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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 early childhood development and also lifelong health. The council's first working paper, published earlier this year, focuses on the many ways that heat can affect development, including its impact on young children's biological systems and how it can amplify the effects of systemic in... -
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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. This webinar is part of a series of webinars that the Center on the Developing Child has hosted to examine the ways that a child's broader environment, including the built and natural environments, as well as the systemic factors that shape them, play a role in shaping child development and health beginning before birth. Our focus today, -
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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. Today's conversation will explore the intersection between policy, systemic inequalities, racial disparities, and children's healthy development. We hope that you'll gain insights that are helpful to you in the work you do in support of children and families. -
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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, all play a role in shaping early childhood development beginning before birth. In this series, we will explore various environment tool influences from both scientific and community-based perspectives, including strategies to work toward fairness of place and improve existing conditions to allow all children to thrive. -
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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.
We see this webinar as an opportunity to begin to understand a broader frame for thinking about what influences early childhood development, the role that inequity plays in influencing the environment children are in, and third, some early thoughts on new actors or sectors that might be called upon given this broader frame, -
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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, the Center’s Senior Project Manager for Instructional Design and the moderator for our panel discussion.
Aeshna Badruzzaman: Hello, everyone. Welcome. My name is Dr. Aeshna Badruzzaman. I am a Senior Project Manager for Instructional Design at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University or HCDC, -
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These days, resilience is needed more than ever, and one simple, underrecognized way of supporting healthy and resilient child development is as old as humanity itself: play. Far from frivolous, play contributes to sturdy brain architecture, the foundations of lifelong health, and the building blocks of resilience, yet its importance is often overlooked. In this podcast, Dr. Jack Shonkoff explains the role of play in supporting resilience and five experts share their ideas and personal stories about applying the science of play in homes, communities, and crisis environments around the world.
Panelists
Andres Bustamante, Assistant Professor, University of California Irvine School of Education
Laura Huerta Migus, Deputy Director, Office of Museum Services at Institute for Museum and Library Services
Lynneth Solis, Researcher and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Erum Mariam, Executive Director, BRAC Institute of Educational Development, BRAC University
Michael Yogman, Pediatrician, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Hospital
Additional Resources
Resources from the Center on the Developing Child
Video: Play in Early Childhood: The Role of Play in Any Setting
Video: How-to: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return
Handout: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return
Video: Building Babies’ Brains Through Play: Mini Parenting Master Class (from UNICEF)
Report: Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families
InBrief: The Science of Resilience
Resources from Our Guests
Panel
Learning to Cope through Play
UCI STEM Learning Lab
Playful Learning Landscapes
Understanding the Social Wellbeing Impacts of the Nation's Libraries and Museums
Play in Humanitarian Settings
5 Takeaways from Supporting Refugee Parents to Help Children Learn and Thrive During Covid-19
BRAC Humanitarian Play Lab: when playing becomes healing
BRAC: ECD and Play
“I try to take their pain away through play”: A healing experiment in Rohingya refugee camps (Quartz: membership required)
Prescription for Play
The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children
Preventing Childhood Toxic Stress: Partnering with Families and Communities to Promote Relational Health
Transcript
Sally Pfitzer, host: Welcome to the Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m your host, Sally Pfitzer. Our Center believes that advances in science can provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and families. We want to help you apply the science of early childhood development to your everyday interactions with children and take what you’re hearing from our experts and panels and apply it to your everyday work.
