Which row has the most candies? The answer is obvious to adults, but to preschoolers— it’s not always so straightforward. On the blog, early math expert Herbert Ginsberg of @columbiauniversity.bsky.social explains how preschoolers learn #earlymath. bit.ly/49I9mcB #ece

2 months until our @sxswedu.com workshop “Co-Designing Edtech with Kids” (presented in collaboration with @thegiantroom.bsky.social)! We’re excited to share that the interactive workshop will be featured in the #SXSWEdu Startup Bootcamp. Learn more: bit.ly/4aQ49BT #codesign #edtech

We’re delighted to be included in this fantastic resource for anyone working on products for kids- the Child Experience Goodies Library curated by Polina Lulu. It includes our Playtest with Kids website, the RITEC framework, and much more! Check it out: bit.ly/49kSBUD

Happy #throwbackthursday! In 2014, the Cooney Center published the report "Learning at home: Families’ educational media use in America." The report captured how parents thought of their kids' media use as "educational" in 2014. Read the full report: bit.ly/4qHLvAv

What are research-based best practices to make apps better for preschoolers? On the blog, researchers from @mdrc-news.bsky.social share some takeaways from their Measures for Early Success initiative.

Learning from the Littlest Voices (and Fingers): User Testing to Shape the Development of Digital Tools for Young Learners, by MDRC's Emily Hanno and Mallory Undestad via @cooneycenter.bsky.social joanganzcooneycenter.org/2026/01/06/l...

A new brief from @newamerica.org emphasizes that “digital literacy is as fundamental as reading, writing, and math,” and that digital literacy curricula should include AI literacy and computer science. Read the full brief here: bit.ly/4p16KMy #digitalliteracy #AI #K12

Is your New Year’s resolution to advance positive futures for kids in the digital world? What a coincidence, that’s ours too! 😉 Cheers to all of our colleagues, partners, and kindred spirits and best wishes for a fantastic 2026. 🎉

📖 #Literacy in the news: “Do Audio Books Count as Reading?” The Chief Librarian of the New York Public Library argues that focused listening, or listening while reading along, shares many of the same benefits of reading traditional print. nyti.ms/48E3nq0

Designing an AI-powered product for kids? @UNICEF.org has released Version 3.0 of their “Guidance on AI and Children.” The report features 10 requirements for child-centered AI, and includes AI-powered chatbot guidance. Read the full report: uni.cf/4p1kx5D

2025 was a great year of focusing on kids’ digital well-being at the @cooneycenter. Our Well-Being by Design Fellows learned from experts and collaborated with the teens on the Youth Design Team. Thanks to our partners in this work! Learn more: bit.ly/4gzMu1Z

What a year of co-design it’s been! We’re so grateful for the opportunity to work with so many co-designers. Thanks to everyone who helped us make better tech products for kids, families, and teachers through the power of co-design. Learn more: bit.ly/4qf3y14 @thegiantroom.bsky.social

📖 Literacy in the news: a Harper Collins survey reveals that less than half of 0-4 year olds are read to every night. Read the full article by @the74.bsky.social : www.the74million.org/zero2eight/w... #literacy #ece

@cooneycenter Executive Director Michael Preston was the keynote speaker at last week’s “To Code + Beyond: What’s Working (?)," a conference by the K-12 Lab at @cornell_tech. Michael spoke about lessons learned in the first 10 years of NYC’s “CS for All” initiative. #CSedu

How can video games include kids’ well-being in their design? In October, we co-hosted an event with @thrivingingames.bsky.social (TIGG) tackling that question. We also celebrated the Digital Thriving Playbook, created with TIGG & @unicef.org. For more: bit.ly/3KXuOSt

Which avatar would you choose to help you improve your writing? ✏️ 📖 We adore these sketches drawn by a kid co-designer in one of our Lirvana Labs co-design sessions for our Sandbox for Literacy Innovations initiative.

