I have been a pediatrician in inner-city Boston for over 45 years. During my residency, I  was trained to diagnose and treat children with acute and chronic medical problems.  Over time, I realized that was not enough to help children be healthy, happy, and do well in school. I learned that the best way I could help children achieve these goals is by helping their parents, and that the best way to reach parents is through their children. An “a-ha” moment.

With that lesson in mind, my colleagues and I at Boston Medical Center, in collaboration with WGBH and mothers of our patients, developed Small Moments, Big Impact (SMBI), a free app to promote new mothers’ emotional wellbeing and resilience. We believe the app will help the mothers themselves, as well as help them give their babies the empathic and nurturing care every mother wants to provide. Now during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely needed more than ever as mothers struggle with new stresses.

The Small Moments Big Impact app offers prompts that invite a mother to engage with her baby and to share her feelings.

SMBI is designed to be used by mothers during a baby’s first six months, either alone, or ideally—and more effectively— when shared and discussed with friends, relatives, other parents, as well as health care providers and home visitors. Each week there is a segment to illustrate how parents can connect with their babies and themselves. SMBI is different from other apps in many ways. We don’t provide answers to common questions, as these are readily found on the internet, in handouts, or are easily answered by professionals, friends, or family. Instead, we focus on how a mother is coping, how her thoughts and feelings are affecting her responses to her baby, and how her responses, in turn, may affect her baby. Each week there are two brief videos of mothers and fathers talking about their past adversities, present challenges, joys, and aspirations.

These stories validate recollections and feelings in mothers, and help them to acknowledge and share their own stories with providers, friends, relatives, and other mothers, building and enriching their support network.  This is especially important for growing the relationship between health providers and mothers early on. Health providers have told us that a mother’s usual response to “How are you doing ?” is “OK,” which doesn’t really convey any information or feelings. However, after watching the videos, mothers are more likely to acknowledge they have similar feelings, and they may be more willing to tell their own stories. A mother sharing her feelings and stories with her health providers can be the beginning of a deeper and more meaningful relationship.

The SMBI app also has a feature to allow mothers to make and keep their own weekly video as a personal visual journal tracking their feelings and experiences during the first six months. The app also offers simple exercises and mindfulness practices. Small Moments Big Impact (SMBI) can be downloaded for free from the App Store for smartphones now and an Android version will be available by mid-July.

Dr. Barry Zuckerman is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center. He has long focused on how the social environment affects the health of low-income children. He launched Reach Out and Read, an early literacy program that calls for primary care providers to write “prescriptions” for parents to read to their children. He also founded the Medical-Legal Partnership for Children, a national model that brings lawyers into hospitals to help doctors and patients navigate the legal system to secure services.

For our Voices on the Future of Childhood series, we have been inviting experts to write about how we might be proactive in mapping out ideal futures for children and families—so far, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, given the vicious impacts of racism that we have all witnessed, protested, and mourned over in the past several weeks, Part 6 of this series focuses on race and racism. 

We asked experts to share their perspectives on these issues and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields.

What is your vision for the future of childhood?
What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision?
Who (individuals, organizations, communities, sectors, etc.) needs to do what to achieve that vision?

Click the thumbnails below to read what they had to say:

• • Voices on the Future of Childhood: An overview by Lori Takeuchi
  • Part 1: One thing that must be done now
  • Part 2: What will change as a result of the pandemic
  • Part 3: The future of play
  • Part 4: The future of digital play
  • Part 5: Back to school
  • Part 6: Diversity, Belonging, and Racial Justice

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Growth mindsets challenge assumptions and spark imaginations

Stanley Pierre-Louis is President and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, which represents the U.S. video game industry.

At this time of national reflection on the impact of racism on the criminal justice system and other revered institutions, the question that drives me most is this: what can we do as a society to prompt real, sustainable change? A key part of the answer, I believe, is to encourage a growth mindset, especially among children and adolescents.

As a Black American, learning about the death of an unarmed citizen who looks like me sparks outrage, fear, and sadness—but not surprise. More personally, it pains me to be having yet another conversation with my teenage son about the reality of race in America. It makes for a painful, frustrating, and difficult experience. At the same time, I remind him that progress only occurs when you are willing to believe that something better is possible.

Childhood is when we begin to form our beliefs and mindsets. So, we must move from a passive celebration of diversity to the active pursuit of diversity as a way to strengthen systems of all kinds. Just as racist concepts are taught and modeled, so are beliefs about equality and the idea that diverse systems are better systems. Growth mindsets provide a foundation for this kind of thinking.

Parents, caregivers, and teachers are critical to helping children form their views on race and equality through an open, growth mindset. There is no one right path. But if we use this notion as our guide and embrace growth mindsets over fixed ones, we can teach our children to stay curious, challenge assumptions, and develop the resilience needed to find a new path forward. Great resources for parents and teachers can be found at Mindset Works.