So in today’s episode, we’re going to get serious about the topic of play. For children, play is a fundamental building block of child development, but its role in supporting resilience is often overlooked. And after the past few years, we surely need resilience now more than ever! For me, as a former preschool teacher, I’m especially excited about this episode and speaking with today’s experts, because I’ve seen first-hand how important play is for young children’s development. But what can science tell us about it? And what can be done to support more play in everyday life, even in crisis contexts? In this podcast, we’ll dive into the science of play and resilience, and then we’ll explore how people are using that knowledge to support child development around the world. To explain the science, we’ll start with Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Professor of Child Health and Development and the Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. So Jack, what do we mean by resilience and what do we know about how people develop it?... -
The devastating toll of the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of connecting what science is telling us to the lived experiences of people and communities. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. Now, a year later, we wanted to continue these conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.ContentsPodcastSpeakersAdditional ResourcesTranscriptIn the final episode in this special series, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Nancy Rotter, a pediatric psychologist and the Director of Psychology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ambulatory Care Division at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss how the pandemic changed conversations around mental health, why we need to integrate mental health into the context of overall health, and what caregivers can do to help children prepare for the lessening of restrictions and the return to school.Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.SpeakersSally Pfitzer, Podcast HostDr. Nancy Rotter, Pediatric Psychologist and Director of Psychology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ambulatory Care Division at Massachusetts General Hospital; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical SchoolAdditional ResourcesResources from the Center on the Developing Child The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: Mental Health in a Locked-Down World Q&A: The Coronavirus Pandemic: Mental Health One Year Later Re-Envisioning, Not Just Rebuilding: Looking Ahead to a Post-COVID-19 World Working Paper 15: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined InBrief: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development ResourcesResources recommended by Dr. Nancy Rotter Interim Guidance on Supporting the Emotional and Behavioral Health Needs of Children, Adolescents and Families During the COVID-19 Pandemic Mothers—and fathers—report mental, physical health declines Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Update Depression and anxiety in pregnancy during COVID-19: A rapid review and meta-analysis COVID-19's Disproportionate Effects on Children of Color Will Challenge the Next Generation A Guide to Mental Health Resources for COVID-19 How to Talk to Your Children About the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Preparing Children for When Their Parents Return to Work National Alliance on Mental Health: Mental Health By the NumbersTranscriptSally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host Sally Pfitzer. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. You may remember we discussed the importance of self-care for caregivers, and the importance of physical distancing, not social distancing. And now a year later, we wanted to continue those conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.Joining us on today's podcast, we have Dr. Nancy Rotter. She's a pediatric psychologist and the Director of Psychology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ambulatory Care Division, at Mass General Hospital. Thanks so much for being with us today, Nancy.Dr. Rotter: Thanks for having me, Sally.Sally: So, the pandemic has made conversations about mental health more common and perhaps even less stigmatized. How do we make sure that this perspective and these conversations continue even as vaccines become available and restrictions are lessened?Dr. Rotter: You know, I agree that there has been some shifting over time in terms of awareness and acknowledgement about mental health and specifically...
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The devastating toll of the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of connecting what science is telling us to the lived experiences of people and communities. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. Now, a year later, we wanted to continue these conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.
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Additional Resources
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In the third episode in this 4-part special series, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Renée Boynton-Jarrett, the founding Director of Vital Village Networks at Boston Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. They discuss the cost of failing to address structural inequities with sustainable and comprehensive policy changes, the vital role community leaders played during the pandemic, and why health care systems need to demonstrate trustworthiness.
The next and final episode of this special podcast series will focus on the pandemic's impact on the mental health system.
Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Renée Boynton-Jarrett, Founding Director of Vital Village Networks at Boston Medical Center and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine
Additional Resources
Vital Village Networks
The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: Creating Communities of Opportunity
Thinking About Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Impacts Through a Science-Informed, Early Childhood Lens
Early Childhood Adversity, Toxic Stress, and the Impacts of Racism on the Foundations of Health
Brief: Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children's Potential
Infographic: How Racism Can Affect Child Development
Re-Envisioning, Not Just Rebuilding: Looking Ahead to a Post-COVID-19 World
Working Paper 15: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined
InBrief: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body
A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host Sally Pfitzer. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. You may remember we discussed the importance of self-care for caregivers, and the importance of physical distancing, not social distancing. And now a year later, we wanted to continue those conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.
On today's podcast, we have Dr. Renée Boynton-Jarrett, who is the founding Director of Vital Village Networks at Boston Medical Center and an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine. So good to have you with us, Renée.
Dr. Boynton-Jarrett: Delighted to be here. Thank you, Sally.
Sally: Renée, in March of 2020, we spoke with Dr. David Williams, who explained that many of the disparities that we saw in the early stages of the pandemic were predictable and the result of longstanding social policies and systemic racism. From your perspective, as an expert in the field, in the past year, what have we learned about these disparities?
Dr. Boynton-Jarrett: I think what Dr. Williams shared is absolutely correct. What we saw happen with the COVID-19 pandemic is it took advantage of the existing inequities and just widened those. So actually, our existing structural racism created a broader opportunity for the pandemic to disparately impact the lives, the well-being, and the health of communities of color and communities that are disproportionately impacted by structur... -
The devastating toll of the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of connecting what science is telling us to the lived experiences of people and communities. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. Now, a year later, we wanted to continue these conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.
Contents
Podcast
Speakers
Additional Resources
Transcript
In the second episode in this 4-part special series, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Rahil Briggs, National Director of ZERO TO THREE’s HealthySteps program. They discuss the potential impact of the pandemic on infant and toddler development, how an overstressed pediatric health care system responded, and the importance of overcoming equity challenges and public fears to resume well-child visits.
Upcoming episodes of this series will feature expert speakers reflecting on the longstanding social policies and systemic racism that resulted in the pandemic disparately impacting communities of color, and the pandemic's impact on the mental health system. The experts will discuss how we can take what we learned over the past year and make meaningful changes that will improve outcomes for children and families. Listen to the first episode of this series, where Center Director, Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. discusses what COVID-19 revealed about the needs of caregivers with young children or during pregnancy.
Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Rahil Briggs, National Director of ZERO TO THREE’s HealthySteps Program
Additional Resources
Resources from the Center on the Developing Child
Re-Envisioning, Not Just Rebuilding: Looking Ahead to a Post-COVID-19 World
The Brain Architects: COVID-19 Special Edition: Self-Care Isn't Selfish
Working Paper 15: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined
InBrief: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body
A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development
Resources recommended by Dr. Rahil Briggs
Psychology Today: What Parents of Babies and Toddlers Need Right Now
American Academy of Pediatrics: A superhero moment
HealthySteps: Caring for Yourself and Young Children During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis
ZERO to THREE: Tips for Families: Coronavirus
Rapid Assessment of Pandemic Impact on Development (RAPID) - Early Childhood
USA Today: Opening 'so many doors for families': COVID-19 underscores the importance of wraparound care for new moms and children
Early Childhood Depression May Impact Brain Development in Later Years
Brazelton Touchpoints Center
ZERO TO THREE: Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood and official DC:0-5 Training for advanced infant and early childhood mental health professionals
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host Sally Pfitzer. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. You may remember we discussed the importance of self-care for caregivers, and the importance of physical distancing, not social distancing. And now a year later, we wanted to continue those conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.
Joining us on today's podcast is Dr. Rahil Briggs, National Director of ZERO TO THREE's HealthySteps program. Rahil, thanks so much for being here with us today and just for timing, I'm going to jump right into our first question. What can we tell parents and caregivers about the potential effects the pande... -
The devastating toll of the pandemic has underscored the critical importance of connecting what science is telling us to the lived experiences of people and communities. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. Now, a year later, we wanted to continue these conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.
Contents
Podcast
Speakers
Additional Resources
Transcript
The first guest in this 4-part special series is Center Director Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D. He and host Sally Pfitzer discuss what COVID-19 revealed about the needs of caregivers with young children or during pregnancy, what we learned about the importance of science over the course of the pandemic, and how we can make changes going forward.
Upcoming episodes of this series will feature expert speakers reflecting on the pandemic's impact on pediatric and mental health systems, and the longstanding social policies and systemic racism that resulted in the pandemic disparately impacting communities of color. The experts will discuss how we can take what we learned over the past year and make meaningful changes that will improve outcomes for children and families. Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Center Director
Additional Resources
Resources from the Center on the Developing Child
Re-Envisioning, Not Just Rebuilding: Looking Ahead to a Post-COVID-19 World
The Brain Architects: COVID-19 Special Edition: A Different World
Working Paper 15: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined
InBrief: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body
Health and Learning Are Deeply Interconnected in the Body: An Action Guide for Policymakers
What Is Inflammation? And Why Does it Matter for Child Development?
How Racism Can Affect Child Development
Moving Upstream: Confronting Racism to Open Up Children's Potential
A Guide to COVID-19 and Early Childhood Development
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host Sally Pfitzer. In March of 2020, we recorded episodes exploring the impact the coronavirus pandemic could have on child development. You may remember we discussed the importance of self-care for caregivers, and the importance of physical distancing, not social distancing. And now a year later, we wanted to continue those conversations and discuss what we've learned, what needs to change, and where we go from here.
Joining us today is Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Director of the Center on the Developing Child. Jack, we really appreciate you being here, and I know we have a lot to cover, so let's jump right in. Could you tell us what COVID-19 has revealed about the needs of young children, families and people who are pregnant?
Dr. Shonkoff: So immediately, we saw the difference between people who had access to resources that helped them get through and those who before the pandemic were always at the edge and that this put families over the edge in terms of meeting basic needs—food, clothing, housing. But then, there's the other universal experience of the critical importance of supportive relationships—the critical importance of extended family, neighbors, friends—and the extent to which every parent, regardless of your circumstances, cannot parent a child alone. And the social isolation that so many people felt, from the poorest to the wealthiest.
And so, I think if there's anything good to take out of this past year, it's a recognition of the universal needs that all families have to provide a healthy environment for their children, -
How do we use the science of early childhood development to implement practical strategies and overcome longstanding barriers in the early childhood field? How can we ensure that families' voices are heard when we create policies or programs?
Contents
Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
To kick off this episode, Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff describes what the science means for policymakers, system leaders, care providers, and caregivers.
This is followed by a discussion among a distinguished panel of experts, including Cindy Mann (Manatt Health), Dr. Aaliyah Samuel (Northwest Evaluation Association), and Jane Witowski (Help Me Grow). The panelists discuss how we can break down the silos in the early childhood field, policies affecting prenatal-three, and how policies can change to address the stressors inflicted by poverty, community violence, and racism.
Panelists
Cindy Mann
Dr. Aaliyah Samuel
Jane Witowski
Additional Resources
Resources from the Center on the Developing Child
The Brain Architects: Connecting Health & Learning Part I: The Science
Working Paper 15: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined
InBrief: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body
Health and Learning Are Deeply Interconnected in the Body: An Action Guide for Policymakers
What Is Inflammation? And Why Does it Matter for Child Development?
