STEM Starts Early: Grounding science, technology, engineering, and math education in early childhood

Just as the industrial revolution made it necessary for all children to learn to read, the technology revolution has made it critical for all children to understand STEM. To support the future of our nation, the seeds of STEM must be planted early, along with and in support of the seeds of literacy. Together, these mutually enhancing, interwoven strands of learning will grow well-informed, critical citizens prepared for a digital tomorrow. So why is science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning not woven more seamlessly into early childhood education? An examination of the environments and systems in which children live reveals that it is not due to a lack of interest or enthusiasm on the part of children, teachers, or parents. The barriers to STEM learning for young children are more complex, subtle, and pervasive than decisionmakers currently realize.

In response to these concerns and the growing scientific consensus about the importance of early STEM learning, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and New America embarked on an exploratory project, funded by the NSF, to: (a) better understand the challenges to and opportunities in STEM learning as documented in a review of early childhood education research, policy, and practice; (b) make recommendations to help stimulate research and policy agendas; and (c) encourage collaboration between pivotal sectors to implement and sustain needed changes. We also accounted for new research on widely held public assumptions about what young children need and how they learn, assumptions that may be barriers to progress. This report is the culmination of those efforts.