model in its entirety in other parts of the country is not out of the question. That could bring free childcare and extensive resources to more children. All it will take are a few more willing billionaires.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about the \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/free-child-care-exists-in-america-if-you-cross-paths-with-the-right-philanthropist\">Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning\u003c/a> was produced with support by the Spencer Education Journalism Fellowship at the Columbia Journalism School and by \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Little kids need outdoor play — but not when it’s 110 degrees",
"headTitle": "Little kids need outdoor play — but not when it’s 110 degrees | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This opinion column about \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/column-little-kids-need-outdoor-play-but-not-when-its-110-degrees\">outdoor play temperature guidelines\u003c/a> was produced by \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hechinger newsletter\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dora Ramos is a family child care provider in Stamford, Connecticut, where the temperature climbed above 90 degrees for a few days in July. She takes care of children in her home, which has a large backyard, and was able to adapt, still getting the children outside, even on the hottest days.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Our parents bring the children at 7:10 a.m., so we bring them outside very early — first thing,” she said. “We have sprinklers; they use the hose to fill up pots with water and ‘cook.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But in Dallas, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/dallas/year-2023\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">where the high hit 110 degrees on August 18\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it wasn’t safe or possible to play outside for weeks-long stretches this summer, said Cori Berg, the director of Hope Day School, a preschool there. “It was cranky weather for sure,” she said. “What most people don’t really think about is what it’s like for a child in a center. They’re cooped up in one room for hours and hours and hours.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Much research supports \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60248/the-complex-world-of-pre-k-play-young-kids-benefit-from-play-but-what-should-it-look-like\">young children’s need for movement\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56742/5-tips-for-embracing-outdoor-learning-in-any-setting\">outdoor play\u003c/a> and time in nature. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare/regulations/418-1-DCC.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regulations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in many places require kids in child care facilities to have access to outdoor play space, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/provider-portal/protective-services/ccl/min-standards/chapter-746-centers.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">weather permitting.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But increasingly, the weather does not permit. And leaders in the world of early childhood development are starting to call attention to the imperative to design and upgrade child care centers — and the cities where they are located — for our climate-altered world, with the needs of the youngest in mind.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They have the least responsibility for causing the climate crisis but will bear the brunt of it,” said Angie Garling, vice president for early care and education for the Low Income Investment Fund, and a member of the Early Years Climate Action Task Force, which has just issued its first \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thisisplaneted.org/blog/early-years-climate-action-task-force-report\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">set of recommendations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (Full disclosure, I’m an advisor to This Is Planet Ed, which convened the task force in collaboration with the think tank Capita.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“One of the things we have to do is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60630/7-steps-schools-can-take-to-benefit-the-climate-and-save-money\">take the climate resources coming through the Inflation Reduction Act\u003c/a>, and make sure that we prioritize young children, both in multifamily housing and early care/education,” said Garling. But while children under 5 have a developmental need to spend time outside, extreme weather — whether heat, wildfire smoke or other air pollution — is particularly dangerous for this age group. Young children breathe twice as much air per pound of body weight, Garling pointed out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ankita Chachra is a designer, architect and new mother working on the issue of climate-resilient cities for children at the think tank Capita. She recently \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.capita.org/capita-ideas/2023/09/28/chasing-sunshine-beating-storms\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">blogged\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about choices made in cities around the world, from Copenhagen to her native Delhi, that can help preserve outdoor play. These can sometimes be simple adaptations. When it’s very hot, Ramos, for example, takes her children outside first thing in the morning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Copenhagen has parks that do flood with extreme rain,” Chachra said, but permeable surfaces, like grass, allow the water to drain away quickly. “Asphalt, rubber, and metal get extremely heated when you don’t have shade to protect those surfaces. Grass, mulch and wood absorb heat differently. A shaded street or area is 4 degrees Celsius cooler than those that don’t have shade,” she added. And when cities make room for parks over cars, there is more equitable access to safe, cooler outdoor space. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cori Berg, in Dallas, is grateful for her yard’s “two giant pecan trees — those giant shade structures are really expensive.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When children just can’t go outside, early child care educators said they have to improvise. Jessica Sager, whose network All Our Kin supports in-home family child care providers in 25 states, did an informal survey at The Hechinger Report’s request to ask providers how they are coping with extreme weather.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I heard a lot of stories about the wildfires in particular,” she said — the smoke from Canadian fires affected at least \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/americans-have-breathed-more-wildfire-smoke-in-eight-months-than-in-entire-years1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">120 million Americans this summer\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “Our educators had air purifiers — we had gotten them during Covid. Our coaches had already worked with educators about doing indoor gross motor play — obstacle courses, scavenger hunts. Balls, scarves, parachutes. Putting a mattress on the floor and letting kids jump up and down. A lot of song and dance activities. Or putting colored tape on the floor and pretending it’s a balance beam. ”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a city-wide level, some have proposed bringing back free or cheap indoor play spaces, such as the McDonald’s ball pit, perhaps repurposing disused shopping malls.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But despite all this creativity, it’s emotionally difficult for both providers and children when children can’t play outside because of severe weather and other hazards — Berg’s “cranky weather.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“During the smoke some kids felt very sad that they couldn’t go outside,” said All Our Kin’s Sager. “And the caregivers had to explain to them what was wrong.” There’s a “real parallel to what caregivers had to do during Covid,” to make a scary reality understandable for little kids, she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Garling and other policymakers are conscious that they are bringing up climate threats at a time when the early childhood sector already feels besieged.