Adopting a growth mindset also helps us teach curiosity and wonder—qualities that spark ideas that lead to innovation in the classroom and in life. All children deserve to be able to imagine what’s possible and then make their dreams come to life.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Kindness is required

Rahsaan Harris, PhD, is the Chief Executive Officer for Citizens Committee for New York City.

I want my 6-year-old daughter to be a fierce and tireless advocate of kindness. 

Kind is the currency of kindergarten, so my family is doggedly in pursuit of it. We want our little girl to choose kindness at every turn. She should demand that people are kind to her. She should be kind to others. And she should stand up when she sees unkind acts happening in the world.

Kind people are generous and considerate. The empathy required for kindness helps individuals put themselves in others’ shoes. Kindness also requires an acknowledgement of difference. Being “colorblind” makes differences invisible. I’d rather have my differences embraced and celebrated. Seeing difference allows you to see me.

Parents raise kind children through living by example. 

Adults should be kind to themselves and demand kindness in their lives. Feelings of guilt, shame, and insecurity get in the way of being kind to oneself. 

Adults should be kind to others. Leading inclusive lives, welcoming all people, and avoiding prejudice are great ways to be kind. Are your friend and professional circles diverse? Do you have significant interactions with people of color? Do you spend time with Black people?

Ultimately, standing up against prejudice and discrimination when you see it is how you can be an advocate for kindness. Working to end educational segregation and police brutality sends a clear message to children: kindness is required.

Pursuing kindness is akin to pursuing justice. Ultimately, I want all children to fight for justice.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Children’s content as a window and mirror

Vicki Ariyasu is Senior Vice President, Disney Channels Worldwide Educational Resource Group and Diversity & Inclusion at The Walt Disney Company, where she oversees Disney Channels Worldwide diversity and inclusion initiatives, as well as curriculum that guides school studies, assessing comprehension, developmental appropriateness, and appeal for content. 

Paraphrasing from Rudine Sims Bishop: children’s content at best is both a window and mirror. I think our kids need to see through this window to a world of shared experiences and one in which they see their own faces reflected, across all dimensions of identity—race/ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and more. It starts with talent–executives, diversity amongst our ranks, and our creative talent who can speak authentically, from their shared experiences. Business priorities often don’t advance diversity. I believe one doesn’t have to be sacrificed for the sake of the other.

This isn’t a moment—this is a movement, and we are seeing more people stepping up every day. We’ve already been on this journey; it’s just gotten a whole lot more attention lately. This is good because we can and we need to do better. I’ll continue to fight the good fight because what is at stake is the millions of kids’ lives we reach, and the future that lies ahead as we look to change the world and make it a better place, just as we hope these kids will do so someday, too.

To achieve this vision, we rely significantly on internal resources such as Disney Channels Diversity and Inclusion Leadership and Integration teams, and Business Employee Resource Groups. We also partner with external organizations such as Common Sense Media, See Jane, GLAAD, UCLA Center for Scholars and Storytellers, IW Group, RespectAbility, Child Mind Institute, Catalyst, and our consortium of academic and content area experts and consultants.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Authentic representations of diversity in media

Mariana Díaz-Wionczek, PhD, is an independent Diversity & Inclusion and Children’s Media Advisor and Adjunct Professor in the Psychology Department at NYU.

In the current sociopolitical context, it has become more crucial than ever to talk to children about race and, unfortunately, also to address racism. We’d like to think that parents and teachers were teaching kids about diversity before the current events, but they weren’t. According to Sesame Workshop’s 2019 report, Identity Matters, 68% of parents think that a child’s race or ethnicity impacts their ability to succeed, and 31% think it has a major impact. Despite that, only 10% of parents reported that they are actually talking to their kids often about race and ethnicity, and only 8% are talking to them about socioeconomic class. Similarly, 45% of teachers think socioeconomic class is not appropriate to discuss with their kids, so only 19% are doing it at least sometimes. Media can and should fill this knowledge gap left by parents and teachers. This is a huge opportunity, and even a responsibility, given how much time kids spend in front of screens. 

We want children to see themselves authentically represented in characters that are complex, layered, and nuanced, like they are. To achieve this authenticity, it is imperative to bring diverse creative voices in the room—those who match the backgrounds and perspectives of the characters they create. Because little kids are not known for picking up on subtleties, it is important that they see concrete and direct representations of diversity, and this is more easily achievable via human characters, not monsters, robots, or animals. One of my missions, professionally speaking, is to help organizations (such as networks and studios) and individuals (such as content creators and producers) see these connections and put plans in place to ensure authentic representations of diversity by layering in multiple perspectives and stories that celebrate difference and understanding.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Systemic racism won’t fight itself

Martez E. Mott, PhD, is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Ability Group at Microsoft Research. 

The recent protests over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have made many people aware of the systemic and institutionalized racism that impacts the lives of Black people. While it is encouraging that many individuals are taking this truly historic moment to reflect on their behaviors, and the behaviors of the institutions that form our society, the fact is, Black people have been long aware of the racial inequalities that shape their everyday lives. This includes Black children.