4 in 10 teens who use #genAI have talked about their feelings with a chatbot. That's just one of the findings from the Family Online Safety Insitute's "Generative AI in Uncertain Times" report. Read the full report here: bit.ly/48gJRzB

We're looking forward to Cooney Center Executive Director Michael Preston's keynote tomorrow (12/9) at To Code + Beyond: What’s Working(?), a conference by the K-12 Lab at @cornell_tech. Register (for free) by the end of the day today. bit.ly/3YgiEHo

A great read from @edsurge.com: Smartwatches are increasingly becoming kids' first "phones," but the research around adoption, usage, and their impact on kids hasn't yet caught up. bit.ly/4oxv08P

In October, the Cooney Center co-hosted the "Growing Readers in a World of Screens and AI" event with @newamerica.org and the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Now on the blog- a summary of the day's takeaways: bit.ly/4pIFfrM #edtech #literacy #AIedu #scienceofreading

Cooney Center Executive Director Michael Preston facilitated the “Transcending Barriers” workshop at the Google DeepMind AI for Learning forum. Participants discussed designing #AI to be effective, inclusive, and beneficial for all learners. Learn more: bit.ly/4ajSn2c

Happiest of birthdays to Joan Ganz Cooney, the co-founder and visionary behind Sesame Street, and our namesake! Joan's impact on children's media, and the world, cannot be understated. We are so grateful for the opportunity to build on her incredible work.

We are beyond grateful for our fantastic community. To everyone working to advance positive futures for kids in the digital world, thank you for being here. Happy Thanksgiving from the team at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center!

Cooney Center Senior Fellow Amanda Lenhart moderated a research panel at the FOSI 2025 Conference in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. Amanda discussed teens' use of generative AI with panelists from FOSI, Everyone AI, and Stanford Social Media Lab. Watch here: bit.ly/4ofezhk

What do you get when you mix app studio Sago Mini with kids and co-design? Serious fun. Read more about co-design and Sago Mini's work in the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations on the blog: joanganzcooneycenter.org/2025/11/20/f...

Happy #ThrowbackThursday! We're revisiting the 2014 Joan Ganz Cooney Center publication "Family Time with Apps: A Guide to Using Apps with Your Kids." The same ideas are still relevant today, so we've updated it for 2025. Learn more about the guide: joanganzcooneycenter.org/publication/...

Why do parents allow or not allow kids 12 and under to use smartphones? This new report from @pewresearch.org digs into some of the nuances behind that decision. bsky.app/profile/pewr...

📣 Calling all 4th-7th grade math teachers: we need you for a virtual co-design workshop this Wednesday 11/19 from 4-6 pm ET. We're helping our Sandbox partners OKO Labs co-design the next phase of their math edtech product. Interested? Sign up here: bit.ly/49XpZCO

We're excited to share the Powerful Learning from Emerging Technology framework by our friends at Digital Promise. The GIANT Remix, a project developed by The GIANT Room through a partnership with the @cooneycenter.bsky.social is featured in the report. Learn more: bit.ly/4oAQQcj

For today's #throwbackthursday, we're spotlighting the Cooney Center's 2016 Report "Opportunity for all? Technology and learning in lower-income families." Read the full report: bit.ly/4qjMbg6. When it comes to #digitalequity for families, what's changed/same in 9 years?

Are you an educator or caregiver helping youth navigate the complicated online world? We're excited to share these Pinterest boards with resources we helped curate alongside our #inspiredinternetpledge collaborators: bit.ly/4nxOR7d

Do you work with ELL students? Check out this great webinar presented by our friends at @newamerica.org and The Campaign for Grade Level Reading: ✳️ How #edtech can be used to support English Language Learners ✳️ Tomorrow 10/11 at 3:00 ET ✳️ Register here: bit.ly/4qPfZBC

"We are not the anxious generation." On the blog, youth online safety advocate Maximilian Milovidov argues that youth perspective is missing from adults' conversations about the impact of the internet on kids' mental health. joanganzcooneycenter.org/2025/11/06/w...

