Welcome to
How Are The Children

Welcome to the new site and (coming soon) podcast “How Are The Children.” I am curating a space in the midst of all the chatter of the well-being of children, parents and families for honest, insightful, authentic and real conversation on the state of children in the US and the world.

I have been an educator of some kind since I was 16, when I taught violin to younger musicians. Since that time, in addition to hold a bachelor of science in education, I have educated preschoolers, elementary, junior high and high school students as well as adults in a variety of capacities, including that of ordained clergy. In the various settings, students, discussions, and curriculums I have encountered, one revelation continues to haunt me: the older the student, the more we invest of our time, money and attention.

Why is this? Given that we know that 90% of brain development is complete by age five, why does this vulnerable demographic receive the fewest educational resources and support in the US? Other countries deeply invest in birth to five and reap the rewards of lower unemployment, fewer unhoused people, fewer incarcerated people, fewer people in poverty, an overall healthier and more stable society. It begs the question: If data and science can’t convince us to invest in birth to five in the United States, what will?

This site and podcast will wrestle with this question from many perspectives, voices and intersections, as there are no quick, easy or inexpensive responses to a crisis that has been brewing for decades or really, centuries.

I hope that you’ll come along, offer your story and help build the community our children need so that when we ask “How Are the Children?” we can in good conscious respond “The Children Are WELL!”

In solidarity, Brigette