What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
  • 4.7 (89)
  • Education

What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures is a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (formerly known as The Brain Architects). This season, we explore how our understanding of early childhood development continues to evolve—and what that means for children, caregivers, and the systems that shape their lives. We take a close look at the relationships, communities, and broader conditions that influence how children live, grow, play, and learn, and share real examples and strategies for how communities and systems can work to create conditions that support children's and caregivers’ health and well-being. Subscribe now to What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures.

  1. 4d ago

    Coming Soon: What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures

    The Center on the Developing Child is excited to relaunch its podcast with a new name and a new season, exploring how understanding of early childhood development continues to evolve and what that means for children, caregivers, and the systems that shape their lives. As the Center celebrates its 20th year, co-Executive Director and podcast host Tassy Warren sits down with co-Executive Director Gillian Najarian and new Faculty Director Stephanie Jones to reflect on how the field of early childhood development has evolved and the Center’s role in helping to shift the narrative around early childhood over the last two decades. Their conversation explores the Center’s beginnings, its role in connecting research to policy and practice, and its impact on the broader field. Gillian will share memories from the Center’s earliest days and the factors that have shaped the Center’s success, while Stephanie reflects on her long history with the Center, its impact on the field of early childhood development, the opportunities that lie ahead, and the ways the field has changed over the past 20 years.

    Coming Soon: What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures

  2. Aug 20

    Strengthening Stability: Actionable Strategies to Support Young Children and Caregivers

    In this episode of the Brain Architects, we explore how stability across multiple domains shapes healthy development for young children and their caregivers. Drawing on insights from the latest working paper from the Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment, From Resources to Routines: The Importance of Stability in the Developmental Environment, this conversation examines how interconnected systems—including housing, employment, health care, education, and community supports—can help create, maintain, and restore stability. The webinar highlights complementary frameworks, including the Urban Institute’s Web of Stabilizing Supports and EMPath's Economic Mobility Bridge, to explore how families experience stability across different aspects of daily life. Panelists share examples of how organizations, systems, and communities can work together to strengthen stability, support economic mobility, and promote healthy development for children and caregivers.

    Strengthening Stability: Actionable Strategies to Support Young Children and Caregivers

  3. May 6

    Why Stability Matters for Early Childhood Development

    In this episode of The Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Nathaniel Harnett, PhD, and Natalie Slopen, ScD, drawing on insights from the new working paper From Resources to Routines: The Importance of Stability in the Developmental Environment. The discussion explores how stability across children’s developmental environments shapes their well-being both in the moment and across the lifespan. They examine the science behind how predictable, supportive relationships and environments influence brain development, stress responses, and long-term health outcomes. Building on this understanding, this episode highlights practical strategies to promote stability for young children and their caregivers, from strengthening consistent, responsive relationships to advancing policies and systems that support stable caregiving environments.

    Why Stability Matters for Early Childhood Development

  4. 11/17/2025

    Connecting Early Childhood Development to Climate Change

    In this episode of the Brain Architects, Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, Lindsey Burghardt, our Chief Science Officer; Margot Brown, Senior Vice President of Justice & Equity at the Environmental Defense Fund; and Jaclyn Roessel, President and CEO of Grownup Navajo, dive into the findings and recommendations from this report as well as their own experience and expertise. This conversation explores a new report from the Center, created in collaboration with the Frameworks Institute and the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment--or C-CHANGE--at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The new report shows that, despite the risk of long-term harm for children, children are not a major focus of climate-related policy or media coverage. The report also provides evidence-based strategies for bringing children into the conversation to help ensure they can thrive in a changing climate.

    Connecting Early Childhood Development to Climate Change

  5. 11/17/2025

    Communicating the Relationship Between Place, Racism, and Early Childhood Development

    In this episode of the Brain Architects, Dr. Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, our Chief Science Officer, and Dr. Leah Austin, President and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, dive into the findings and recommendations from the latest report, created in collaboration with the Frameworks Institute. This conversation explores research-based messaging strategies for talking about the connections between place, racism, and early childhood development. It includes actionable recommendations that communicators can use and adapt in their own work to help strengthen public understanding, shift outdated narratives, and help mobilize support for systems and policies that ensure children and their caregivers have what they need to thrive.

    Communicating the Relationship Between Place, Racism, and Early Childhood Development

  6. 11/03/2025

    Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life

    In this episode of the Brain Architects, the Center’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, talked with Jennifer B. Wallace, award-winning journalist, and founder of the Mattering Institute who has written extensively on the topic of mattering. The Center on the Developing Child recently collaborated with Jennifer on a new working paper: "Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life." You'll learn more about the science we explore in the new paper, including what mattering means, the powerful effects of mattering in early childhood, and strategies for building a sense of mattering in our children. We hope you enjoy this conversation.

    Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life

  7. 09/29/2025

    Protecting Young Children From the Impacts of Wildfires

    In this episode of the Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Joseph G. Allen, DSc, MPH, associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program, and Sujeet Rao, Director of the Health and Wellbeing practice for USC’s Public Exchange, on how wildfire smoke is affecting children’s health and development. The discussion explores why wildfire smoke has become a growing concern for children across the US—not just in fire zones—and highlights what communities can do to reduce exposure and support healthy development in the face of this increasing environmental challenge.

    Protecting Young Children From the Impacts of Wildfires

  8. 08/11/2025

    How Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health

    In this episode of The Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Alison Lee, MD, MS, and Joseph Allen, DSc, MPH, on how air quality during pregnancy and early childhood impacts lifelong health and development. The discussion has a special focus on indoor air, where we spend more than 90% of our time. They cover science-informed, practical strategies to improve indoor air, from adopting pollutant-free products and ventilation systems to advancing policy changes and building designs that prioritize health. They also offer resources for taking action in your community to ensure children and their caregivers have cleaner air to breathe.

    How Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health
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4.7
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About

What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures is a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University (formerly known as The Brain Architects). This season, we explore how our understanding of early childhood development continues to evolve—and what that means for children, caregivers, and the systems that shape their lives. We take a close look at the relationships, communities, and broader conditions that influence how children live, grow, play, and learn, and share real examples and strategies for how communities and systems can work to create conditions that support children's and caregivers’ health and well-being. Subscribe now to What Shapes Us: Strong Foundations, Thriving Futures.

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