Shelley Pasnik, EDC vice president and director of the Center for Children & Technology (CCT), will speak at the National Science Foundation-funded Fostering Stem Trajectories Forum, part of an inititiave from New America and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. This national forum will bring thought leaders and early childhood education experts from across the country to Washington, DC, on May 31 and June 1 to discuss how educators, families, and communities can foster successful STEM learning in all young children. The forum also will seek to increase communication and sustain collaboration among the researcers, policymakers, and program leaders who are working to identify effective strategies for including rich, engaging STEM experiences in a variety of settings for early childhood learning.

CCT has produced an impressive body of work around early childhood STEM learning, particularly with research studies of the ways in which new technologies can be incorporated to help very young children acquire foundational STEM skills and knowledge. In a recent white paper, "Early STEM Learning and the Roles of Technologies," Pasnik and her coauthor, CCT research scientist Naomi Hupert, discuss ways in which the thoughtful use of technology can enhance STEM experiences for young children and set the stage for successful lifelong learning. Much of our work to ensure that high-quality early STEM learning experiences are available to all young children—especially those who live in low-income communities—is summarized in the fact sheet "Early Stem Learning at EDC," which was presented at a White House symposium on early STEM learning in April.