WELCOME TO
THE KIDS' TABLE
... where we discuss all things child development and policy.
Special thanks to
Jacob Schatz, Theme Composer | Christopher Bate, Editor
Meet the Team at the Table
Katelyn Fletcher, Ph.D., received her Bachelors from Cornell and her doctorate from NYU, where she studied under the mentorship of Dr. Catherine Tamis-LeMonda. Her work through graduate school focused on infant and toddler language learning and play and the supportive role of caregivers in early life development. As a post-doc at Temple University with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Katelyn leads work on a playful learning intervention at a network of early learning centers across Philadelphia. Broadly, she is interested in how young children's social relationships and early environment shape their learning and set the stage for healthy development throughout life. Katelyn is also a co-host for the Table.
Hailey Gibbs, Ph.D., received her Bachelors from Salisbury University and her doctorate from the University of Maryland, where she focused on young children's understanding of the relation between evidence and knowledge building, selective trust, and the development of question-asking. As a post-doc with Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, she focused on playful learning practices and how differences across cultures shape early learning experiences. She is now the Associate Director of Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress - a non-partisan think-tank based in Washington, DC, where she studies a range of issues central to child and family policy. Hailey is also a co-host for the Table.
Katherine Ziska is a lab manager at the University of Michigan, where she is researching how children think about AI and voice assistants like Siri with Dr. Ying Xu.
She holds a Masters from NYU where she focused on how adult input affects children’s understanding and normative intuitions about natural kinds.
She has a background in comparative psychology and a passion for science communication and educational outreach, engaging the public in the power of science learning, and how research shapes our understanding of the world. Katherine is also a script researcher and content creator for the Table.
The views and opinions expressed on The Kids' Table are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers or institutional affiliations.
Episode 001
Join us for our opening episode, January 2022, where we talk about the greatest hits in research and policy from 2021 and Dr. Andy Ribner tells us about kids' digital media use... and math?
Episode 005
Join us for Episode five, where Dr. Jill Gandhi from the Center on Poverty and Social Policy tells us all about the incredible work scholars and advocates are doing examining how poverty shapes children's and families' lives -- and how we can use policy as a tool to end it.
Episode 009
In Episode 009, Dr. Angelia Puzio takes us on a journey to create a new culture of care, that demystifies deeply rooted gender stereotypes, encourages boys to join HEED careers, and undercuts the brilliance bias to allow people to be human.
Episode 002
Join us for episode two, where we chat with Dr. Sam Melvin about the childcare landscape, the superheroes that are early childcare educators, programming quality, and what it means to be a kid today.
Episode 006
In our sixth installment, we're joined by Dr. Kristen Stack, a school psychologist, who takes us on a journey through the life and tells us all about student supports (especially during a difficult time, like the pandemic), evals, and... umpires?
Episode 010
In Episode 010, we are joined by Jodi Miller, Ph.D. student extraordinaire, who created a student wellness platform called WellCheq that's becoming a national phenomenon. Join us for a conversation about wellness, teachers, and the importance of checking in on the people around us.
Episode 003
Tarah Threadgill
Join us for our first ever Teachers' Take, where we get the inside scoop about on-the-ground K-12 education from a superhero herself, high-school English and Theater teacher, Ms. Tarah Threadgill.
Episode 007
In Episode 007, we are joined by board-certified nurse-midwife, Bridgette Holmes (MSN, CNM) who tells us about new motherhood and takes us on a heartwarming dive into the life of a midwife, family-centered policies, and all things mom/baby.
Episode 011
Episode 011 is all about social connection --the importance of building relationships cannot be overstated, not only for our mental health, but for the neurological underpinnings that shape our experience of the world. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Rose Perry about Social Creatures and much more.
Episode 004
Join us for episode four, where we are joined by PhDad extraordinaire, Dr. Kevin Wong, who tells us all about the three multis: multilingualism, multiracialism, and multiculturalism.
Episode 008
Join us for Episode 008, where Dr. Melissa Kline Struhl walks us through all things open and collaborative science - preregistrations, open source, data sharing, and more (plus a celebration of now open federal research and the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Episode 012
Olga Pagan
Episode 012 rounds out the year with a phenomenal discussion with educator-researcher extraordinaire, Olga Pagan, about culturally-relevant pedagogy, student-centered learning, and how we can bring anti-racism into the classroom to foster connection, empathy, and academic achievement.
Episode 013
Bonus Episode
We have had such a blast bringing you content on Table that we hope helps transcend the gap between research, policy, and practice. Translational platforms like this give us the chance to share the amazing work that experts are doing in a way that showcases its value and sparks curiosity. Join us for a bonus recap!
Episode 017
In our May episode, we were joined by Dr. Angelica Gangemi, a Cornell alum and current Resident Physician in Internal Medicine-Pediatrics at ChristianaCare & Nemours Children's Hospital, who taught us all about pediatrics, life as a resident, and the importance of holistic health care for children and families.
Episode 021
September's episode got playful - We were joined by Dr. Molly Scott who took us behind the scenes of the Active Playful Learning collaborative, and shared some insights into the human side of community-based research, reminding us how important it is to meet people where they are, and that Bluey is an amazing show.
Episode 014
Join us for our first official episode of 2023, dear listeners, where we are joined by Maya Portillo, of the Center for Early Learning Funding Equity, to take us through how child care is funded, and how we can work to improve equitable access to enriching early learning experiences.