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The United States government spends \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://qz.com/2119811/us-lags-oecd-average-spending-on-early-education-and-child-care\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">much less than the average of its peer countries\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on early child development in a good year, and supplemental funds provided during the pandemic have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://tcf.org/content/report/child-care-cliff/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">just fallen off a cliff\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, leaving the sector even more cash starved. Group child care in private homes is often parents’ most affordable solution: The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=4\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Center for Education Statistics \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">says 1 in 5 children under 5 spend time in these settings. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But these home-based programs\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> pose a major infrastructure challenge. Garling’s organization recently released a\u003c/span> \u003ca href=\"https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/55b348cdd1e24a8a895147342d42b6dd\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">new interactive map\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">showing that\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in New York City, these centers often — \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">37.2% of the time — \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">include basement space. And \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">1,638 centers, serving 22,000 children, are at risk of flooding in storms such as the one that hit the city with more than \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/weather/new-york-city-northeast-rain-flood-forecast-climate-friday/index.html#:~:text=More%20rain%20fell%20in%20a,intense%20rainfall%20rates%20Friday%20morning.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">8 inches of rain on September 29\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“At times it feels overwhelming. There’s so many things early care and education professionals have to worry about,” Garling said. But on the other hand, she argued, there are federal funds the sector can and should claim for retrofitting and upgrades now. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I feel like there are current opportunities through [the Inflation Reduction Act] that are creating more urgency — in a good way,” she said. “This is not something I was talking about two years ago and now it is 80% of what I talk about all the time. “\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the meantime, early childhood educators are working hard to instill a love of nature in the children they care for, in all kinds of weather. Berg has been taking her teachers on nature walks, and introduced a curriculum about Texas’s many state parks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Connecticut child care owner, Ramos, who grew up visiting a farm in her native Peru, sees empathy blooming in her toddlers as they encounter the natural world. “One day a one year old was walking and saw a little slug on the ground,” she recounted. “He points — ‘Oh no, oh no!’ He was so sad. The father immediately went down, picked it up and put it on the grass. It made my day.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This opinion column about \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/column-little-kids-need-outdoor-play-but-not-when-its-110-degrees\">outdoor play temperature guidelines\u003c/a> was produced by \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hechinger newsletter\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This opinion column about \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/column-little-kids-need-outdoor-play-but-not-when-its-110-degrees\">outdoor play temperature guidelines\u003c/a> was produced by \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hechinger newsletter\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Dora Ramos is a family child care provider in Stamford, Connecticut, where the temperature climbed above 90 degrees for a few days in July. She takes care of children in her home, which has a large backyard, and was able to adapt, still getting the children outside, even on the hottest days.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Our parents bring the children at 7:10 a.m., so we bring them outside very early — first thing,” she said. “We have sprinklers; they use the hose to fill up pots with water and ‘cook.’”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But in Dallas, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.extremeweatherwatch.com/cities/dallas/year-2023\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">where the high hit 110 degrees on August 18\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it wasn’t safe or possible to play outside for weeks-long stretches this summer, said Cori Berg, the director of Hope Day School, a preschool there. “It was cranky weather for sure,” she said. “What most people don’t really think about is what it’s like for a child in a center. They’re cooped up in one room for hours and hours and hours.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Much research supports \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60248/the-complex-world-of-pre-k-play-young-kids-benefit-from-play-but-what-should-it-look-like\">young children’s need for movement\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/56742/5-tips-for-embracing-outdoor-learning-in-any-setting\">outdoor play\u003c/a> and time in nature. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare/regulations/418-1-DCC.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regulations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in many places require kids in child care facilities to have access to outdoor play space, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/doing-business-with-hhs/provider-portal/protective-services/ccl/min-standards/chapter-746-centers.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">weather permitting.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But increasingly, the weather does not permit. And leaders in the world of early childhood development are starting to call attention to the imperative to design and upgrade child care centers — and the cities where they are located — for our climate-altered world, with the needs of the youngest in mind.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They have the least responsibility for causing the climate crisis but will bear the brunt of it,” said Angie Garling, vice president for early care and education for the Low Income Investment Fund, and a member of the Early Years Climate Action Task Force, which has just issued its first \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.thisisplaneted.org/blog/early-years-climate-action-task-force-report\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">set of recommendations\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. (Full disclosure, I’m an advisor to This Is Planet Ed, which convened the task force in collaboration with the think tank Capita.)\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“One of the things we have to do is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/60630/7-steps-schools-can-take-to-benefit-the-climate-and-save-money\">take the climate resources coming through the Inflation Reduction Act\u003c/a>, and make sure that we prioritize young children, both in multifamily housing and early care/education,” said Garling. But while children under 5 have a developmental need to spend time outside, extreme weather — whether heat, wildfire smoke or other air pollution — is particularly dangerous for this age group. Young children breathe twice as much air per pound of body weight, Garling pointed out. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ankita Chachra is a designer, architect and new mother working on the issue of climate-resilient cities for children at the think tank Capita. She recently \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.capita.org/capita-ideas/2023/09/28/chasing-sunshine-beating-storms\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">blogged\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> about choices made in cities around the world, from Copenhagen to her native Delhi, that can help preserve outdoor play. These can sometimes be simple adaptations. When it’s very hot, Ramos, for example, takes her children outside first thing in the morning. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Copenhagen has parks that do flood with extreme rain,” Chachra said, but permeable surfaces, like grass, allow the water to drain away quickly. “Asphalt, rubber, and metal get extremely heated when you don’t have shade to protect those surfaces. Grass, mulch and wood absorb heat differently. A shaded street or area is 4 degrees Celsius cooler than those that don’t have shade,” she added. And when cities make room for parks over cars, there is more equitable access to safe, cooler outdoor space. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cori Berg, in Dallas, is grateful for her yard’s “two giant pecan trees — those giant shade structures are really expensive.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When children just can’t go outside, early child care educators said they have to improvise. Jessica Sager, whose network All Our Kin supports in-home family child care providers in 25 states, did an informal survey at The Hechinger Report’s request to ask providers how they are coping with extreme weather.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I heard a lot of stories about the wildfires in particular,” she said — the smoke from Canadian fires affected at least \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/americans-have-breathed-more-wildfire-smoke-in-eight-months-than-in-entire-years1/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">120 million Americans this summer\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. “Our educators had air purifiers — we had gotten them during Covid. Our coaches had already worked with educators about doing indoor gross motor play — obstacle courses, scavenger hunts. Balls, scarves, parachutes. Putting a mattress on the floor and letting kids jump up and down. A lot of song and dance activities. Or putting colored tape on the floor and pretending it’s a balance beam. ”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On a city-wide level, some have proposed bringing back free or cheap indoor play spaces, such as the McDonald’s ball pit, perhaps repurposing disused shopping malls.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But despite all this creativity, it’s emotionally difficult for both providers and children when children can’t play outside because of severe weather and other hazards — Berg’s “cranky weather.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“During the smoke some kids felt very sad that they couldn’t go outside,” said All Our Kin’s Sager. “And the caregivers had to explain to them what was wrong.” There’s a “real parallel to what caregivers had to do during Covid,” to make a scary reality understandable for little kids, she said.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Garling and other policymakers are conscious that they are bringing up climate threats at a time when the early childhood sector already feels besieged.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The United States government spends \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://qz.com/2119811/us-lags-oecd-average-spending-on-early-education-and-child-care\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">much less than the average of its peer countries\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on early child development in a good year, and supplemental funds provided during the pandemic have \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://tcf.org/content/report/child-care-cliff/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">just fallen off a cliff\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, leaving the sector even more cash starved. Group child care in private homes is often parents’ most affordable solution: The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=4\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Center for Education Statistics \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">says 1 in 5 children under 5 spend time in these settings. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But these home-based programs\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> pose a major infrastructure challenge. Garling’s organization recently released a\u003c/span> \u003ca href=\"https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/55b348cdd1e24a8a895147342d42b6dd\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">new interactive map\u003c/span>\u003c/a> \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">showing that\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in New York City, these centers often — \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">37.2% of the time — \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">include basement space. And \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">1,638 centers, serving 22,000 children, are at risk of flooding in storms such as the one that hit the city with more than \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/29/weather/new-york-city-northeast-rain-flood-forecast-climate-friday/index.html#:~:text=More%20rain%20fell%20in%20a,intense%20rainfall%20rates%20Friday%20morning.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">8 inches of rain on September 29\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“At times it feels overwhelming. There’s so many things early care and education professionals have to worry about,” Garling said. But on the other hand, she argued, there are federal funds the sector can and should claim for retrofitting and upgrades now. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“I feel like there are current opportunities through [the Inflation Reduction Act] that are creating more urgency — in a good way,” she said. “This is not something I was talking about two years ago and now it is 80% of what I talk about all the time. “\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the meantime, early childhood educators are working hard to instill a love of nature in the children they care for, in all kinds of weather. Berg has been taking her teachers on nature walks, and introduced a curriculum about Texas’s many state parks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Connecticut child care owner, Ramos, who grew up visiting a farm in her native Peru, sees empathy blooming in her toddlers as they encounter the natural world. “One day a one year old was walking and saw a little slug on the ground,” she recounted. “He points — ‘Oh no, oh no!’ He was so sad. The father immediately went down, picked it up and put it on the grass. It made my day.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This opinion column about \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/column-little-kids-need-outdoor-play-but-not-when-its-110-degrees\">outdoor play temperature guidelines\u003c/a> was produced by \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hechinger newsletter\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/a>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this post was \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/p/can-young-children-actually-learn\">originally published\u003c/a> by Parenting Translator. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the newsletter\u003c/a> and follow Parenting Translator \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/parentingtranslator/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on Instagram\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents often hear about the dangers of screen time for children, but rarely does there seem to be a distinction among \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">different types\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of screen time. In particular, apps on smartphones or touchscreen devices for children seem to be growing in popularity, even among young children. In fact, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8200401/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that 90% of children aged 2 to 3 years use a touchscreen device and that infants and toddlers on average spend 10 to 45 min per day on touchscreen devices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many apps claim to be “educational” and some apps are used as part of the curriculum in elementary school classrooms and even in early childhood education centers. Yet, apps for young children are largely unregulated and the number of choices alone may be extremely overwhelming for parents. Can young children actually learn from this technology? Are apps more educational than TV shows and movies? And if parents allow their children to engage with apps, which apps are best?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Can children actually learn from apps?\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research broadly finds that young children can learn from interactive apps, but it remains unclear the extent to which this learning is transferable to the real world. A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02580/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recent meta-analysis\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> based on 36 studies involving 4,206 participants (translation: a meta-analysis combines data from previous studies on a topic which allows you to get a consistent picture across all studies) found that most studies involving children five years and younger show an overall positive impact of touchscreen apps on learning. However, the meta-analysis also found that the findings were mixed. To explain these different findings, the researchers identified several different features of the studies that may have impacted learning, including: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Older children were more likely to learn from apps than younger children.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Content of the app\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Children were more likely to learn STEM-related concepts, such as math, from apps than non-STEM-related concepts, such as reading. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Comparison group\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Children seemed to learn more from apps when learning from apps was compared to a non-learning task rather than a learning task in another modality, such as on a computer or in person. In other words, while this research provides strong evidence that children can learn from apps, it doesn’t provide as strong of evidence that they learn better from apps than from other modalities, although overall the researchers did find that apps provide an advantage to learning over traditional classroom teaching, mouse-based computers, paper, physical objects, and passively watching something on a touchscreen device. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A 2020 \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-split/145/1/e20191579/36974/Apps-As-Learning-Tools-A-Systematic-Review\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">systematic review\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (translation: a review that uses a specific method for finding and summarizing all previous research on a topic) in the journal \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pediatrics\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also found that children under 6 years old can learn from interactive apps. Again, the researchers found that apps seem to be particularly effective in teaching math skills. They also found some evidence that apps may improve phonics skills, teach science facts and improve executive functioning, although in these areas the findings were more mixed or limited studies were available). The researchers even found that in some cases learning from interactive apps exceeded learning from traditional modes of instruction in the classroom. The review failed to find evidence that apps improved social communication skills, although more research is needed on this topic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01108/full?\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also suggests that interactive apps may be linked with improved motor skills. Specifically, toddlers who are exposed to touchscreens at younger ages have more advanced fine motor skills. However, this effect was only found for children who were actively interacting with the touchscreen, not simply watching videos. No relationship, either positive or negative, was found between touchscreen use and gross motor or language development.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Do children transfer learning from apps to the real world?\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although we have consistent evidence that young children can learn from apps, it remains unclear the extent to which they can transfer this knowledge to the real world. It is well documented that young children (particularly children under 3) do not learn as well from video as they do from real life interactions and do not transfer learning from video to real life, which is referred to as the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096522001837#b0005\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“video deficit\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.” However, there is some evidence that children \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">can\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> transfer learning \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/desc.12430\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">when screen time is more interactive such as in FaceTime or video chat.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This raises the possibility that younger children may be more likely to transfer learning from apps to the real world (assuming the app has an interactive feature). \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821208/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that 15-month-olds can learn how to do a simple task in an interactive app but they have difficulty transferring that learning to the real world. They also have difficulty applying what they learned in the real world to an app. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://elp.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/JECPMoser-et-al-2015.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that even 2.5 to 3 year olds do not transfer learning from an app to the real world (or from the real world to an app). \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01586/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another study\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that 4- to 6-year-olds, but not 3-year-olds, transferred learning on problem-solving tasks from an app to real life and learned just as well from an app as from a physical demonstration. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, research finds that younger children may be able to transfer learning from an app when an adult engages in the app with them and provides help and support as needed. For example, when the task with 15-month-olds was repeated with an adult helping, the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01264/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">researchers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that the toddlers showed improved transfer of learning and were \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">19 times \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more likely to transfer learning if a parent used “high interactional quality” (meaning the parent was structuring the task for the child, using a lot of different language, and providing warmth and encouragement). \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/am-pdf/10.1111/cdev.12683\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also finds that more subtle involvement from adults helps 2.5- to 3-year-olds to transfer learning. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eZ27n7hSHshiHO-3IIDnGZ7duCU3bd_r/view\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that even 5- and 6-year-olds show enhanced learning when an adult engages in an app with them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Do children learn better from apps or from videos?\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So the research suggests that children have trouble transferring learning from apps to the real world, just like they do with videos, but does the interactive nature of apps help to enhance the quality of learning, suggesting that parents may want to choose apps over passive TV watching?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02580/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is mixed with some studies finding enhanced learning from apps and some studies finding enhanced learning from videos. Although \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heather-Kirkorian-2/publication/299986332_Touch_or_Watch_to_Learn_Toddlers'_Object_Retrieval_Using_Contingent_and_Noncontingent_Video/links/570b12c008aea66081376187/Touch-or-Watch-to-Learn-Toddlers-Object-Retrieval-Using-Contingent-and-Noncontingent-Video.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">some research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that the interactive nature of apps versus passive shows enhanced learning, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01377/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">other research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that the interactive features of apps may interfere with learning because it may overtax children’s attention and executive functioning skills, making it difficult for them to learn and interact with the app at the same time. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heather-Kirkorian-2/publication/299986332_Touch_or_Watch_to_Learn_Toddlers'_Object_Retrieval_Using_Contingent_and_Noncontingent_Video/links/570b12c008aea66081376187/Touch-or-Watch-to-Learn-Toddlers-Object-Retrieval-Using-Contingent-and-Noncontingent-Video.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also suggests that the interactive nature of the app should be related to what the app is trying to teach rather than irrelevant to the teaching (for example, the toddler must touch where they believe an object is hidden rather than touch anywhere on the screen). There is also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00578/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Psychology&id=220771\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">some evidence\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that girls may learn more from certain ways of interacting with apps while boys learn more from watching. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>How can parents identify the most educational apps? \u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, research finds that it is possible for children to learn from apps and that engaging in apps with them may enhance the transfer of learning to the real world, but does this mean they can learn from just any app? How can you determine which apps are truly educational?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://kathyhirshpasek.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/03/How-educational-are-educational-apps-for-young-children-App-store-content-analysis-using-the-Four-Pillars-of-Learning-framework.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recent study\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> evaluated 124 popular “educational” apps and found that 58% of popular apps were “low quality” in terms of how they promote learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The researchers evaluated apps based on the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://hubscher.org/roland/courses/hf765/readings/hirsh-pasek.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Four Pillars” of early learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which include:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Active learning\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – whether the app requires critical thinking or intellectual effort versus a simple cause-and-effect\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Engagement in the learning process\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – whether the interactive features enhance or distract from learning, including whether the app has unnecessary visual and sound effects and distracting ads\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Meaningful learning\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – how relevant what the child is learning in the app is to the child’s life and existing knowledge\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Social interaction\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – the extent to which the app encourages children to interact with characters in the app or with their caregivers while engaging with the app\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The researchers found that the following apps received the highest scores in terms of promoting learning: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Food – Nutrition for Kids\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daniel Tiger’s Stop & Go Potty\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Life (Neighborhood, School and Hospital)\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">LEGO DUPLO Town\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zoombinis\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following apps also received relatively high scores: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bible App for Kids: Read the Nativity Story\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Farming Simulator 18\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Lab: Elements\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Hair Salon 3\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Life: World\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Kitchen 2\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Very Hungry Caterpillar AR\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melody Jams\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sago Mini Holiday Trucks and Diggers\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sago Mini Friends\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stellarium Mobile Sky Map\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Star Walk – Night Sky Guide: Planets and Stars Map\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brio World – Railway\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Noggin Preschool\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">SkyView Lite\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A recent \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-split/145/1/e20191579/36974/Apps-As-Learning-Tools-A-Systematic-Review\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">systematic review\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of educational apps for young children also found that children can learn from the following apps: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Measure That Animal\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Math Shelf\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Know Number Free\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Endless Alphabet\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Letter School\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">First Word Sampler\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Word Wall HD\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pocket Phonics\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Skills Builder Spelling\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Phonic Monster 1\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ABC Touch and Learn\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bee Sees\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kindergarten Lite\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Starfall\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Super Why\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17482798.2020.1844776\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has also found no difference in the educational quality of free versus paid apps, so don’t feel like you need to spend a fortune to get high-quality apps for your child. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Overall translation\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research suggests that children can learn from apps yet it is less clear whether they can actually transfer this learning to the real world. However, not all apps are truly educational, and parents, caregivers and teachers should carefully evaluate apps based on the research-backed principles described above before allowing young children to engage with them. It is also important to note that this research does not address whether there are any negative impacts of learning from apps over learning in “real life” such as potential disruptions to sleep, myopia (nearsightedness which may be developed due to excessive screen time), a lack of physical activity, or the potential “addictive” nature of some of these apps. Excessive use of even the most “educational” apps will likely have negative impacts. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This research also provides the following tips for parents related to apps: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>If possible, wait until your child is at least 3 years old before trying educational apps. \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research finds that although children younger than 3 can learn within an app, they may be less likely to apply this knowledge to the real world. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Engage in apps with your child.\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Provide some help and assistance without doing the task for them. Help the child to understand the instructions and pay attention to relevant features.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When engaging with apps together, \u003c/span>\u003cb>use a lot of language to help to explain the task to the child. \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Offer frequent praise and encouragement.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Choose apps that require the child to think critically\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> rather than simple cause-and-effect, such as an app in which they have to choose the correct answer rather than an app in which they simply press a button and an animation plays.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Avoid apps with irrelevant or excessive features or advertisements \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that are not related to the learning process.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Look for apps that teach children skills that they can easily transfer to real life \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and that are related to their existing knowledge, such as an app that teaches about letters of the alphabet.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Choose apps that encourage your child to interact with the characters in the app\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and/or with you or other caregivers while engaging with the app.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Cara Goodwin, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, a mother of three and the founder of \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parenting Translator\u003c/a>, a nonprofit newsletter that turns scientific research into information that is accurate, relevant and useful for parents.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>A version of this post was \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/p/can-young-children-actually-learn\">originally published\u003c/a> by Parenting Translator. Sign up for \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the newsletter\u003c/a> and follow Parenting Translator \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/parentingtranslator/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on Instagram\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Parents often hear about the dangers of screen time for children, but rarely does there seem to be a distinction among \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">different types\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of screen time. In particular, apps on smartphones or touchscreen devices for children seem to be growing in popularity, even among young children. In fact, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8200401/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that 90% of children aged 2 to 3 years use a touchscreen device and that infants and toddlers on average spend 10 to 45 min per day on touchscreen devices.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Many apps claim to be “educational” and some apps are used as part of the curriculum in elementary school classrooms and even in early childhood education centers. Yet, apps for young children are largely unregulated and the number of choices alone may be extremely overwhelming for parents. Can young children actually learn from this technology? Are apps more educational than TV shows and movies? And if parents allow their children to engage with apps, which apps are best?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Can children actually learn from apps?\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research broadly finds that young children can learn from interactive apps, but it remains unclear the extent to which this learning is transferable to the real world. A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02580/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recent meta-analysis\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> based on 36 studies involving 4,206 participants (translation: a meta-analysis combines data from previous studies on a topic which allows you to get a consistent picture across all studies) found that most studies involving children five years and younger show an overall positive impact of touchscreen apps on learning. However, the meta-analysis also found that the findings were mixed. To explain these different findings, the researchers identified several different features of the studies that may have impacted learning, including: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Age\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Older children were more likely to learn from apps than younger children.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Content of the app\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Children were more likely to learn STEM-related concepts, such as math, from apps than non-STEM-related concepts, such as reading. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Comparison group\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Children seemed to learn more from apps when learning from apps was compared to a non-learning task rather than a learning task in another modality, such as on a computer or in person. In other words, while this research provides strong evidence that children can learn from apps, it doesn’t provide as strong of evidence that they learn better from apps than from other modalities, although overall the researchers did find that apps provide an advantage to learning over traditional classroom teaching, mouse-based computers, paper, physical objects, and passively watching something on a touchscreen device. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A 2020 \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-split/145/1/e20191579/36974/Apps-As-Learning-Tools-A-Systematic-Review\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">systematic review\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (translation: a review that uses a specific method for finding and summarizing all previous research on a topic) in the journal \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pediatrics\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also found that children under 6 years old can learn from interactive apps. Again, the researchers found that apps seem to be particularly effective in teaching math skills. They also found some evidence that apps may improve phonics skills, teach science facts and improve executive functioning, although in these areas the findings were more mixed or limited studies were available). The researchers even found that in some cases learning from interactive apps exceeded learning from traditional modes of instruction in the classroom. The review failed to find evidence that apps improved social communication skills, although more research is needed on this topic. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01108/full?\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also suggests that interactive apps may be linked with improved motor skills. Specifically, toddlers who are exposed to touchscreens at younger ages have more advanced fine motor skills. However, this effect was only found for children who were actively interacting with the touchscreen, not simply watching videos. No relationship, either positive or negative, was found between touchscreen use and gross motor or language development.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Do children transfer learning from apps to the real world?\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Although we have consistent evidence that young children can learn from apps, it remains unclear the extent to which they can transfer this knowledge to the real world. It is well documented that young children (particularly children under 3) do not learn as well from video as they do from real life interactions and do not transfer learning from video to real life, which is referred to as the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022096522001837#b0005\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“video deficit\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">.” However, there is some evidence that children \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">can\u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> transfer learning \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/desc.12430\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">when screen time is more interactive such as in FaceTime or video chat.\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> This raises the possibility that younger children may be more likely to transfer learning from apps to the real world (assuming the app has an interactive feature). \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2821208/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that 15-month-olds can learn how to do a simple task in an interactive app but they have difficulty transferring that learning to the real world. They also have difficulty applying what they learned in the real world to an app. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://elp.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/JECPMoser-et-al-2015.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Further research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that even 2.5 to 3 year olds do not transfer learning from an app to the real world (or from the real world to an app). \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01586/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Another study\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that 4- to 6-year-olds, but not 3-year-olds, transferred learning on problem-solving tasks from an app to real life and learned just as well from an app as from a physical demonstration. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, research finds that younger children may be able to transfer learning from an app when an adult engages in the app with them and provides help and support as needed. For example, when the task with 15-month-olds was repeated with an adult helping, the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01264/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">researchers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> found that the toddlers showed improved transfer of learning and were \u003c/span>\u003ci>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">19 times \u003c/span>\u003c/i>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">more likely to transfer learning if a parent used “high interactional quality” (meaning the parent was structuring the task for the child, using a lot of different language, and providing warmth and encouragement). \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/am-pdf/10.1111/cdev.12683\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also finds that more subtle involvement from adults helps 2.5- to 3-year-olds to transfer learning. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eZ27n7hSHshiHO-3IIDnGZ7duCU3bd_r/view\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that even 5- and 6-year-olds show enhanced learning when an adult engages in an app with them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Do children learn better from apps or from videos?\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So the research suggests that children have trouble transferring learning from apps to the real world, just like they do with videos, but does the interactive nature of apps help to enhance the quality of learning, suggesting that parents may want to choose apps over passive TV watching?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02580/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is mixed with some studies finding enhanced learning from apps and some studies finding enhanced learning from videos. Although \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heather-Kirkorian-2/publication/299986332_Touch_or_Watch_to_Learn_Toddlers'_Object_Retrieval_Using_Contingent_and_Noncontingent_Video/links/570b12c008aea66081376187/Touch-or-Watch-to-Learn-Toddlers-Object-Retrieval-Using-Contingent-and-Noncontingent-Video.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">some research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that the interactive nature of apps versus passive shows enhanced learning, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01377/full\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">other research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> finds that the interactive features of apps may interfere with learning because it may overtax children’s attention and executive functioning skills, making it difficult for them to learn and interact with the app at the same time. \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Heather-Kirkorian-2/publication/299986332_Touch_or_Watch_to_Learn_Toddlers'_Object_Retrieval_Using_Contingent_and_Noncontingent_Video/links/570b12c008aea66081376187/Touch-or-Watch-to-Learn-Toddlers-Object-Retrieval-Using-Contingent-and-Noncontingent-Video.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> also suggests that the interactive nature of the app should be related to what the app is trying to teach rather than irrelevant to the teaching (for example, the toddler must touch where they believe an object is hidden rather than touch anywhere on the screen). There is also \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00578/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Psychology&id=220771\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">some evidence\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> that girls may learn more from certain ways of interacting with apps while boys learn more from watching. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>How can parents identify the most educational apps? \u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">So, research finds that it is possible for children to learn from apps and that engaging in apps with them may enhance the transfer of learning to the real world, but does this mean they can learn from just any app? How can you determine which apps are truly educational?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://kathyhirshpasek.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2021/03/How-educational-are-educational-apps-for-young-children-App-store-content-analysis-using-the-Four-Pillars-of-Learning-framework.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">recent study\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> evaluated 124 popular “educational” apps and found that 58% of popular apps were “low quality” in terms of how they promote learning.