A Brief History of the Written Word Writing has not always been accessible to everyone. It was independently invented thousands of years ago in multiple regions across the world, emerging as symbolic protowriting systems in

There is a profound observation from the French educator Célestin Freinet that perfectly captures the heart of the program: "L’enfant n'apprend pas par le discours, mais par le tâtonnement expérimental." (The child does not learn

The first time I encountered Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s ideas on education, I was a high school senior in France. Like every student in a French lycée, philosophy was a mandatory rite of passage. At the time,

Kindergarten Readiness: Why Language Development Matters More Than Writing When we think of "School Readiness," we often picture a child holding a pencil. But in developmental science, writing is the final result of a much

Why Your 2-Year-Old Child is Smarter Than AI   According to Alison Gopnik, a world-renowned developmental psychologist at UC Berkeley, that messy, loud, and often baffling 2-year-old is actually running circles around the most advanced

In early childhood, the words we choose shape how children see themselves. One of the most meaningful ways we can help children develop confidence and safety is by giving them the right language to talk

There’s a moment every educator and parent recognizes,  when a child climbs a little higher than we’d like, balances on a log just a little longer, or insists, “I can do it myself.” Our instinct

Gender is a social construct, a set of roles and expectations defined by the society and culture we grow up in and identify with. From a very young age, children absorb cues about what it

Growing up in France, I don’t remember many teachers or adults offering praise. In fact, I remember quite the opposite: extreme rigor and a focus on showing students what they could have done better. Times

As parents, you may sometimes wonder: “I see my kids playing in preschool, but are they really getting academically ready for school?” The short answer is yes, and more. In high-quality early childhood programs, play