Episode 018
In June, we were joined at the Table by Ms. Kiera Reed, who chatted with us from the other side of the globe where she is currently an international teacher! She shared with us the ins and outs of international education, her experiences in her school, and some insights into how relationships in education are much the same everywhere.
Episode 022
October's episode was a real treat - We were joined for a chat by the esteemed Dr. Adriana Bankston to talk all about science policy and governance. Dr. Bankston gave us a deep dive on academic publishing, accessibility, & giving voice to early career researchers.
Read more about her work here: https://adrianabankston.com/
Episode 015
In our March episode, we are joined by the phenom, Rex Yin, who shared some fantastic insights into what constitutes high-quality preschool, the ins and outs of community-based advocacy, the power of healing centers, and how to rethink our approach to social problems at the system level.
Episode 019
Our July episode with Dylan Van Duyne was a dive into equity, where we learned all about the rich data he collects through his work as an equity training specialist. Through this work, Dylan has become a leader in teaching others about the power of community, understanding the self, and being a true accomplice in the fight for social justice.
Episode 023
In November, we were joined by the inimitable Dr. Amanda Woodward, researcher and educator extraordinaire, who shared her work on how children reason about social exclusion, the power of social connection in development, and how those lessons can apply to the classroom (even stats classes!).
Episode 016
April's episode was such a treat -- and a departure from our usual content! Meet Grace Monks, J.D., an assistant public defender who works in juvenile justice. Tune in to learn about how families and communities are impacted by the justice system and the mysteries of forensic science.
Episode 020
In August, we heard from Lauren Giruoard-Hallam about how children interact with and learn from novel technologies, like the internet and voice assistants. Growing up in the digital age cannot be easy, but researchers are showing us the possibilities for how we can use these technologies, and what children already understand about digital literacy.
Episode 024
In December, Dr. Emily-Foster Hanson helped us understand the way we reason about the world - sorting categories and representing them through our mental concepts. We took a dive into how those concepts shape our assumptions, stereotypes, and inform future learning - and the ways in which language influences what concepts we form.
Episode 025
Katherine Ziska
Welcome back to a new year at the Table! We are so excited to be kicking off 2024 with you by featuring a special addition to the podcast -- Katherine Ziska! You've heard her in past episodes, but it is our great pleasure to finally give you a formal intro, where you can hear about Katherine's research interests, childhood experiences, and aspirations for translational science.
Episode 029
Dr. Elysia Choi and Janet Gu
In May, we had the absolute pleasure of hosting not one but two experts in adolescent identity development, socio-emotional development, racial microaggressions, joking behavior among middle schoolers, and how an openness to challenging interactions is instrumental in exploring vulnerability and creating safe communities that foster healthy resistance.
Episode 033
Dr. Annelise Pesch
How do kids learn about things they don't have direct experience with? How do they decide what information is and isn't trustworthy? These are the questions asked by psychologists who study social cognition, and in the work of Dr. Annelise Pesch, she sees these questions showing up in kids' everyday lives - from the spaces they visit with their families to the way that they play with friends. Tune in to learn more!
Episode 026
Dr. Sarah Vogel
February was such a fascinating episode - we were joined by Dr. Sarah Vogel, of the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Boston University, who took us on a tour of the microbiota gut-brain axis, showcasing how our life experiences shape both our psychological and physical health, and how those experiences can have lasting consequences, beginning in early childhood.
Episode 030
Dr. Rachel Flynn
This summer, we had the absolute pleasure of meeting with Dr. Rachel Flynn, Associate Professor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Development at San Fransisco State University, who gave us a deep dive into the impact of media exposure on kids' physical, social, and cognitive development (including the impact of video games on EF).
Episode 034
Dr. Jessie Stern
The relationships we build early in life may not last forever, but the way we form relationships and the importance of those social connections for our empathy and compassion carry us well into adulthood. Join us this episode for a chat with Dr. Jessie Stern, an attachment expert, who gives us insights into children and adolescents' relationships, attachment, and parenting in a changing world.
Episode 027
Dr. Sandy Gonzalez
March was a treat of an episode, where we were joined by Dr. Sandy Gonzalez, a Senior Research Associate at Nicklaus Children's Health System, who taught us about children's health care services and access, multilingualism, moral development, the cross-section between psychology and medicine, and how misinformation impacts our understanding of health practices.
Episode 031
Doug Piper
Another TICL alum graces the airwaves in this episode, where we were joined by the incredible Doug Piper. Doug is a PhD student at Georgetown University, where he studies children's learning from screen media, how digital tools shape our social relationships (see: Boomers and Zoomers study), and the intersection between research and policy.
Episode 028
Jacob Schatz
Parent-child interactions meets Rabbinical studies, meets LOTR? Join us for April's episode with Dr. Jacob Schatz, who gave us a deep dive into the beauty of children's narrative, how we find meaning in our social connections, and how play is the most gorgeous venue for kids' cognitive, social, emotional, and imaginational development.
Episode 032
Allie Pearce
Kids don't grow up in vacuums. They are the products of the environments in which they are born and raised. A big part of that environment is owed to the policy decisions we make everyday, from the community up to the federal level. Join us for a chat with Allie Pearce, a legislative aide on Capitol Hill, who takes us behind the scenes of at Congress in this day in the life.