Early Matters

Center on Child and Family Policy
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Society & Culture
  • Updated Semiweekly

Early Matters is the podcast of the Center on Child and Family Policy, exploring the science and policy of early childhood. Hosted by Dr. Katharine Stevens, the show features engaging, in-depth conversations with a diverse range of leading researchers, practitioners, and policy experts on what matters most to help young children and their families thrive. The Center on Child and Family Policy (CCFP) is a non-partisan think tank based in Washington DC, dedicated to advancing science-driven policy that gives every child the strongest start possible. Visit our website at www.ccfp.org and join the conversation on Twitter: @_CCFP and @kbstevens. Please support Early Matters by subscribing, rating, and writing a review!RSSVERIFY

  1. 10/24/2024

    Empowering Parents with Tech: How SC Revolutionized Access to Early Childhood Services (with Georgia Mjartan)

    Georgia Mjartan joined Early Matters to highlight First Five SC, a pioneering, tech-driven solution transforming how parents in South Carolina access essential services for children under five. Developed by South Carolina First Steps under Georgia's leadership, First Five SC streamlines access to publicly funded services like healthcare, childcare, and nutritional support through an innovative, user-friendly website.  Before First Five SC, parents had to navigate a confusing and frustrating maze of government bureaucracy to get the help they needed. Now, the initiative provides a simple, centralized digital entry point, cutting through the red tape and putting families at the center of government services.   The impact has been remarkable. In its first year, over 137,000 families visited the platform, leading to more than 2,400 completed applications. First Five SC was also recognized for its success at the 27th Annual Webby Awards, an internationally respected honor for excellence on the internet.  Other states are taking note. With support from the newly launched First Five for All initiative, states like Nevada are adopting the model to better serve their communities. By making access to early childhood services more efficient, First Five SC is setting a new standard for how government can better support families.  About the Guest Georgia Mjartan is the president and CEO of the Central Carolina Community Foundation. Previously, she served for seven years as executive director of South Carolina First Steps, ensuring that the state’s young children are prepared for school, healthy, and supported by their parents and community. Before joining First Steps, Georgia served for 12 years as executive director of Our House in Little Rock, Arkansas, an anti-poverty program empowering low-income and homeless families and individuals to succeed in the workforce, school, and life.  Georgia has been recognized for her work by Southern Living Magazine, which named her one of the 2016 “Southerners of the Year.” She has also been named “Nonprofit Executive of the Year,” “Arkansan of the Year,” and a “Woman of Influence” by business journals in Arkansas and South Carolina.   Relevant Links South Carolina First Steps:  https://www.scfirststeps.org First 5 SC:   https://first5sc.org First Five for All:   https://www.first5forall.org --------------------------------------- Subscribe to Early Matters: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3EgluC8 Apple: https://apple.co/3qIp7Ol iHeart: https://ihr.fm/44oFE7R Follow Us on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/_CCFP and https://twitter.com/kbstevens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-on-child-and-family-policy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centeronchildandfamilypolicy See the Center on Child and Family Policy's Work: www.ccfp.org Sign Up for Updates: https://www.ccfp.org/sign-up-for-ccfp-updates Email the Show: EarlyMatters@ccfp.org. ------------------------------------

  2. 06/05/2024

    Why We Need A “GI Bill for Homemakers” (with Ivana Greco)