How Racism Can Affect Child Development
Resources from the Panelists
Testing America's Freedom Podcast
Help Me Grow National Center
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to the Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host, Sally Pfitzer. Our Center believes that advances in science can provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and families. We want to help you apply the science of early childhood development to your everyday interactions with children and take what you're hearing from our experts and panels and apply it to your everyday work.
Today, we'll discuss how the science we shared in our previous episode, on the early years and lifelong health, can change the way we think about early childhood policy and practice, and what this shift means for policymakers, practitioners, and caregivers. So, I'd like to welcome back Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Professor of Child Health and Development and the Director of the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. Hi, Jack. Welcome back.
Jack: Hey, Sally.
Sally: So we talked in the last episode about how the brain is connected to the rest of the body, and especially how the early years really matter when it comes to lifelong health. What does this science mean for policymakers, system leaders, or even caregivers?
Jack: That's a really important question, Sally. From the beginning of the early childhood field, it's always been focused on early learning and improving children's readiness to succeed in school. In the policy world, it's in education policy, comes out of the education budget. For people who work in early childhood programs, and for parents, it's about programs that encourage and provide rich learning opportunities for children to develop early literacy competencies.
But the mindset shift here is that it's not just about early learning in school—it's about the foundations of physical and mental health. It's not just about improving outcomes for greater economic productivity—better educational achievement. It's also about decreasing the likelihood that you'll develop heart disease or hypertension, or diabetes, or a wide range of the most common chronic illnesses in society. It's not just a matter of return on investment—asking “So, how much more economically productive will the population be? How much will we save in incarceration? -
How do our biological systems work together to respond to chronic stress? What do these responses mean for early learning and lifelong health? And when we say that early experiences matter, what do we mean by early? This episode of The Brain Architects podcast addresses all these questions and more!
Contents
Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
To kick off this episode, Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff describes the body's stress response system, how our biological systems act as a team when responding to chronic stress, and the effects chronic stress can have on lifelong health.
This is followed by a discussion among a panel of scientists including Dr. Nicki Bush (University of California-San Francisco), Dr. Damien Fair (University of Minnesota), and Dr. Fernando Martinez (University of Arizona). The panelists discuss how our bodies respond to adversity, inflammation's role in the stress response system, the effects of stress during the prenatal period and first few years after birth, and how we can use this science to prevent long-term impacts on our health.
Panelists
Dr. Nicki Bush
Dr. Damien Fair
Dr. Fernando Martinez
Additional Resources
Resources from the Center on the Developing Child
Brain Architects: Connecting Health & Learning Part II: The Implications
Working Paper 15: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong Health Are Deeply Intertwined
InBrief: Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body
Health and Learning Are Deeply Interconnected in the Body: An Action Guide for Policymakers
What Is Inflammation? And Why Does it Matter for Child Development?
How Racism Can Affect Child Development
Articles
Biel, M.G., Tang, M.H., & Zuckerman, B. (2020). Pediatric mental health care must be family mental health care. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(6):519-520.
Boyce, W.T., Levitt, P., Martinez, F.D., McEwen, B.S., & Shonkoff, J.P. Genes, environments, and time: The biology of adversity and resilience. Pediatrics. In press.
Bush, N.R., Savitz, J., Coccia, M., et al. (2020). Maternal stress during pregnancy predicts infant infectious and noninfectious illness. The Journal of Pediatrics.
Graignic-Philippe, R., Dayan, J., Chokron, S., et al. (2014). Effects of prenatal stress on fetal and child development: A critical literature review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 43, 137-162.
LeWinn, K.Z., Bush, N.R., Batra, A.B., et al. (2020). Identification of modifiable social and behavioral factors associated with child cognitive performance. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(11):1063-1072.
O’Connor, T.G., Monk, C., & Fitelson, E.M. (2014). Practitioner review: Maternal mood in pregnancy and child development: Implications for child psychology and psychiatry. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 55(2): 99-111.
Racine, N., Plamondon, A., Madigan, S., et al. (2018). Maternal adverse childhood experiences and infant development. Pediatrics, 141(4).
Shonkoff, J.P., Boyce, W.T., Levitt, P., P., Martinez, F.D., & McEwen, B.S. Leveraging the biology of adversity and resilience to transform pediatric practice. Pediatrics. In press.
Shonkoff, J.P., Slopen, N., & Williams, D. Early childhood adversity, toxic stress, and the impacts of racism on the foundations of health. Annual Review of Public Health. In press.
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host Sally Pfitzer. Our center believes that advances in science can provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and families. We want to help you apply the science of early childhood development to your everyday interactions with children and take what you're hearing from our experts and panels and apply it to your everyday work.
