22 episodes
The Brain Architects Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
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- Science
Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation. By improving children’s environments, relationships, and experiences early in life, society can address many costly problems, including incarceration, homelessness, and the failure to complete high school. But if you’re a parent, caregiver, teacher, or someone who works with children every day, you may be wondering, “Where do I start?!” From brain architecture to toxic stress to serve and return, The Brain Architects, a new podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, will explore what we can do during this incredibly important period to ensure that all children have a strong foundation for future development. Listen to the trailer, and subscribe now!
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The Brain Architects Podcast: Extreme Heat & Early Childhood Development: A Discussion on Rising Temperatures and Strategies for Supporting Development and Lifelong Health
Contents
Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
In April 2024, we hosted a webinar where we explored the science from our latest working paper, Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health. The Center’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, joined by Dr. Kari Nadeau, Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, brought the latest research and insights from the field to discuss the intersection of heat, early childhood development, and health equity. They also discussed actionable solutions to benefit children, caregivers, and communities now and in the future. The webinar discussion has been adapted for this episode of the Brain Architects podcast.
Panelists
Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAPChief Science Officer, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Kari Nadeau, MD, PhDChair of the Department of Environmental Health, Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Rebecca Hansen, MFA (Webinar Host)Director of Communications, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Cameron Seymour-Hawkins (Podcast Host)Communications Coordinator, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Additional Resources
Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health
Heat: An Action Guide for Policy
Webinar Recording: Extreme Heat and Early Childhood Development
Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development
Place Matters: What Surrounds Us Shapes Us
Transcript
Cameron Seymour-Hawkins: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m Cameron Seymour-Hawkins, the Center’s Communications Coordinator. Our Center believes that advances in the science of child development provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and their caregivers. By sharing the latest science from the field, we hope to help you make that science actionable and apply it in your work in ways that can increase your impact.
In April, we hosted a webinar where we explored the science from our latest working paper, Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health.
The Center’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, joined by Dr. Kari Nadeau, Chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, brought the latest research and insights from the field to discuss the intersection of heat, early childhood development, and health equity. They also discussed actionable solutions to benefit children, caregivers, and communities now and in the future.
We’re excited to share this conversation on today’s episode of the Brain Architects.
Now, without further ado, here’s Rebecca Hansen, the Center’s Director of Communications, who will set the stage for our conversation.
Rebecca Hansen: Hello, everyone, and welcome. We're very happy to have you all with us for today's webinar, Extreme Heat and Early Childhood Development: A discussion on rising temperatures and strategies for supporting development and lifelong health. Whether you're joining us for the first time or have been a regular at our webinars here at the Center on the Developing Child, we are very happy to have you with us today.
So, today's webinar is grounded in the first working paper from the Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment. The council is a multidisciplinary group that synthesizes and communicates about emerging science that can help to improve our understanding of how influences from the broader environment affect earl... -
A Place to Play: Moving Towards Fairness of Place for All Children
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Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
In March 2024, we continued our Place Matters webinar series with our third installment: “A Place to Play: Moving Towards Fairness of Place for All Children.” During the webinar, we explored the power of play in supporting early childhood development, as well as the importance of ensuring that children and caregivers have access to safe green spaces, like parks and playgrounds. Our panel of experts discussed how access to safe, stimulating, and joyful play space is not equally distributed across communities, along with strategies to work toward building a future where all children have a safe place to play. The webinar discussion has been adapted for this episode of the Brain Architects podcast.
Panelists
Leah Anyanwu (Moderator)Programme Specialist, Children on the Move, Children's Learning and Development, The LEGO Foundation
Cynthia Briscoe BrownAtlanta Board of Education Seat 8 At Large
Kathy Hirsh-PasekProfessor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Temple University; Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute
Lysa RatlifChief Executive Officer, KABOOM!