    Ivana Greco joined the podcast to discuss her proposal for a "GI Bill for Homemakers," targeting mothers and fathers who dedicate themselves to the crucial work of home and community. She compares the career trajectories of Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and William Rehnquist to illuminate obstacles faced by homemakers who are re-entering the paid workforce, arguing that we should treat those who spend time on the “home front” with the kind of support and respect we treat those who serve in the military.   Greco suggests two main policy areas: providing educational opportunities for parents re-entering the workforce and incentivizing employers to hire those who have been out of the workforce caring for children. Finally, she emphasizes that, in addition to the important work of raising children and caring for the home, homemakers also play a vital role in nurturing community bonds and fostering social interaction. She notes that the mass entry of women into the workforce led to less vibrant communities, underscoring the limitations of a GDP-centric view of societal success. More info HERE About the Guest After graduating cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2011, Ivana Greco spent a decade working as a successful attorney, specializing in qualified retirement-plan advising and healthcare litigation. A couple of years ago, she left her paid employment to work as a full-time mother of her three children, caring for a toddler and homeschooling her two young sons. She is also a writer, publishing regularly on family policy and other issues that impact stay-at-home parents, and serves on the Center on Child and Family Policy’s advisory council.  --------------------------------------- Subscribe to Early Matters: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3EgluC8 Apple: https://apple.co/3qIp7Ol iHeart: https://ihr.fm/44oFE7R Follow Us on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/_CCFP and https://twitter.com/kbstevens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-on-child-and-family-policy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centeronchildandfamilypolicy See the Center on Child and Family Policy's Work: www.ccfp.org Sign Up for Updates: https://www.ccfp.org/sign-up-for-ccfp-updates Email the Show: EarlyMatters@ccfp.org. ------------------------------------

  3. 05/09/2024

    Child Care: What Parents Want — What Children Need (with Jenet Erickson)

    Leading family researcher Jenet Erickson joined Early Matters to discuss the complex role of childcare in child, maternal, and family well-being. Erickson describes the evolving landscape of work and family life, with important shifts in both women’s and men’s roles within the home and the workforce. She expresses concern about growing policy momentum towards universal childcare, emphasizing the importance of aligning childcare policies with the preferences and needs of families. ...

  4. 03/01/2024

    The Miracle of Language: How Parents Build Babies' Brains (with Dana Suskind)

    Dr. Dana Suskind, a pediatric surgeon and early childhood expert, discusses the transformative power of nurturing language environments in children's development and the vital role parents play as architects of their children’s brains. Highlights of the conversation include:  Starting at birth, the back-and-forth exchanges between parents and young children, both verbal and nonverbal, form the building blocks of brain development. Through nurturing talk and interaction, parents shape children's capacity in a broad range of areas, including literacy, math, spatial reasoning, behavior regulation, ability to cope with stress, perseverance, and even moral development. Pediatricians should play a much larger role in helping parents understand their powerful influence on their child's development, starting at birth. A public health approach to early childhood that integrates perinatal care and pediatric practice could greatly improve early development outcomes. Artificial-intelligence "assistants" will soon have the capacity to provide responsive, back-and-forth interaction in both home and childcare settings. Yet, we must proceed with caution in using AI with young children. Scientists do not fully understand the underlying processes of foundational brain development, and this kind of new technology could potentially change the architecture of children's rapidly-forming human brains.  Relevant Work Parent Nation: Unlocking Every Child's Potential, Fulfilling Society's Promise Thirty Million Words: Building a Child's Brain  About the Guest   Dr. Dana Suskind is a pediatric surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center who specializes in hearing loss and cochlear implantation. She is also a social scientist and nationally-recognized thought leader in children's early language development. Dr. Suskind directs the University of Chicago Medical Center's Pediatric Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implant program. She is the founder and co-director of the TMW Center for Early Learning + Public Health, which aims to create a population-level shift in the knowledge and behavior of parents to better support their children's foundational brain development from birth to age three, especially those born into poverty.  --------------------------------------- Subscribe to Early Matters: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3EgluC8 Apple: https://apple.co/3qIp7Ol iHeart: https://ihr.fm/44oFE7R Follow Us on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/_CCFP and https://twitter.com/kbstevens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-on-child-and-family-policy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centeronchildandfamilypolicy See the Center on Child and Family Policy's Work: www.ccfp.org Sign Up for Updates: https://www.ccfp.org/sign-up-for-ccfp-updates Email the Show: EarlyMatters@ccfp.org. ------------------------------------

  5. 02/01/2024

    Why Homemakers Matter (with Ivana Greco)

    Summary Katharine talks with Ivana Greco about her unusual path from successful, Harvard-educated attorney to full-time "stay-at-home mom," caring for her toddler and homeschooling her two young sons. Their conversation illuminates the often-overlooked societal importance and personal fulfillment of full-time parenting. Key points include: Why Ivana dislikes the term "stay-at-home mom" and thinks "homemaker" better characterizes that essential role.The limitations of GDP in capturing th...