In today's episode, we'll discuss how early experiences, -
While some countries and U.S. states are beginning to reopen businesses and other gathering places, the pandemic is still very much with us. Physical distancing will likely be a way of life until a vaccine for COVID-19 is widely available. So much change, including the threat of illness, and grief of those who have lost loved ones, means that mental health is a great concern.
Fortunately, there are things we can do to support our mental health at this time, especially when caring for young children or other family members. In this episode of The Brain Architects, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Archana Basu, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss what supporting your own mental health can look like, as well as ways to support children you care for at this time. They also talk about what mental health professionals all over the world are doing to help take care of our societies in the midst of the pandemic, and how they're preparing for the challenges that come next.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Archana Basu, Research Associate, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and clinical psychologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Additional Resources
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies: Self-Care for Providers
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies: Vicarious Trauma Toolkit
Massachusetts General Hospital: How to Talk to Your Children About the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Massachusetts General Hospital: Parenting At a Challenging Time: Supporting children facing the illness/ loss of a loved one
Massachusetts General Hospital: Psychiatry guide to Mental Health Resources for COVID-19
National Child Traumatic Stress Network pandemic resources
SAMHSA Disaster Distress 24/7 Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 or text 'TalkWithUs' to 66746
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m your host, Sally Pfitzer. Since our last podcast series was released, things have changed drastically as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. During this unprecedented time, we’d like to share resources and provide guidance that you may find helpful. So, we are creating a series of podcast episodes that address COVID-19 and child development. This episode is the fifth in our series, and todays guests are Dr. Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Archana Basu, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Clinical Psychologist and Massachusetts General Hospital. Thank you both for being here I’m really looking forward to the conversation.
Dr. Koenen: Thank you Sally. It's great to be here.
Dr. Basu: Thank you so much.
Sally: So Karestan, what makes this pandemic different from other traumatic events that many people have experienced in terms of mental health?
Dr. Koenen: There are a number of characteristics that make the COVID-19 pandemic different than other traumatic events, even than other disasters. I actually lived in New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and I’ve seen some similarities in terms of this in that things were shut down, there was a pervasive feeling of threat, there was loss of life, and it was very disruptive and it was something that people really – in New York, anyway – talked about for a long time. It persisted and affected everyone in the city. What’s different about this is the length of time people are being affected, how pervasive it is in terms of our community but the state, nationally, -
Shelter-in-place orders are meant to help protect our communities from the current coronavirus pandemic. But for some people, home isn't always a safe place. For those who are experiencing domestic violence, or believe they know someone one who is, what options are available to stay both physically healthy and safe from violence?
In this fourth episode of our COVID-19 series of The Brain Architects, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Tien Ung, Program Director for Impact and Learning at FUTURES without Violence. Prior to her work at FUTURES, Tien spent five years as the Director of Leadership and Programs at the Center on the Developing Child.
Tien discusses important, practical steps those at home can take to keep themselves and their children safe, as well as strategies others can use if they think someone they know may be experiencing domestic violence. She also addresses the resilience of survivors, and what our communities can do both during and after COVID to listen to and engage in real responsive relationships with adults and children alike.
The next episode of this special podcast series will focus on the mental health implications of a global pandemic. Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive it as soon as it's released.
A note on this episode: If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Tien Ung, Program Director, Impact and Learning, FUTURES without Violence
Additional Resources
Hotlines
For a list of state/territory/tribal domestic violence coalitions, please visit:
https://ncadv.org/state-coalitions.
Anti-Violence Project (LGBTQ) Hotline: 1-212-714-1141
Casa de Esperanza: https://casadeesperanza.org/ — 1-651-772-1611
ChildHelp National Child Abuse Hotline: https://www.childhelp.org/ — 1-800-4A CHILD (422-4453)
Crisis Text Line: https://www.crisistextline.org/ — Text home to 741741
Love Is Respect: https://www.loveisrespect.org/ — 1-866-331-9474
National Domestic Violence Hotline: https://www.thehotline.org — 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Sexual Assault Hotline: https://www.rainn.org/ — 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ — 1-800-273-8255
StrongHearts Native Helpline: https://www.strongheartshelpline.org/ — 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483)
The Northwest Network: https://www.nwnetwork.org/
The Trevor Project: https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ — 1-866-488-7386
Tools and Guides
"Caring Relationships, Healthy You" safety card: https://store.futureswithoutviolence.org/index.php/product/caring-relationships-lgbq-safety-card/
Changing Minds - Preventing and healing childhood trauma: https://changingmindsnow.org
Coaching Boys Into Men: https://www.coachescorner.org
Educate Health Professionals on How to Respond to Domestic Violence: https://ipvhealth.org/health-professionals/educate-providers/
"Hanging Out or Hooking Up" safety card: https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/hanging-out-or-hooking-up-teen-safety-card/
Promising Futures: Best Practices for Serving Children, Youth and Parents Experiencing Domestic Violence: http://promising.futureswithoutviolence.org
Ways to help children and adults living with violence: https://www.futureswithoutviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/Futures_Resources-updated.pdf
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m your host, Sally Pfitzer. Since our last podcast series was released, things have changed drastically as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. During this unprecedented time, we’d like to share resources and provide guidance that you may find helpful. So, we are creating a series of podcast episodes that address COVID-19 and... -
While the current coronavirus pandemic is affecting all of us, it isn't affecting all of us equally. Some communities—especially communities of color—are feeling the brunt of the virus more than others, in terms of higher rates of infection as well as economic fallout, among many other ways.
