At Home with the Child Experts: The Science of Learning and Teaching at Home During COVID-19

This 30-minute informal conversation gives parents and caregivers a chance to ask leading child development experts direct questions about learning and teaching at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Are you wondering how to make sure your kids are staying on track with school work? If or when to reach out to your child’s teacher? Whether there are “fun” activities you can introduce to help your children learn? Participants will have the option of submitting questions in advance or posting them in real time during the event.

Additional Resources for Remote learning

Meet the Experts:

Erin Bogan, Ph.D., is a developmental psychologist and researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) in the Early Childhood Practice Area with expertise in social-emotional development, cognitive development and family engagement. Dr. Bogan has more than ten years of experience conducting interdisciplinary, quantitative and qualitative strengths-based research with children, young adults, and families, with a focus on low-income populations and families of color. In her present position, Dr. Bogan works on two Preschool Development Grant projects for the State of Michigan and the State of Illinois, and the Birth through Eight Strategy for Tulsa (BEST) Evaluation. Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Bogan worked as an education consultant as a Principal Researcher, and in universities and organizations as an independent researcher and fellow. As a Vice Provost Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Bogan was awarded grants by the American Education Research Association and the Society of Research on Child Development to lead research of a project exploring parenting and school readiness among African American families. Her previous work also included collaborating with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Early Head Start’s home visiting program to support their data use practices and to develop a national model to improve program quality through data informed decision making. As a member of the Penn Child Research Center, Dr. Bogan managed partnerships with the school district of Philadelphia and helped lead the design of evidence-based materials to support the use of Kindergarten engagement assessments used throughout the district. With extensive work in schools, teaching in universities, conducting research, providing technical support, and presenting research to diverse audiences, Dr. Bogan strives to conduct research that reduces social and structural inequity in early childhood education and beyond. Dr. Bogan has earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley, a master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania, a doctorate degree in Education from the University of Michigan and a doctorate degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan.

Catherine Tamis-LeMonda, Ph.D., is Professor of Developmental Psychology, in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University, where she directs the Play and Language Lab and co-directs the Center for Research on Culture, Development, and Education. Tamis-LeMonda’s research focuses on infant and child language, communication, object play, and literacy development, and the roles of language input, home experiences, parenting, and culture in infant learning and development across domains. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Society; member of the governing council of the Society for Research on Child Development; and President-Elect of the International Congress of Infant Studies She has served as an expert consultant on infant and child development for The New York Times, Discovery Channel, American Baby magazine, Scientific American, and The Wall Street Journal. She serves as an associate editor of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General and Infancy. She has over 200 publications in peer-reviewed journals and books, and co-edited the volumes Child Psychology: A Handbook of Contemporary Issues, 1st 2nd 3rd Editions (Psychology Press, 1999, 2006, 2016), Handbook of Father Involvement: Multidisciplinary Perspectives (Psychology Press, 2002; 2013), The Development of Social Cognition and Communication (Psychology Press, 2005), and the forthcoming Handbook of Infant Development (Cambridge University Press). Tamis-LeMonda has received multiple grants for her research on parenting, child development, and school success from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Mental Health, the Ford Foundation, the Robin Hood Foundation, and the National Science Foundation.

Laura L. Namy, Ph.D. (moderator), is Executive Director of the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD). Dr. Namy’s responsibilities include overseeing all staff and business operations of the Society, working in partnership with Governing Council, Committees, and Caucuses to further SRCD’s Strategic Goals, and representing SRCD’s interests in science advocacy settings and in collaborations with sister associations and societies. Prior to taking the helm of SRCD in 2017, Dr. Namy spent 19 years on the Faculty of the Psychology Department at Emory University where she ran the Language and Learning Lab. At Emory, she also directed the interdisciplinary Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture, designed and coordinated a joint major in Psychology and Linguistics, directed a Psychology Summer Study Abroad Program, and directed the Graduate Program in Cognition and Development. Dr. Namy’s professional experiences have included serving as an officer of the Cognitive Development Society, Editor of the Journal of Cognition and Development, and most recently, serving for three years as a Program Director at the National Science Foundation. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and has been a career-long member of SRCD. Dr. Namy earned her Ph.D. in Psychology from Northwestern University and her B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Indiana University.