The Brain Architects

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

On The Brain Architects from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, we explore emerging science in early childhood development and strategies and policy solutions for supporting young children and their caregivers. We examine how the conditions where children live, grow, play, and learn shape their development, lifelong physical and mental health, and well-being. This includes a child’s environment of relationships and influences from their broader environment, such as access to clean air, safe drinking water, the availability of safe, stable housing, and more. Recognizing these influences are not distributed equally or fairly, our expert panelists consider strategies for working towards fairness across places, so all children have developmental environments that support their health and well-being. Subscribe now!

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20 episodes
Avg 37 min
English

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S1 · E33
August 20 · 43 min
Strengthening Stability: Actionable Strategies to Support Young Children and Caregivers
In this episode of the Brain Architects, we explore how stability across multiple domains shapes healthy development for young children and their caregivers. Drawing on insights from the latest working paper from the Early Childhood Scientific Council on Equity and the Environment, From Resources to Routines: The Importance of Stability in the Developmental Environment, this conversation examines how interconnected systems—including housing, employment, health care, education, and community supports—can help create, maintain, and restore stability. The webinar highlights complementary frameworks, including the Urban Institute’s Web of Stabilizing Supports and EMPath's Economic Mobility Bridge, to explore how families experience stability across different aspects of daily life. Panelists share examples of how organizations, systems, and communities can work together to strengthen stability, support economic mobility, and promote healthy development for children and caregivers.
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S1 · E32
May 6 · 55 min
Why Stability Matters for Early Childhood Development
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.
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S1 · E31
Nov 17, 2025 · 39 min
Connecting Early Childhood Development to Climate Change
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.
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S1 · E30
Nov 17, 2025 · 36 min
Communicating the Relationship Between Place, Racism, and Early Childhood Development
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.
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S1 · E29
Nov 3, 2025 · 42 min
Mattering in Early Childhood: Building a Strong Foundation for Life
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.
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S1 · E28
Sep 29, 2025 · 54 min
Protecting Young Children From the Impacts of Wildfires
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.
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S1 · E27
Aug 11, 2025 · 53 min
How Air Quality Affects Early Childhood Development and Health
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.
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S1 · E26
Aug 4, 2025 · 55 min
Addressing the Impact of Extreme Heat on Young Children
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
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S1 · E25
Jul 28, 2025 · 34 min
Why Sleep Matters in Early Childhood Development
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.
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S1 · E24
Mar 31, 2025 · 55 min
Solutions Spotlight: How Communities Are Leading Efforts to Ensure Clean Water Access
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.
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S1 · E2
Jan 30, 2025 · 33 min
Laying the Foundation
Why are the early years of a child’s life so important for brain development? How are connections built in the brain, and how can early brain development affect a child’s future health? This episode of The Brain Architects dives into all these questions and more. First, Dr. Jack Shonkoff, director of the Center on the Developing Child, explains more about the science behind how brains are built—their architecture—and what it means to build a strong brain. This is followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Judy Cameron, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh; Debbie LeeKeenan, an early childhood consultant and former director of the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School at Tufts University; and Dr. Pia Rebello Britto, the global chief and senior advisor for the Early Childhood Development Program Division at UNICEF. These panelists discuss the practical side of building brain architecture, and what any parent or caregiver can do to help give children’s brains a strong foundation.
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S1 · E3
Jan 30, 2025 · 36 min
Toxic Stress: Protecting the Foundation
What is toxic stress? What effects can it have on a child’s body and development, and how can those effects be prevented? What does it mean to build resilience? This episode of The Brain Architects explores what “toxic stress” means, and what we can do about it. Host Sally Pfitzer is once again joined by Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff as they dive into the different types of stress, including what makes certain stress “toxic,” while other stress can be tolerable or even positive for children. They discuss the effects that toxic stress can have on developing brains, as well as what it means to be resilient to sources of stress, and how parents and caregivers can help encourage that resilience in children. Dr. Shonkoff also emphasizes the point that, even for those who may have experienced toxic stress, “it’s never too late to make things better.” Then, listen to a panel discussion featuring Pediatrician Dr. Kathleen Conroy, Community Mental Health Worker Cerella Craig, Professor and Researcher Dr. Megan Gunnar, and Training Director for Rise Magazine Jeanette Vega, as they discuss the various ways in which they encounter toxic stress and its effects in their work. The panelists speak openly about how toxic stress can affect families and children—including ways in which the systems set up to help can be the cause of further stress—and how to talk about toxic stress in a way that doesn’t make things feel hopeless to those who have experienced it. They also dig into strategies they employ in their various fields to help children and families deal with stress, and move what might be toxic stress back to tolerable levels.
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S1 · E4
Jan 30, 2025 · 26 min
Serve and Return: Supporting the Foundation