In this third special COVID-19 episode of The Brain Architects podcast, host Sally Pfitzer is joined by Dr. David Williams, the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Williams discusses ways in which the coronavirus pandemic is particularly affecting people of color in the U.S., and what that can mean for early childhood development. He also pinpoints the importance of creating "communities of opportunity" that will allow all families to thrive—both during and after this pandemic.
Upcoming episodes of this special podcast series will focus on domestic violence, and the mental health implications of a global pandemic. Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. David Williams, Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Additional Resources
Harvard Scholar: David R. Williams
Social and Behavioral Determinants of Toxic Stress
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m your host, Sally Pfitzer. Since our last podcast series was released, things have changed drastically as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. During this unprecedented time, we’d like to share resources and provide guidance that you may find helpful. So, we are creating a series of podcast episodes that address COVID-19 and child development. This episode is the third in our series, and our guest today is Dr. David Williams, the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Professor of African and African American Studies -Harvard Faculty Arts & Sciences. Thanks for being with us today, Dr. Williams.
Dr. Williams: Thank you, it’s good for me to be here with you.
Sally: Just so our listeners know, we’re recording this podcast today on a video call, so the sound quality may be different from what you’re used to hearing when we typically record this podcast in the studio. So, the data that’s coming out now that we’ve been seeing continue to reinforce the research that you have been doing for many years around racial disparities, and we’re seeing that this virus is disproportionately effecting people of color. What are you seeing now in terms of the data?
Dr. Williams: We are seeing in multiple states more than half of all deaths from the Coronavirus are African American, and in virtually every state the percent of deaths of African Americans who die from the Coronavirus exceeds—it’s larger than the percent of African Americans in the population in that state. So, there is a disproportionate negative impact on African Americans in New York City, and we see a similar pattern for Hispanics. I think the important point I would like to make at the onset is that first, this is not a surprise. Two, this reflects a longstanding pattern, not just for Coronavirus but for virtually all of the leading causes of death. And that this pattern does not reflect failures on the part of the individuals, the families, and the communities that experience such disproportionate losses.
Sally: I think a lot of times when we’re hearing about this data coming out, there is a missing component where people are hearing this is disproportionately affecting communities of color, but there is not a lot of talking happening right now around the ‘Why? -
In the midst of a global pandemic, pediatricians are serving a unique role. While the coronavirus is generally showing milder effects on babies and children than on adults, there are still health concerns and considerations for infants in need of scheduled vaccinations, and kids who are home all day with parents who may be facing stressful situations.
In the second episode of our special COVID-19 series of The Brain Architects, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Rahil Briggs, National Director of ZERO TO THREE's HealthySteps program, to discuss how pediatricians are serving their patients during the pandemic, including using telehealth; why caregiver health is child health; and what she hopes the healthcare system can learn as a result of the pandemic.
Upcoming episodes will focus on racial disparities in the effects of the virus, and domestic violence. Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Rahil Briggs, National Director of ZERO TO THREE's HealthySteps Program
Additional Resources
Erikson Institute’s Fussy Baby Network: free phone consultations
Healthy Steps: Caring for Yourself and Young Children During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis
ZERO to THREE: Tips for Families: Coronavirus
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m your host, Sally Pfitzer. Since our last podcast series was released, things have changed drastically as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. During this unprecedented time, we’d like to share resources and provide guidance that you may find helpful. So, we are creating a series of podcast episodes that address COVID-19 and child development. This episode is the second in our series, and our guest today is Dr. Rahil Briggs, the National Director of ZERO TO THREE’s HealthySteps Program. Good morning, Rahil.
Dr. Briggs: Good morning, Sally.
Sally: And just so our listeners know, we’re recording this podcast today on a video call, so the sound quality may be different from what you’re used to hearing when we typically record this podcast in the studio. Rahil, what are you starting to see out in the field with pediatric practices effected by this virus, particularly in the HealthySteps locations, and how are the pediatricians starting to respond to the Coronavirus situation?
