Behavioural science and nudges could make kids better readers

Sesame Street has long been used as an educational tool for children throughout the U.S., but a partnership between the International Rescue Committee and Sesame Workshop is expanding the reach of the popular television program. Together, the IRC and Sesame Workshop have now created a version of the show that specifically targets issues faced by children in refugee camps with the goal of enhancing both emotional and educational well-being.

Early education translates into higher graduation rates and lower probability for criminal behavior later in life, yet less than 30 percent of children in the United States go to preschool. Oklahoma leads the nation in universal early childhood education by ensuring all children, regardless of income, can attend preschool. All four year olds are entitled to services, and 74 percent participate.

Building on an early-childhood initiative, the Monadnock district was able to quickly respond and provide childcare services for employees of the Monadnock district by partnering with the YMCA. The response was an effort to prevent employees from missing work during the pandemic due to lack of childcare. 32 children enrolled in the program. “I think of Impact Monadnock as a real beacon of the way a community can come together around early childhood [education].”

In Bengaluru, India, Anthill Creations has created dozens of playgrounds, or "play scapes" as they call them, using recycled tire scraps that are safe and fun. Serving over 10,000 children, Anthill's play scapes allow spaces for children to engage in much needed play and outdoor activity necessary for successful development.

Recognizing the barriers posed by lack of access to adequate transportation, a preschool in Portsmouth opened a second location next to the Housing Authority's Gosling Meadows neighborhood. “If you build it, they will come,” one teacher said. “Well we built it, and they came.”

An initiative in House schools that gives students access to the arts in the classroom has positively affected students' ability to concentrate, write, and even show compassion to one another. The initiative, known as the Houston Arts Access Initiative, encourages schools to provide exposure to dance, music, and visual arts to encourage creative and kind interaction.

Using play-based learning and positive communication lessons, an organization called Right to Play helps school children in Pakistan act less violently toward their peers. The program, which is now replicated in 18 countries around the world, aims to reduce gender-based violence and stereotyping in the classroom.

Cherokee Point Elementary School in San Diego became a trauma-informed school in 2015, and since then suspensions have fallen to zero (and remained that way since) and they no longer need a campus police officer. The school's approach includes revised disciplinary practices, social-emotional instruction, free breakfast, school-wide training about trauma, strong parental engagement, and intensive individual support. They even partner with community organizations that all them to create and offer a wider variety of services than the school could on its own.

Police in New York already use algorithms to fight crime and now they have turned to a tech startup that uses algorithms to gauge trust levels towards citizens. The so-called “sentiment meter” is meant to address where police are falling short with the community and it has garnered the interest of police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Grand Rapids, Mich., as well. But some are skeptical of the data methods and what they are actually measuring.

A Pensacola project is providing new parents with “brain bags”—books to read to their children as well as resources about early childhood development as it relates to language. By educating parents about the impact of how and how much they speak to their children during fundamental years of development, the bags help build babies language skills and create strong brain development.