The Brain Architects

Why Stability Matters for Early Childhood Development 06.05.2026 55min

In this episode of The Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Nathaniel Harnett, PhD, and Natalie Slopen, ScD, drawing on insights from the new working paper From Resources to Routines: The Importance of Stability in the Developmental Environment. The discussion explores how stability across children’s developmental environments shapes their well-being both in the moment and across the lifespan. They examine the science behind how predictable, supportive relationships and environments influence brain development, stress responses, and long-term health outcomes.Building on this understanding, this episode highlights practical strategies to promote stability for young children and their caregivers, from strengthening consistent, responsive relationships to advancing policies and systems that support stable caregiving environments.

Connecting Early Childhood Development to Climate Change 17.11.2025 39min

In this episode of the Brain Architects, Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, Lindsey Burghardt, our Chief Science Officer; Margot Brown, Senior Vice President of Justice & Equity at the Environmental Defense Fund; and Jaclyn Roessel, President and CEO of Grownup Navajo, dive into the findings and recommendations from this report as well as their own experience and expertise.This conversation explores a new report from the Center, created in collaboration with the Frameworks Institute and the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment--or C-CHANGE--at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The new report shows that, despite the risk of long-term harm for children, children are not a major focus of climate-related policy or media coverage. The report also provides evidence-based strategies for bringing children into the conversation to help ensure they can thrive in a changing climate.

Communicating the Relationship Between Place, Racism, and Early Childhood Development 17.11.2025 36min

In this episode of the Brain Architects, Dr. Nat Kendall-Taylor, CEO of the FrameWorks Institute, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, our Chief Science Officer, and Dr. Leah Austin, President and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, dive into the findings and recommendations from the latest report, created in collaboration with the Frameworks Institute.This conversation explores research-based messaging strategies for talking about the connections between place, racism, and early childhood development. It includes actionable recommendations that communicators can use and adapt in their own work to help strengthen public understanding, shift outdated narratives, and help mobilize support for systems and policies that ensure children and their caregivers have what they need to thrive.

Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life 03.11.2025 42min

In this episode of the Brain Architects, the Center’s Chief Science Officer, Dr. Lindsey Burghardt, talked with Jennifer B. Wallace, award-winning journalist, and founder of the Mattering Institute who has written extensively on the topic of mattering. The Center on the Developing Child recently collaborated with Jennifer on a new working paper: "Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life."You'll learn more about the science we explore in the new paper, including what mattering means, the powerful effects of mattering in early childhood, and strategies for building a sense of mattering in our children. We hope you enjoy this conversation.

Protecting Young Children From the Impacts of Wildfires 29.09.2025 54min

In this episode of the Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Joseph G. Allen, DSc, MPH, associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings Program, and Sujeet Rao, Director of the Health and Wellbeing practice for USC’s Public Exchange, on how wildfire smoke is affecting children’s health and development.The discussion explores why wildfire smoke has become a growing concern for children across the US—not just in fire zones—and highlights what communities can do to reduce exposure and support healthy development in the face of this increasing environmental challenge.

How Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health 11.08.2025 53min

In this episode of The Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Alison Lee, MD, MS, and Joseph Allen, DSc, MPH, on how air quality during pregnancy and early childhood impacts lifelong health and development. The discussion has a special focus on indoor air, where we spend more than 90% of our time. They cover science-informed, practical strategies to improve indoor air, from adopting pollutant-free products and ventilation systems to advancing policy changes and building designs that prioritize health. They also offer resources for taking action in your community to ensure children and their caregivers have cleaner air to breathe.

Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children 04.08.2025 55min

In this episode of the Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, moderates a conversation with Michelle Kang, CEO of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and Jennifer Vanos, PhD, Associate Professor in the School of Sustainability and the College of Global Futures at Arizona State University, on how climate change is affecting the experiences and exposures that shape early childhood development. Building on this understanding, the episode explores practical, community-led solutions that are already helping to reduce harm and build resilience, from increasing access to shade and green space to implementing policy changes that support young children and their caregivers. Related Resources:Webinar: How Communities Are Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children At a Glance: Extreme Heat and Early Childhood Development Policy Q&A: How Boston Is Implementing Solutions to Protect Young Children from Extreme Heat A Guide to Extreme Heat and Early Childhood Development

Why Sleep Matters in Early Childhood Development 28.07.2025 34min

In this episode of the Brain Architects, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, talks with Rebecca Spencer, PhD, a researcher on the science of sleep, about why sleep is so essential during early childhood. From brain architecture and emotional regulation to the role of naps and the importance of creating cool sleeping spaces in our warming world, Dr. Spencer explains how sleep shapes early childhood health and lifelong well-being. With information for caregivers, educators, and policymakers, this conversation offers a deeper understanding of how creating environments that promote good sleep supports children’s learning, health, and resilience.

Solutions Spotlight: How Communities Are Leading Efforts to Ensure Clean Water Access 31.03.2025 55min

Access to clean water is too often determined by where we live and the political and economic influence we have to demand it. Yet water is a critical part of a child’s environment, and disruptions in its availability and quality can impact young children’s development and health, both in the moment and throughout their lives.We explore how communities are mobilizing to address disparities in water access and climate-related threats like flooding. Hear from our panelists, Kealoha Fox, PhD, Climate Change Commissioner for the City and County of Honolulu, and Dana Eness, Executive Director of the Urban Conservancy, as they share practical, community-driven solutions to support children’s development, health, and well-being.

Extreme Heat & Early Childhood Development: A Discussion on Rising Temperatures and Strategies for Supporting Development and Lifelong Health 15.01.2025 52min

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.

A Cascade of Impacts: A Discussion on the Ways Water Affects Early Childhood Health & Well-being 29.01.2025 57min

In October 2024, we hosted a webinar where we explored the science from our latest working paper, A Cascade of Impacts: The Many Ways Water Affects Child Development. The discussion was led by the Center’s Chief Science Officer, Lindsey Burghardt, MD, MPH, FAAP, and featured Devon Payne-Sturges, DrPH, Associate Professor with the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health at the University of Maryland, School of Public Health, and Nathaniel Harnett, PhD, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In this podcast, learn about the many ways water affects early childhood health and well-being as well as actionable strategies and policy solutions that can support clean water access for all children and their caregivers. The webinar discussion has been adapted for this episode of the Brain Architects podcast.

A Place to Play: Moving Towards Fairness of Place for All Children 29.01.2025 46min

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.

Understanding Racism's Impact on Child Development: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States 29.01.2025 58min

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.

A New Lens on Poverty: Working Towards Fairness of Place in the United States 29.01.2025 58min

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.

Place Matters 29.01.2025 54min

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.

IDEAS Framework Toolkit 29.01.2025 37min

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.

Building Resilience Through Play 29.01.2025 55min

These days, resilience is needed more than ever, and one simple, under-recognized 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.

COVID-19 Special Edition: Mental Health Vital Signs 29.01.2025 17min

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.

COVID-19 Special Edition: Building from Strengths: Post-Pandemic Partnerships in Health Care 29.01.2025 14min

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.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.

COVID-19 Special Edition: Superheroes of Pediatric Care: Moving Beyond the Challenges of COVID-19 29.01.2025 13min

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.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.