Dear Reader, Today in The Studio, Matt wrote: On a deep level, we recognize - we treasure - that we live in dependence. And yet, in our work, this almost comes across as pejorative. I've often seen schools highlighting their success in raising independent children. Can you imagine a school advertising its achievement in supporting children to celebrate their dependence? In conversation on another post, Miriam Beloglovsky invited a shift: Perhaps the question is not, "How do we help children...

Dear Reader, As I was wandering bookstores this weekend, I was pretty excited to notice Mac Barnett's new book, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children on the front page of the Indie Next flyer - listed as this month's "#1 Great Read" - and yes, I mean on the issue they publish for adult readers! I was excited because I have read this book - and in my opinion, it is one of the best declarations of what it means to hold a strong image of the child that I have ever encountered. That wasn't...

Dear Reader, Last weekend I had the privilege to sit alongside a beloved childcare center and support their process of saying goodbye to the work they've done for over 30 years in service to families in our local community. What a sorrowful gathering it was. What a joyful gathering it was. No one but the corporation that owned their property was ready for them to end their program - no one asked for their input or perspective or inquired about the impact the closure would have on those who...