Le-Quyen VuExecutive Director, Indochinese American Council
Melissa Rivard (Webinar Host)Director of Engagement Strategies, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Cameron Seymour-Hawkins (Podcast Host)Communications Coordinator, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Additional Resources
Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development
Presentation Slides
Playful Learning Landscapes
KABOOM!
Atlanta Community School Parks Initiative
LEGO Foundation
Indochinese American Council
Transcript
Cameron Seymour-Hawkins: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m Cameron Seymour-Hawkins, the Center’s Communications Coordinator. Our Center believes that advances in the science of child development provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and their caregivers. By sharing the latest science from the field, we hope to help you make that science actionable and apply it in your work in ways that can increase your impact.
In March, we continued our Place Matters webinar series with our third installment: “A Place to Play: Moving Towards Fairness of Place for All Children.” During the webinar, we explored how play and a family’s access to safe green spaces, like parks and playgrounds, support early development. Our panel of experts discussed how access to safe, stimulating, and joyful play space is not equally distributed along with strategies to work toward building a future where all children have a safe place to play. We’re excited to share part of this conversation on today’s episode of the Brain Architects podcast.
If you’re interested in in seeing some examples of community-led solutions to address gaps in play space equity presented by Lysa Ratliff of KABOOM and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek of Playful Learning Landscapes, we encourage you to head over to our YouTube channel to view the full webinar recording.
Now, without further ado, here’s Melissa Rivard, the Center’s Assistant Director of Innovation Strategies, who will set the stage for our conversation.
Melissa Rivard: Welcome and thank you all so much for joining us today. It's really gratifying to have so many of you showing up for this really important topic. So thank you. I'm Melissa Rivard, Assistant Director of Innovation Strategies and I will be your host today. -
A New Lens on Poverty: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States
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Podcast
Additional Resources
Transcript
In December 2023, we continued our Place Matters webinar series with our second installment: “Understanding Racism’s Impact on Child Development: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States.” During the webinar, Stephanie Curenton, PhD, Nathaniel Harnett, PhD, Mavis Sanders, PhD, and Natalie Slopen, ScD, discussed their latest research, exploring how racism gets “under the skin” to impact children’s development and how it contributes to unequal access to opportunity in the places where children live, grow, play, and learn. Together, they explored ways to dismantle systemic barriers and work toward solutions that promote healthy child development. The webinar discussion has been adapted for this episode of the Brain Architects podcast.
Additional Resources
Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development
Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children’s Potential
Priorities for Child Trends’ Applied Research Agenda on Black Children and Families - Child Trends
A Bibliographic Tool on Protective Community Resources for Children and Youth - Child Trends
Black Children and Youth Can Benefit From Focused Research on Protective Community Resources - Child Trends
Black Adolescents Are More Likely to Flourish in Neighborhoods Featuring Four Key Amenities - Child Trends
Transcript
Cameron Seymour-Hawkins: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m Cameron Seymour-Hawkins, the Center’s Communications Coordinator.Our Center believes that advances in the science of child development provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and their caregivers. By sharing the latest science from the field, we hope to help you make that science actionable and apply it in your work in ways that can increase your impact.
In December, we continued our Place Matters webinar series with our second installment: “Understanding Racism’s Impact on Child Development: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States.” During the webinar, Doctors Stephanie Curenton, Nathaniel Harnett, Mavis Sanders, and Natalie Slopen, discussed their latest research, exploring how racism gets “under the skin” to impact children’s development and how it contributes to unequal access to opportunity in the places where children live, grow, play, and learn. Together, they explored ways to dismantle systemic barriers and work toward solutions that promote healthy child development. We’re excited to share this conversation on today’s episode of the Brain Architects podcast.
Now, without further ado, here’s Tassy Warren, the Center’s Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer, who will set the stage for our conversation.