Dr. Briggs: Sure, thanks Sally. It’s an excellent question and honestly, depending on when listeners are catching this it may have already changed by now. The American Academy of Pediatrics is really our guide star for figuring out what’s going on and what they’re recommending, but a couple of facts on the ground really remain the same. That pediatric primary care is the main system we have for reaching young children. In a normal time, whatever that was and may be in the future, pediatric primary care reaches nearly all young children in our country. Right now, the American Academy of Pediatrics in recognition of the importance of vaccinations, and in recognition of the importance of really high quality newborn pediatric care continues to recommend actually, that families bring newborns, and bring infants and toddlers who need vaccinations into the primary care practice. So, that is pretty extraordinary and speaks to the importance of those services even with the Coronavirus swirling around. As you know, there are about 12-13 well child visits in those first three years. 7 of them occur in the first year of life, and a big chunk occur in that newborn period where they are checking everything from the bilirubin levels to maybe redoing the newborn blood stick to the weight gain and all these really critical pieces. So to your question - what are we hearing now and what are we hearing from our HealthySteps specialists who work side by side alongside the pediatricians in these practices? -
While the coronavirus pandemic has changed many things around the world, it has not stopped child development. In this series of special episodes of The Brain Architects podcast, we aim to share helpful resources and ideas in support of all those who are caring for children while dealing with the impacts of COVID-19.
The first guest of this special series is Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff. He and host Sally Pfitzer discuss how to support healthy child development during a pandemic, including the importance of caring for caregivers. They also talk about what we've already learned as a result of the coronavirus, and what we hope to continue learning.
Upcoming episodes of this special series will focus on how pediatricians are responding, racial disparities in the impact of the virus, and more. Subscribe below via your podcast platform of choice to receive all new episodes as soon as they’re released.
Speakers
Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host
Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Center Director
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I’m your host, Sally Pfitzer. Since our last podcast episode was released, things have changed quite drastically as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. We hope you and your loved ones are safe and well. During this unprecedented time, we would like to share resources and provide guidance that you may find helpful, so we’re creating a series of podcasts episodes that address COVID-19 and how it relates to child development. Our guest today is Center Director, Dr. Jack Shonkoff. Jack, thanks so much for joining us.
Dr. Shonkoff: Thank you, Sally. It’s always a pleasure.
Sally: So just so our listeners know, we’re recording this on a video call, so the sound quality will be a little different from when we are in the studio. We hope these conversations will be useful anyway. Especially to those parents, childcare providers, social workers, teachers, healthcare providers and any others who are with children every day during this crisis. So, I’ll start with the first one. Jack, how do you think the pandemic may be affecting very young children, so the infants and toddlers? There has been a lot of attention to the need for distance learning for older kids. But, what do you think about what these younger children might need?
Dr. Shonkoff: That’s a really important question, Sally, because this pandemic is different from anything that any of us have experienced around the world. Basic principles of child development, basic concepts of the science that we know don’t change, then I would say from my perspective try it on both the best science we have and the best common sense that once again this is all about relationships. This is all about the environment of relationships in which young children are developing and which they are growing up. So, the risk of the conversation is how do we feel that in this context, but it’s not a difference science, it’s not a different understanding of what children need, it’s just a different world right now.
Sally: Yeah. So, I am sure many of our listeners have heard this term "social distancing," but I know that it is also lately being referred to as the need for physical distancing. Can you talk a little bit more about the science behind that, and what it means for children?
Dr. Shonkoff: Yeah, this is the question that I’m most concerned about. There are two different bodies of science that we are talking about right now. Normally, we talk about the science of early childhood development—science of brain development—and now we are also dealing with the science of infectious disease. It’s really physical distancing that we are talking about. Actually, social distancing is exactly what we don’t want if social distancing means that we get further apart in terms of our interactions socially as opposed to physically. Let me just talk a little bit about each. So, -
What is "serve and return"? What does it mean to have a "responsive relationship" with a child? How do responsive relationships support healthy brain development? And what can parents and caregivers do in their day-to-day lives to build these sorts of relationships? This episode of The Brain Architects podcast addresses all these questions and more!ContentsPodcastPanelistsAdditional ResourcesTranscriptFortunately, there are many quick, easy, and free ways to create responsive relationships with children of any age. To kick off this episode, Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff describes the science behind how these interactions—known as "serve and return"—work.This is followed by a discussion among a panel of scientists and practitioners including Dr. Phil Fisher, the Philip H. Knight Chair and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, and director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience; Patricia Marinho, founder and CEO of Tempojunto and co-founder of Programa BEM; and Sarah Ryan, director of Life Skills at Julie's Family Learning Program. The panelists discuss what it looks like to serve and return with children on a daily basis, and how to encourage these interactions.PanelistsDr. Phil FisherPatricia MarinhoSarah RyanAdditional ResourcesResources from the Center on the Developing Child Working Paper 1: Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships Serve & Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return How-to Video: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return Play in Early Childhood: The Role of Play in Any Setting Building Babies’ Brains Through Play: Mini Parenting Master Class FIND: Filming Interactions to Nurture DevelopmentArticles Beecher, Michael D. & Burt, John M. (2004). The role of social interaction in bird song learning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(6), 224-228. Kok, R., Thijssen, S., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. et al. (2015). Normal variation in early parental sensitivity predicts child structural brain development. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(10), 824–831. Kuhl, P.K., Ramírez, R.R., Bosseler, A., Lin, J.L. & Imada, T. (2014). Infants’ brain responses to speech suggest analysis by synthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111(31), 11238-11245. Levy, J., Goldstein, A. & Feldman, R. (2019). The neural development of empathy is sensitive to caregiving and early trauma. Nature Communications, 10, 1905. Marler, Peter (1970). Birdsong and speech development: Could there be parallels?. American Scientist, 58(6), 669-673. Ramírez-Esparza, N., García-Sierra, A. & Kuhl, P.K. (2014). Look who’s talking: Speech style and social context in language input to infants is linked to concurrent and future speech development. In press: Developmental Science, 17(6), 880-91. Rifkin-Graboi, A., Kong, L., Sim, L.W. et al. (2015). Maternal sensitivity, infant limbic structure volume and functional connectivity: A preliminary study. Translational Psychiatry, 5, e668. Romeo, R.R., Leonard, J.A., Robinson, S.T., et al. (2018). Beyond the 30-million-word gap: Children’s conversational exposure is associated with language-related brain function. Psychological Science, 29(5), 700-710. Sethna, V., Pote, I., Wang, S. et al. (2017). Mother–infant interactions and regional brain volumes in infancy: An MRI study. Brain Structure and Function, 222, 2379–2388. Yu, C. & Smith, L.B. (2013). Joint attention without gaze following: Human infants and their parents coordinate visual attention to objects through eye-hand coordination. PLoS One, 8(11), e79659.Resources from Our PanelistsDr. Phil Fisher The FIND ProgramPatricia Marinho Tempojunto (in Portuguese) Progama BEM (video in Portuguese with English subtitles)TranscriptSally: Welcome to The Brain Architects,
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What is toxic stress? What effects can it have on a child's body and development, and how can those effects be prevented? What does it mean to build resilience? This episode of The Brain Architects explores what "toxic stress" means, and what we can do about it.
Contents
Podcast
Panelists
Additional Resources
Transcript
Host Sally Pfitzer is once again joined by Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff as they dive into the different types of stress, including what makes certain stress "toxic," while other stress can be tolerable or even positive for children. They discuss the effects that toxic stress can have on developing brains, as well as what it means to be resilient to sources of stress, and how parents and caregivers can help encourage that resilience in children. Dr. Shonkoff also emphasizes the point that, even for those who may have experienced toxic stress, "it's never too late to make things better."
Then, listen to a panel discussion featuring Pediatrician Dr. Kathleen Conroy, Community Mental Health Worker Cerella Craig, Professor and Researcher Dr. Megan Gunnar, and Training Director for Rise Magazine Jeanette Vega, as they discuss the various ways in which they encounter toxic stress and its effects in their work. The panelists speak openly about how toxic stress can affect families and children—including ways in which the systems set up to help can be the cause of further stress—and how to talk about toxic stress in a way that doesn't make things feel hopeless to those who have experienced it. They also dig into strategies they employ in their various fields to help children and families deal with stress, and move what might be toxic stress back to tolerable levels. Download the episode and subscribe to the podcast today.
Panelists
Dr. Kathleen Conroy, Associate Clinical Director, Boston Children’s Primary Care, and Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Cerella Craig, Community Mental Health Worker, New Haven, CT
Megan Gunnar, Professor and Director of the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota
Jeanette Vega, Training Director, Rise magazine
Additional Resources
Resources from the Center on the Developing Child
A Guide to Toxic Stress
Stress and Resilience: How Toxic Stress Affects Us, and What We Can Do About It
Infographic: What We Can Do About Toxic Stress
Infographic: ACEs and Toxic Stress: Frequently Asked Questions
Key Concepts: Resilience
Resources Regarding the Separation and Detention of Migrant Children and Families
Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families
Science to Policy and Practice: Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems
InBrief: Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems
Working Paper: Excessive Stress Disrupts the Architecture of the Developing Brain
Working Paper: The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain
Resources from Our Panelists
Jeanette Vega
RISE TIPS: Visits With Children in Foster Care
RISE TIPS: Service Planning
Risemagazine.org features lots of stories by parents involved in the child welfare system for other parents.
Transcript
Sally: Welcome to The Brain Architects, a new podcast from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. I'm your host, Sally Pfitzer. Our center believes that advances in science can provide a powerful source of new ideas that can improve outcomes for children and families. We want to help you apply the science of early childhood development to your everyday interactions with children, and take what you're hearing from our experts and panels and apply it to your everyday work. In today’s episode, we’re going to explore this concept called toxic stress, which is a buzzword you may have heard and potentially used incorrectly. So we’re going to discuss what toxic stress is and what it can do to ... - Show more
