Videos

Helping you Visualize the Science and See Early Educators in Action

A Note on this Video Collection

This collection of videos includes five videos produced by New America as well as videos from outside organizations, such as the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University; Teachstone; Tap, Click, Read; Interactive STEM at EDC; and the University of Northern Iowa's Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education. The videos can be watched on their own, but they are also embedded throughout this guidebook to be viewed in the context of particular chapters and serve as prompts for deeper discussion among educators, higher education institutions, and policymakers on what it will take to transform the workforce.

The New America videos were directed by Sarah Jackson of HiredPen and edited by Nat Soti of Zero One Projects.

Experiences Build Brain Architecture

From the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

This video (1:56) is part one of a three-part series titled "Three Core Concepts in Early Development" from the Center on the Developing Child. The series depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse. The full series can be viewed on the Center's YouTube channel.

Serve and Return Interaction Builds Brain Circuitry

From the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

This video (1:42) is part two of a three-part series titled "Three Core Concepts in Early Development" from the Center on the Developing Child. The series depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse. The full series can be viewed on the Center's YouTube channel.

Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development

From the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

This video (1:51) is part three of a three-part series titled "Three Core Concepts in Early Development" from the Center on the Developing Child. The series depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse. The full series can be viewed on the Center's YouTube channel.

Teacher-Child Interactions are Critical for Learning

From Teachstone

This video (:44) is part of a longer clip produced by Teachstone, a company that develops professional learning programs and measurement tools for educators, including early educators. It includes commentary from Robert Pianta, dean of the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and co-founder of Teachstone, on the importance of the quality and nature of interactions between teachers and children. Pianta stresses that those interactions are the basis of children's learning and development.

Texas Program Focuses on Helping Adults Foster Children's Language Development

From Tap, Click, Read

This video, produced by New America and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center as part of the multimedia book Tap, Click, Read: Growing Readers in a World of Screens, offers an example of how home visitors, caregivers, teachers, and parents can gain skills in supporting children's language and literacy development. It tells the story of the Play and Learning Strategies (PALS) program developed at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston.

Science Practices Can Be Introduced to Young Children

From the University of Northern Iowa

This video (1:43) focuses on a particular approach, called Ramps and Pathways, that can engage young children in science and engineering practices such as close observation, inquiry, and the conducting of trials to achieve better results. It was produced by the The Regents' Center for Early Developmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa, which has been involved with researching and implementing this approach for several years. Ramps and Pathways is just one example of the research-based approaches that early educators can add to their skillsets as they build competencies as professionals.

Educators Gain Understanding of Math Learning Trajectories

From Interactive STEM

This video (3:21) was produced by Interactive STEM, a group of researchers at the research firm EDC, in collaboration with schools in Auburn, Maine to show the impact of a new approach to teaching math in the early grades of elementary school. In this particular video, educators talk about the significance of learning the progressions that children go through as they learn math concepts and how those progressions (also called trajectories) help them individualize their instruction to foster children's learning. The video also includes examples of how technological tools and digital media can be applied in the context of teaching math.

Omaha Schools Build Continuity from Birth through Third Grade

From New America

This video (6:46) shows what is possible when schools and community leaders work together to provide a continuum of learning for children and families, starting at birth and extending up through age 8 (B—8) and beyond. It focuses on efforts by the Buffett Early Childhood Institute to build linkages and support professional learning among all members of the workforce in various schools in Omaha.

An Oakland School Offers Playgroups and a Resource Center for Families

From New America

This video (5:29) provides an example of how early educators are gaining skills to support families. The playgroups and other programs shown in this video are part of the Lotus Bloom Family Resource Center, which creates physical spaces and develops educational opportunities that enable adults (parents and other caregivers) and children to experience learning together.

Washington P-3 Leadership Program Promotes Connection

From New America

This video (5:20) was produced by New America to show what it looks like to develop a preparation program for leaders that brings together principals and center directors. The video centers on the Washington P-3 Executive Leadership Certificate Program, which also is designed to prompt collaboration in teams within specific communities.

Tulsa Institutions of Higher Ed Revamp Degree Program

From New America

This video (6:43) produced by New America tells the story of how Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa, together with the George Kaiser Family Foundation, created a new bachelor's degree program in early childhood. It was designed to teach developmentally informed practices, be accessible to child care staff members and educators already in the workforce, and provide loan forgiveness to offset costs.

Teacher Stress and Low Compensation Undermine Early Learning

From New America

This video (6:14), produced by New America, zooms in on the significance of the conditions faced by today's early education workforce. In addition to giving voice to the daily experiences of educators, the video features experts from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment who provide national statistics on early educators' low compensation, stress, and depression—all factors that affect the ability of educators to provide positive learning experiences for the children in their care.