  6. 01/10/2024

    The Crucial Role of Nurturing Care in Early Childhood (with Phil Fisher)

    Dr. Phil Fisher discusses his pioneering work on the effects of early stressful experiences on young children’s development. He explains the importance of responsive and sensitive care in early childhood, and how an absence of nurturing care can have long-lasting negative effects on children’s neurobiological and psychological development. He also discusses why the well-being of parents is essential to the well-being of their young children and highlights the negative impact of unpredictabili...

  7. 12/13/2023

    “The Brain Development Revolution”: Early Childhood and Public Policy (with Ross Thompson)

    Ross Thompson, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of California, Davis joins Early Matters to discuss his decades of research in early development, and his new book, The Brain Development Revolution: Science, the Media, and Public Policy. Professor Thompson explains current scientific understanding of developmental neuroscience and the insights it provides into early childhood brain development. He also describes findings from decades of behavioral research ...

  8. 11/22/2023

    Capita’s Approach to Advancing Child and Family Flourishing (with Joe Waters)

    Katharine Stevens is joined by Joe Waters, co-founder and CEO of Capita, to discuss Capita's origins and work to improve the lives of children and families. Waters emphasized the need for a holistic approach to early childhood policy that takes into account the cultural and social transformations impacting young children and their families. He argued that we should pursue a whole-of-government policy approach to child development and human flourishing, rather than a narrow focus on specific programs. Drawing on his background in Catholic social teaching, he also highlighted the importance of creating a more humane economy that prioritizes the well-being of children and families — one “that exists for the person, not the other way around.” KEY TAKEAWAYS *Capita is a think tank focused on exploring how cultural and social transformations impact young children and their families and to fostering new ideas and policies to build a future in which all children and families flourish.   *Joe Waters, Capita's CEO, emphasizes the importance of taking a holistic approach to early childhood policy and considering the broader context in which children and families live.   *He advocates for a whole-of-government policy that prioritizes the flourishing and well-being of young children and their families.   *Finally, he argues that rebuilding a more humane economy is crucial to enabling children, families, and communities to flourish. ABOUT THE GUEST Joe Waters is the co-founder and CEO of Capita, a think tank dedicated to exploring how the cultural and social transformations of our day affect young children and their families, and to fostering new ideas and policies to build a future in which all children and families flourish.  ----------- --------------------------------------- Subscribe to Early Matters: Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3EgluC8 Apple: https://apple.co/3qIp7Ol iHeart: https://ihr.fm/44oFE7R Follow Us on Social Media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/_CCFP and https://twitter.com/kbstevens LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/center-on-child-and-family-policy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centeronchildandfamilypolicy See the Center on Child and Family Policy's Work: www.ccfp.org Sign Up for Updates: https://www.ccfp.org/sign-up-for-ccfp-updates Email the Show: EarlyMatters@ccfp.org. ------------------------------------

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About

Early Matters is the podcast of the Center on Child and Family Policy, exploring the science and policy of early childhood. Hosted by Dr. Katharine Stevens, the show features engaging, in-depth conversations with a diverse range of leading researchers, practitioners, and policy experts on what matters most to help young children and their families thrive. The Center on Child and Family Policy (CCFP) is a non-partisan think tank based in Washington DC, dedicated to advancing science-driven policy that gives every child the strongest start possible. Visit our website at www.ccfp.org and join the conversation on Twitter: @_CCFP and @kbstevens. Please support Early Matters by subscribing, rating, and writing a review!RSSVERIFY

Information

  • Creator
    Center on Child and Family Policy
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Early Matters
  • Show Website
    Early Matters