What is “serve and return”? What does it mean to have a “responsive relationship” with a child? How do responsive relationships support healthy brain development? And what can parents and caregivers do in their day-to-day lives to build these sorts of relationships? This episode of The Brain Architects podcast addresses all these questions and more! Fortunately, there are many quick, easy, and free ways to create responsive relationships with children of any age. To kick off this episode, Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff describes the science behind how these interactions—known as “serve and return”—work. This is followed by a discussion among a panel of scientists and practitioners including Dr. Phil Fisher, the Philip H. Knight Chair and Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, and director of the Center for Translational Neuroscience; Patricia Marinho, founder and CEO of Tempojunto and co-founder of Programa BEM; and Sarah Ryan, director of Life Skills at Julie’s Family Learning Program. The panelists discuss what it looks like to serve and return with children on a daily basis, and how to encourage these interactions.
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S1 · E5
Jan 29, 2025 · 21 min
The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: A Different World
While the coronavirus pandemic has changed many things around the world, it has not stopped child development. In this series of special episodes of The Brain Architects podcast, we aim to share helpful resources and ideas in support of all those who are caring for children while dealing with the impacts of COVID-19. The first guest of this special series is Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff. He and host Sally Pfitzer discuss how to support healthy child development during a pandemic, including the importance of caring for caregivers. They also talk about what we’ve already learned as a result of the coronavirus, and what we hope to continue learning.
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S1 · E6
Jan 29, 2025 · 15 min
The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: Self-Care Isn't Selfish
In the midst of a global pandemic, pediatricians are serving a unique role. While the coronavirus is generally showing milder effects on babies and children than on adults, there are still health concerns and considerations for infants in need of scheduled vaccinations, and kids who are home all day with parents who may be facing stressful situations. In the second episode of our special COVID-19 series of The Brain Architects, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Rahil Briggs, National Director of ZERO TO THREE’s HealthySteps program, to discuss how pediatricians are serving their patients during the pandemic, including using telehealth; why caregiver health is child health; and what she hopes the healthcare system can learn as a result of the pandemic.
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S1 · E7
Jan 29, 2025 · 18 min
The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: Creating Communities of Opportunity
While the current coronavirus pandemic is affecting all of us, it isn’t affecting all of us equally. Some communities—especially communities of color—are feeling the brunt of the virus more than others, in terms of higher rates of infection as well as economic fallout, among many other ways. In this third special COVID-19 episode of The Brain Architects podcast, host Sally Pfitzer is joined by Dr. David Williams, the Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Williams discusses ways in which the coronavirus pandemic is particularly affecting people of color in the U.S., and what that can mean for early childhood development. He also pinpoints the importance of creating “communities of opportunity” that will allow all families to thrive—both during and after this pandemic.
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S1 · E8
Jan 29, 2025 · 15 min
COVID-19 Special Edition: Domestic Violence and Shelter-In-Place
Shelter-in-place orders are meant to help protect our communities from the current coronavirus pandemic. But for some people, home isn’t always a safe place. For those who are experiencing domestic violence, or believe they know someone one who is, what options are available to stay both physically healthy and safe from violence? In this fourth episode of our COVID-19 series of The Brain Architects, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Tien Ung, Program Director for Impact and Learning at FUTURES without Violence. Prior to her work at FUTURES, Tien spent five years as the Director of Leadership and Programs at the Center on the Developing Child. Tien discusses important, practical steps those at home can take to keep themselves and their children safe, as well as strategies others can use if they think someone they know may be experiencing domestic violence. She also addresses the resilience of survivors, and what our communities can do both during and after COVID to listen to and engage in real responsive relationships with adults and children alike. A note on this episode: If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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S1 · E9
Jan 29, 2025 · 23 min
COVID-19 Special Edition: Mental Health in a Locked-Down World
While some countries and U.S. states are beginning to reopen businesses and other gathering places, the pandemic is still very much with us. Physical distancing will likely be a way of life until a vaccine for COVID-19 is widely available. So much change, including the threat of illness, and grief of those who have lost loved ones, means that mental health is a great concern. Fortunately, there are things we can do to support our mental health at this time, especially when caring for young children or other family members. In this episode of The Brain Architects, host Sally Pfitzer speaks with Dr. Karestan Koenen, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Archana Basu, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a clinical psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss what supporting your own mental health can look like, as well as ways to support children you care for at this time. They also talk about what mental health professionals all over the world are doing to help take care of our societies in the midst of the pandemic, and how they’re preparing for the challenges that come next.
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S1 · E10
Jan 29, 2025 · 38 min
Connecting Health and Learning Part I: The Science
How do our biological systems work together to respond to chronic stress? What do these responses mean for early learning and lifelong health? And when we say that early experiences matter, what do we mean by early? This episode of The Brain Architects podcast addresses all these questions and more!
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S1 · E11
Jan 29, 2025 · 44 min
Connecting Health and Learning Part II: The Implications
How do we use the science of early childhood development to implement practical strategies and overcome longstanding barriers in the early childhood field? How can we ensure that families’ voices are heard when we create policies or programs? To kick off this episode, Center Director Dr. Jack Shonkoff describes what the science means for policymakers, system leaders, care providers, and caregivers. This is followed by a discussion among a distinguished panel of experts, including Cindy Mann (Manatt Health), Dr. Aaliyah Samuel (Northwest Evaluation Association), and Jane Witowski (Help Me Grow). The panelists discuss how we can break down the silos in the early childhood field, policies affecting prenatal-three, and how policies can change to address the stressors inflicted by poverty, community violence, and racism.
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