My vision for the future of childhood is for Black children to be what they are, children. The same racist attitudes and policies that result in police brutality also result in Black children being suspended from school three times as often as their white classmates. In the 2015-2016 school year, Black children were 15 percent of the student body but accounted for 31 percent of arrests made on school grounds or at school activities. The criminalization of Black children must stop, and the burden of fighting for impactful, long-lasting change to racists policies that deny Black children safe and welcoming learning environments should fall on each and every individual, not just the members of the Black community.

Fighting systemic racism is hard; no one said it would be easy. The many people who are taking time to educate themselves on police brutality should also be educating themselves on racial inequalities in education, healthcare, and other facets of society. The lives of Black children depend on it.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Children should be seen, be heard, and be powerful

Christy Crawford is the Director of Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education for New York City’s Computer Science for All Initiative.

The world is communicating, expressing creativity, coping, and even protesting online. And yet, the poorest children are being silenced by the absence of training in the most powerful ways to reach large audiences. It is our duty to give these children the tools to actively engage in the new civil rights movement. Internet access is a basic human right. Equipment to communicate is a human right. If this human challenge was respected like a private sector challenge, it could be resolved and our children who have been underestimated and overlooked could receive proper equipment and broadband access.

The long, hot summer of COVID stress and racial unrest will give birth to new, young revolutionaries. We must be ready to passionately listen to children with dreams of revolution and show them new ways to solve problems efficiently. Educators at CS4All are working to show how data and algorithms can be used as tools of oppression or tools to liberate and unite the country. Of course, computer science, like any school subject, can be used to critically examine how racism and classism play a part in pandemics or to teach social justice. The youth are ready for lessons on change. It will require us to provide equipment, training, and simple civics lessons. It will require the correction of years of misinformation and manufactured history.

The sharing of privilege means providing the neediest families with tools to participate in the conversation of creating a just America. Sharing of privilege gives a voice to silenced children and their families. Subsequently, we can listen carefully and move accordingly.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

Integration in a time of choice

Pablo Miralles is a filmmaker who made the award-winning documentary “Can We All Get Along? The Segregation of John Muir High School.” 

In 1974, as the United States was in the middle of federal attempts to desegregate public schools, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said, “For unless our children begin to learn together, there is little hope that our people will ever learn to live together.” But the political and judicial movement to use the government to bring children together did not last.

Today, “parental choice” is the dominant movement in education policy, and, as we have seen with the resegregation in our schools, it has done nothing to bring us together. My hope for the future of childhood in this country—specifically, the future of education—is that white and/or privileged parents begin to recognize the consequences of their “choices” and use them to integrate our schools. I feel our democracy and future racial harmony depend on it.

I am a filmmaker committed to exploring the challenges of integrating public schools. I am a founding member of an Integrated Schools Chapter in Pasadena. Integrated Schools is a group that strives to prepare parents to support meaningfully integrated classrooms that reflect the diversity of their districts, as well as develop school communities that respect all families and are every child.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu

In this series of blog posts, we asked our experts to share their perspectives on issues of race and racism and highlight the work they are doing in their respective fields. “What is your vision for the future of childhood? What are you doing in your professional capacity to achieve that vision, and/or who needs to do what to achieve that vision?”

The future of childhood will be built by the youth

Jordan Taitingfong, MEd, is an educator and current doctoral student at the University of Washington whose research centers on the intersection of disability and race in early childhood.

I often imagine the future of childhood as one where all children feel belonging in their bones. Recently, this has been hard. Protesting while Black people are murdered by police, fighting through COVID-19 for basic needs, and resisting the deepening of inequities in distance learning. I worry my visions fall short, then I am reminded: the children are imagining.

As adults discuss police abolition, so do children. “We should give police new jobs,” said a four-year-old recently. My preschoolers’ voices are reflected in the work of mutual aid groups, “Teacher Jordan, she can have some of mine. I’ve got a lot.” Children have radical ideas for the future. Our job is to create spaces that center their voices while giving them tools to understand the world so they can create something better.

For over 10 years, I taught children with and without disabilities in an inclusive classroom, and now I provide professional development for early educators on inclusive practices for building their own communities of belonging. Through my work, I center children’s voices. I recognize the power, wisdom, and understanding children bring when we create spaces where we respect them. Giving them words like ableism, racism, and xenophobia allows them to engage. Recognizing play as an expression of voice allows us to see their understandings as they shape the world.

In the same way that disability justice must center people with disabilities, and racial justice movements must center Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, a vision for the future of childhood is incomplete without our youngest pushing it forward. A future of childhood built on belonging can exist. If we support them, our children will forge it in ways only they can imagine.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

Christy Crawford | Jordan Taitingfong | Mariana Díaz-Wionczek | Martez E. Mott
Pablo Miralles | Rahsaan Harris | Stanley Pierre-Louis | Vicki Ariyasu