Tassy Warren: Hello. Welcome to today's webinar. Understanding Racism's Impact on Child Development. Working towards fairness of place in the United States. We're so excited to bring you into this conversation. Whether you're joining us for the first time or are a regular to the Center on the Developing Child, thank you for being here today. This webinar is part of our Place Matters Webinar series. The series is designed to expand upon our Center's recent work on how influences from our environments, particularly the built in natural environments, play a role in shaping early childhood development beginning before birth. Throughout this series, we're highlighting scientific and community expertise and offering strategies to work towards fairness of place and to create the conditions that will allow all children to thrive. -
A New Lens on Poverty: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States
Contents
Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
In the fall of 2023, we kicked off our three-part Place Matters webinar series with our first installment: “A New Lens on Poverty: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States.” The webinar discussion featured the work of Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAP, whose research uncovered the water crisis in Flint, H. Luke Shaefer, PhD, co-author of the new book The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America, and their groundbreaking new program, RxKids, an innovative effort to address child poverty and improve health equity. This conversation, moderated by our Chief Science Officer, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, has been adapted for the Brain Architects podcast.
Panelists
Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, FAAPFounding Director, Pediatric Public Health Initiative
H. Luke Shaefer, PhDProfessor of Public Policy and Director of Policy Solutions, University of Michigan
Lindsey C. Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP (Moderator)Chief Science Officer, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Rebecca Hansen, MFA (Webinar Host)Director of Communications, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Amelia Johnson (Podcast Host)Communications Specialist, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Additional Resources
Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development
RxKids
The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America
What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City
Transcript
Amelia Johnson: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m Amelia Johnson, the Center’s Communications Specialist. Our Center believes that advances in the science of child development provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and their caregivers. By sharing the latest science from the field, we hope to help you make that science actionable and apply it in your work in ways that can increase your impact.
In October, we kicked off our three-part Place Matters webinar series with our first installment: “A New Lens on Poverty: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States.” During the webinar, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, our Chief Science Officer, moderated a discussion between Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, whose research uncovered the water crisis in Flint, and H. Luke Shaefer, co-author of the new book The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America. The resulting explores how the qualities of the places where people live are shaped by historic and current policies, which have created deep disadvantage across many communities with important implications for the health and development of the children who live there. We’re happy to share these insights with you all on today’s episode.
Now, without further ado, here’s Rebecca Hansen, the Center’s Director of Communications, who will set the stage with a brief overview of the webinar series.
Rebecca Hansen: Alright, hello, everyone. My name is Rebecca Hansen, and I'm the Director of Communications here at the Center on the Developing Child. And I'm very excited to welcome you all to today's webinar, A New Lens on Poverty: Working Toward Fairness of Place in the United States. This webinar is the first in an ongoing series designed to examine the many ways that a child's broader environment, including the built and natural environments, as well as the systemic factors that shape those environments, -
Place Matters
Contents
Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
In June, we hosted a webinar about our latest Working Paper, Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development, which examines how a wide range of conditions in the places where children live, grow, play, and learn can shape how children develop. The paper examines the many ways in which the built and natural environment surrounding a child can affect their development, emphasizes how the latest science can help deepen our understanding, and points towards promising opportunities to re-design environments so that all children can grow up in homes and neighborhoods free of hazards and rich with opportunity. Corey Zimmerman, our Chief Program Officer, moderated a discussion around these themes between Dr. Lindsey Burghardt (Chief Science Officer) and Dr. Dominique Lightsey-Joseph (Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy) which has been adapted for this episode of the Brain Architects podcast.
Panelists
Tassy Warren, EdM (Podcast Host)Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Corey Zimmerman, EdM (Moderator)Chief Program Officer, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Lindsey C. Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAPChief Science Officer, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Dominique Lightsey-Joseph, EdD, EdMDirector of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (EDIB) Strategy, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Additional Resources
Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development
Place Matters: An Action Guide for Policy
Place Matters: What Surrounds Us Shapes Us
Child Opportunity Index (COI)
Healthy School Environments - US Environmental Protection Agency
Transcript
Tassy Warren: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m Tassy Warren, the Center’s Deputy Director and Chief Strategy Officer. Our Center believes that advances in the science of child development provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and their caregivers. By sharing the latest science from the field, we hope to help you make that science actionable and apply it in your work in ways that can increase your impact.
