TMW Center Newsletter July 2021

First Let’s Talk Spanish-Language Groups Launch!

The pilot of our Let’s Talk group program has expanded to two new cities: Houston, Texas, and Lexington, Kentucky. And for the first time, the program is being offered in Spanish as well as English.

Science demonstrates that parents engage with young children most effectively in their native language, and we are thrilled to have one group of Spanish-speaking parents participating in Let’s Talk in the Lexington region and two groups in Houston. The other groups in each region will meet in English.

This would not be possible without our dedicated partners who implement Let’s Talk locally. We are so grateful to Community Action Council and Children’s Museum Houston for recruiting participating parents and facilitating this powerful program in the manner that best meets their needs.

Elevating the Science of Scaling

The TMW Center was honored to partner with the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program to host a virtual event on the role of scaling in effective evidence-based policy on June 17. TMW Center’s co-directors John List and Dana Suskind joined former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and Brookings’ government innovation expert Elaine Kamarck in a thoughtful discussion of the challenges and opportunities presented by scaling. The panel was expertly moderated by Results 4 America’s Vice President of Solutions, Omar Woodard.

We are already looking forward to a follow-up event tentatively planned for early 2022. Because, as Dr. Suskind noted on the panel, when it comes to having a fiscally responsible government and truly giving our population a better quality of life, understanding scaling is, without a doubt, one of the most critical issues that we face.

We’re Hiring!

We are seeking a Software Developer to work on the multifaceted software platform that powers our program delivery and research data collection. The Platform is currently used across the country, and will help us scale our ambitious research and impact goals over time.

What We’re Reading

Everything Elliot Hapsel has been writing about the child-care industry’s massive and unprecedented staffing shortages. He’s ringing alarm bells in The Washington Post, on social media, and in his new—and great—newsletter. Unfilled positions are leading to fewer spots and longer waiting lists in communities across the country and leaving far too many families without safe and reliable options. “The rotten seed of America’s disinvestment in child care has finally sprouted,” he writes, “and without a new, permanent source of public funding, the sector is likely to crash and pull working families down with it.”

As the budget resolution and reconciliation process heats up in Washington, this is an issue that demands our attention.

What We’re Listening To

Speaking of child care, Lemonada Media’s new limited series podcast, No One is Coming to Save Us, explores America’s broken system and how it can be fixed. Hosted by Gloria Riviera and featuring Kristen Bell, the series utilizes an innovative combination of reporting and storytelling that helps bring the current crisis into sharper focus.