Issues Related to Excellence and Equity in the Early Childhood Field

While the coronavirus pandemic has changed many things around the world, it has not stopped child development. The Brain Architects podcast hosted by Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University aims to share helpful resources and ideas in support of all those who are caring for children while dealing with the impacts of COVID-19.

Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: A Different World (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, n.d.a). features Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Center Director and is hosted by Sally Pfitzer, Podcast Host. They discuss how to support healthy child development during a pandemic, including the importance of caring for caregivers.

The podcast talks about how the COVID 19 is affecting young children's healthy development. He remind us that it is important especially during this crisis that interaction between young children and the adults who care for them need that serve and return responsiveness that help develop children's brain. He further explains that we do not want social distancing if social distancing means that we get further apart in terms of our interactions socially as opposed to physically (Shonkoff, n.d.a.)

The podcast also talks about explains toxic and tolerable stress, and how adults interaction and relationships help children to be able to cope and have resilience. He suggests young children can manage and learn to cope with the stresses going on around a family, if parents create opportunities to play with their child, and create opportunities for their child to play alone because that kind of play is the way the brain builds strong circuits for resilience—for mastery (Shonkoff, n.d.a).

To listen the podcast go to the link: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/the-brain-architects-podcast-covid-19-special-edition-a-different-world/

The podcast was informational to me because it reinforces the importance of the interactions that are still needed between parents, caregivers and children to ensure that children feel safe during the COVID 19 pandemic, and what adults can do for children is very basic and simple: provide a sense of safety and security, provide opportunities to play, and engage in an interactive way serve and return interactions.

References

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (2010). Global child initiative. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/about/what-we-do/global-work/

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. (n.d.a.) Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: A Different World. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/the-brain-architects-podcast-covid-19-special-edition-a-different-world/