{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Are We Schoolifying Childhood? Why Reading, Relationships & Resilience Matter Most","description":"In this powerful episode, Jed welcomes Andreas Schleicher, Director for Education and Skills at the OECD, to explore what truly helps kids thrive. Andreas shares global insights from major international studies, revealing that parents reading with and to their children is one of the strongest predictors of a child\u2019s cognitive, social, and emotional development. He warns that for many families, screens are replacing shared reading time\u2014and that heavy tech use in early childhood often correlates with worse outcomes, especially for disadvantaged kids, while reading together strongly boosts development. Andreas explains how \u201cschoolifying\u201d kindergarten\u2014pushing early academics at the expense of play and social learning\u2014can actually kill children\u2019s joy in reading. Drawing on contrasts like France vs. Estonia, he shows that letting young children play, explore, and build curiosity leads to better reading outcomes at age 15 than forcing formal academics too early. Throughout, he stresses that cultural capital and parental engagement\u2014asking about school, reading together, valuing learning\u2014matter more than income, and that real education must balance cognitive, social, and emotional skills. He also reflects on AI in education, arguing it should support deep learning, not replace effort or human connection. Later, Jed talks with Nazanin Agange Ford, author of the moving picture book My America Blooms. Nazanin shares how her family\u2019s immigration from Iran inspired a story about belonging, community, and seeing each other as neighbors first. Her book helps kids understand immigrant experiences, opens conversations about fairness and fear, and uses picture-book storytelling to build empathy and connection\u2014exactly the kind of relational learning Andreas champions. ","author_name":"Reading With Your Kids Podcast","author_url":"http:\/\/readingwithyourkids.libsyn.com\/site","html":"