Shelley: Wonderful to have time with you, Spiffy! There is growing interest in investing in the early years—and for good reason. Children with high-quality early experiences do better in school, earn more income over their lifetimes, and enjoy better health. Furthermore, their parents are more secure in employment, and their families are more stable. That’s why for decades my colleagues and I have developed and implemented programs that meet children’s needs and support the grown-ups in their lives. Two of our signature programs are Start Right Now, which uses interactive audio instruction to link health, education, and workforce development, and First 10.
Lamar: Thanks for inviting me, Spiffy! Teens of Color Abroad, also known as TOCA, was created to address the racial disparities in language learning and study-abroad opportunities. We believe that when provided with international language learning opportunities, high school students of color, especially those from under-resourced communities, will become global ambassadors in college and beyond.
Huayi: I’m happy to be here, Spiffy! As our world becomes more and more connected, it is becoming important to be able to communicate with people from different cultures. So many children are learning to speak two languages! Being bilingual also helps children in a lot of ways. For example, they might do better in school, learn about different cultures, and have more job choices when they grow up. By providing multicultural, diverse education, we can teach children to be multilingual global citizens and also help bridge the cultural and language gap among people.