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The researchers evaluated apps based on the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://hubscher.org/roland/courses/hf765/readings/hirsh-pasek.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Four Pillars” of early learning\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, which include:\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Active learning\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – whether the app requires critical thinking or intellectual effort versus a simple cause-and-effect\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Engagement in the learning process\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – whether the interactive features enhance or distract from learning, including whether the app has unnecessary visual and sound effects and distracting ads\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Meaningful learning\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – how relevant what the child is learning in the app is to the child’s life and existing knowledge\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Social interaction\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> – the extent to which the app encourages children to interact with characters in the app or with their caregivers while engaging with the app\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The researchers found that the following apps received the highest scores in terms of promoting learning: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Food – Nutrition for Kids\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Daniel Tiger’s Stop & Go Potty\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Life (Neighborhood, School and Hospital)\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">LEGO DUPLO Town\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Zoombinis\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The following apps also received relatively high scores: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bible App for Kids: Read the Nativity Story\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Farming Simulator 18\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Lab: Elements\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Hair Salon 3\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Life: World\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Toca Kitchen 2\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">My Very Hungry Caterpillar AR\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Melody Jams\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sago Mini Holiday Trucks and Diggers\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sago Mini Friends\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stellarium Mobile Sky Map\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Star Walk – Night Sky Guide: Planets and Stars Map\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brio World – Railway\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Noggin Preschool\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">SkyView Lite\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A recent \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-split/145/1/e20191579/36974/Apps-As-Learning-Tools-A-Systematic-Review\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">systematic review\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of educational apps for young children also found that children can learn from the following apps: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Measure That Animal\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Math Shelf\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Know Number Free\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Endless Alphabet\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Letter School\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">First Word Sampler\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Word Wall HD\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pocket Phonics\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Skills Builder Spelling\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Phonic Monster 1\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">ABC Touch and Learn\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Bee Sees\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kindergarten Lite\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Starfall\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Super Why\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17482798.2020.1844776\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> has also found no difference in the educational quality of free versus paid apps, so don’t feel like you need to spend a fortune to get high-quality apps for your child. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Overall translation\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research suggests that children can learn from apps yet it is less clear whether they can actually transfer this learning to the real world. However, not all apps are truly educational, and parents, caregivers and teachers should carefully evaluate apps based on the research-backed principles described above before allowing young children to engage with them. It is also important to note that this research does not address whether there are any negative impacts of learning from apps over learning in “real life” such as potential disruptions to sleep, myopia (nearsightedness which may be developed due to excessive screen time), a lack of physical activity, or the potential “addictive” nature of some of these apps. Excessive use of even the most “educational” apps will likely have negative impacts. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This research also provides the following tips for parents related to apps: \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>If possible, wait until your child is at least 3 years old before trying educational apps. \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Research finds that although children younger than 3 can learn within an app, they may be less likely to apply this knowledge to the real world. \u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Engage in apps with your child.\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Provide some help and assistance without doing the task for them. Help the child to understand the instructions and pay attention to relevant features.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When engaging with apps together, \u003c/span>\u003cb>use a lot of language to help to explain the task to the child. \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Offer frequent praise and encouragement.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Choose apps that require the child to think critically\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> rather than simple cause-and-effect, such as an app in which they have to choose the correct answer rather than an app in which they simply press a button and an animation plays.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Avoid apps with irrelevant or excessive features or advertisements \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">that are not related to the learning process.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Look for apps that teach children skills that they can easily transfer to real life \u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">and that are related to their existing knowledge, such as an app that teaches about letters of the alphabet.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cb>Choose apps that encourage your child to interact with the characters in the app\u003c/b>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and/or with you or other caregivers while engaging with the app.\u003c/span>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Cara Goodwin, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, a mother of three and the founder of \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parenting Translator\u003c/a>, a nonprofit newsletter that turns scientific research into information that is accurate, relevant and useful for parents.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
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