How We Raise Humans: Early Childhood, Learning, and Becoming a Person | The Nurturant Dialogues

How we raise humans shapes not just childhood, but the kind of society we create.

This conversation brings together perspectives from early childhood practice, research, and lived classroom experience to reflect on childhood, learning, care, emotional development, and what it truly means to become human in a rapidly changing world.

The conversation is led by The Nurturant, a space committed to rethinking early childhood education through care, connection, and consciously designed learning environments. Through close work with children, families, and educators, The Nurturant explores how early experiences shape learning, wellbeing, and identity across the lifespan.

Pallavi Poojari Mohindra, Founder & CEO of The Nurturant and Founder of Tinker Lab, is joined by Professor Venita Kaul and Debbie Bergstrom for this dialogue.

Professor Venita Kaul is Professor Emerita and Founding Director of the Centre for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED) at Ambedkar University Delhi. She is a former Senior Education Specialist and Education Consultant at the World Bank and has been central to shaping early childhood education research and policy in India for decades.

Debbie Bergstrom is a RIE Associate and Early Childhood Consultant with over 39 years of global experience in infant and toddler caregiving, educator mentoring, and professional development.

Together, they explore why childhood is not preparation for adulthood, how learning is rooted in relationships and emotional safety, and why care, curiosity, and presence shape a child’s ability to learn, adapt, and thrive. The conversation reflects on play, academic pressure, teacher preparation, learning environments, technology and AI, and the long-term impact of early experiences on wellbeing, resilience, and identity.

About The Nurturant Dialogues:

The Nurturant Dialogues is a learning and reflection space where we explore childhood, education, emotional intelligence (EQ), and human development in depth.

We begin with real practice. We start from what children are actually doing in everyday learning environments and draw meaning from those moments through careful observation, thoughtful explanation, and reflection. Learning is made visible not through slogans or shortcuts, but through lived classroom reality.

Some conversations bring clarity by explaining what is happening in learning spaces and why it matters. Others slow down and sit with questions around care, play, emotional development, and adult responsibility. Together, we support educators, parents, caregivers, school leaders, and policymakers in seeing children, adults, and systems with greater depth and understanding.

Grounded in global early childhood research and respectful, child-centred educational philosophies, we explore themes such as free play, the facilitator’s role, care as curriculum, social and emotional development, learning environments, and the long-term impact of early experiences on wellbeing, resilience, and identity.

We invite you to think carefully about education, EQ, and what it truly means to become human.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - 00:01:29 - Trailer
00:01:30 - 00:05:08 - How We Raise Humans: Childhood as a Life Stage
00:05:09 - 00:07:34 - Celebrating Curiosity and Learning From Birth
00:07:35 - 00:11:22 - How Children Learn Through Play and Exploration
00:11:23 - 00:14:26 - How Childhood Became Preparation for School
00:14:27 - 00:20:12 - Relationships, Trust, and Emotional Safety
00:20:13 - 00:27:46 - Care Is the Curriculum
00:27:47 - 00:31:09 - When Adults Take Over Children’s Play
00:31:10 - 00:35:28 - Academic Pressure and Emotional Wellbeing
00:35:29 - 00:41:13 - What Children Need Beyond Performance
00:41:14 - 00:45:02 - Preparing Children for an Uncertain Future
00:45:03 - 00:50:24 - Process Over Product in Learning
00:50:25 - 00:56:00 - Rethinking Learning Environments
00:56:01 - 01:02:33 - Technology, AI, and Childhood Today
01:02:34 - 01:06:25 - Democratic and Child-Centred Learning
01:06:26 - 01:09:20 - Can Child-Led Learning Work at Scale?
01:09:21 - 01:12:16 - Why Teacher Training and Mentoring Matter
01:12:17 - 01:16:21 - Hope for Early Childhood Education
01:16:22 - 01:21:13 - Restoring Dignity to Early Childhood Professionals
01:21:14 - 01:27:10 - One Message for Parents and Educators

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