In June, we hosted a webinar about our latest Working Paper, Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundations of Healthy Development, which examines how a wide range of conditions in the places where children live, grow, play, and learn can shape how childre
During the webinar, Corey Zimmerman, our Chief Program Officer, moderated a discussion around these themes between Dr. Lindsey Burghardt (Chief Science Officer) and Dr. Dominique Lightsey-Joseph (Director of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy) which we're happy to share with you all on today’s episode. To access the full Working Paper and related publications, please visit our website at developingchild.harvard.edu.
Now, without further ado, here’s Corey Zimmerman.
Corey Zimmerman: Hi, everybody. Welcome. I'm Corey Zimmerman. I'm the Chief Program Officer here at the Center on the Developing Child, and today we're going to be discussing a paper, the name of it is Place Matters: The Environment We Create Shapes the Foundation of Healthy Development. This paper was written by our National Scientific Council on Developing Child and was released earlier this year in March. -
IDEAS Framework Toolkit
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Podcast
Panelists
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Transcript
In April, we hosted a webinar about the recently released IDEAS Impact Framework Toolkit—a free online resource designed to help innovators in the field of early childhood build improved programs and products that are positioned to achieve greater impact in their communities. During the webinar, we provided an overview of the site and had the opportunity to hear from two organizations in the field about how they leveraged the toolkit and its resources to shape their work: Valley Settlement and Raising a Reader. This episode of the Brain Architects podcast features highlights from the webinar. If you’re interested in hearing a full walk through of the toolkit by the Director of our Pediatric Innovation Initiative, Dr. Melanie Berry, please head over to our YouTube channel to view the full webinar recording.
Panelists
Aeshna Badruzzaman, PhD (Moderator)Senior Project Manager for Instructional Design, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Melanie Berry, PsyDDirector of the Pediatric Innovation Initiative, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Sally Boughton, MNMDirector of Development & Communications at Valley Settlement
Andres Garcia Lopez, EdM, MBASenior Project Manager, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Karla ReyesProgram Manager of El Busesito Mobile Preschool Program at Valley Settlement
Michelle Sioson HymanSenior Vice President, Programs and Partnerships at Raising a Reader
Corey Zimmerman, EdM (Podcast Host)Chief Program Officer, Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
Additional Resources
IDEAS Framework Toolkit
Valley Settlement
Raising a Reader
Transcript
Corey Zimmerman: Welcome to the Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm Corey Zimmerman, the Center's Chief Program Officer. Our Center believes that advances in the science of child development provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and their caregivers. By sharing the latest science from the field, we hope to help you make that science actionable, and apply it in your work in ways that can increase your impact.
With that goal in mind, the Center recently released the IDEAS Impact Framework Toolkit—a free online resource designed to help innovators in the field of early childhood build improved programs and products that are positioned to achieve greater impact in their communities. The Toolkit is self-guided, self-paced, and provides a structured and flexible approach that facilitates program development, evaluation, and fast-cycle iteration, including resources to help teams develop and investigate a clear and precise Theory of Change.
In April, we hosted a webinar about the toolkit, where we provided an overview of the site and had the opportunity to hear from teams at several organizations in the field about how they leveraged the toolkit and its resources to shape their work. We’re excited to share those discussions with you here on this episode of the Brain Architects podcast. If you’re interested in hearing a full walk through of the toolkit, by the Director of our Pediatric Innovation Initiative, Dr. Melanie Berry, please head over to our YouTube channel to view the full webinar recording. You’ll also hear from Dr. Melanie Berry during the Q&A portion.
The full IDEAS toolkit we’ll be talking about today can be found at ideas.developingchild.harvard.edu. And now, without further ado, here’s Dr. Aeshna Badruzzaman,
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