"What Does AI Owe Children?" That's the big question tackled by Joan Ganz Cooney Center Executive Director Michael Preston and industry leaders in the iRAISE Alliance at the @parispeaceforum.bsky.social last week. Watch the full session here: bit.ly/438vpH8 #beneficialAIforchildren

Check out the video replay of our October event "Growing Readers in a World of Screens and AI," co-hosted by @newamerica.org and The Campaign for Grade Level Reading. 📺 : www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oEi... Thanks for watching! 📺

Happy (one day belated) Birthday to Lloyd Morrisett: the co-founder of Sesame Street and Children’s Television Workshop, and a founding board member of both Sesame Workshop and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Learn more about Lloyd and his legacy: joanganzcooneycenter.org/2023/04/25/r...

Join Cooney Center Senior Fellow Amanda Lenhart at the @FOSI 2025 Conference in D.C. on 11/10. Amanda will be moderating a discussion about how teenagers use generative AI. Register here: joanganzcooneycenter.org/event/resear... #genAI #digitalwellbeing

Throwback Thursday! We're revisiting our 2011 report "The New Coviewing: Designing for Learning through Joint Media Engagement." If you're a kids' media and tech creator hoping to design for kids and caregivers engaging together, read the full report here: bit.ly/4p97Ya2

"Innovation is not optional." — Angelica DaSilva, @cooneycenter.bsky.social Today, we're discussing with leaders in media and #EdTech how we can help kids thrive as readers in an age of #AI and endless screens. Join our conversation on the future of #literacy. ➡️ www.newamerica.org/conference/g...

We're feeling inspired after our "Growing Readers in a World of Screens and AI" event co-hosted with @newamerica.org and The Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Multidisciplinary experts came together in person and online to reflect on the 10th anniversary of "Tap, Click, Read." Thanks to attendees!

How would kids design an AI writing companion to help them learn to write more effectively? Lirvana Labs, a partner in our Sandbox for Literacy Innovations, recently participated in co-design sessions with kids to find out. Read more on the blog: joanganzcooneycenter.org/2025/10/24/e...

⏰ "Growing Readers in a World of Screens and AI": TODAY 2:30-5:30 ET ⏰ Join us in person in DC or virtually on the livestream for this event presented by @cooneycenter.bsky.social @newamerica.org and The Campaign for Grade Level Reading. Still time to register: events.newamerica.org/growingreade...

We had a blast learning from our #edtech colleagues at @edtechweek. @cooneycenter panels discussed how to implement #AI in #literacy education while staying true to how people learn, and the intersection of old & new media. (📸 credits: Jessye Herrell, Allisyn Levy)

In honor of October being #NationalBookMonth 📚 , the reading enthusiasts at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center wanted to share some of our favorite books to read with kids! (And we would like everyone to know that it was nearly impossible for each us to pick only one book.)

⏰ Six days away from the "Growing Readers in a World of Screens and AI" event that we're hosting with @newamerica.org and The Campaign for Grade Level Reading 📅 Monday 10/27, 2:30-5:30 pm ET 📍 Hybrid: Online and in person at New America (Washington, DC) Register here (free!): bit.ly/4pTkQ4u

We'd love to see #edtechweek attendees at today's 3:00 pm panel "Something Old, Something New: Closing the Early Learning Gap in an Algorithmic Age." The @cooneycenter's Medha Tare will be in conversation with Michael Levine, Sara DeWitt, Christopher Cerf and Christie Pang.

Our friends at @youngfutures.bsky.social have launched a national call for ideas to help young people navigate AI safely, critically, and with agency. If you're working with youth + AI, apply by 10/24: www.youngfutures.org/funding-chal...

We loved having members of the Piknik team (creators of Sago Mini) visit our office! They were in town for co-design sessions with kids as part of our Sandbox for Literacy Innovations initiative. Learn more about the Sandbox here: bit.ly/46XaObp

We were delighted to partner with @youngfutures.bsky.social and @nianticspatial.bsky.social on the Here Comes the Fun Funding Challenge - and even more thrilled to announce the new YF Innovators cohort! www.youngfutures.org/innovators/

What sessions at #EdtechWeek are you excited to attend? We're looking forward to the "Emerging Intersection of AI and K–12 Literacy: Lessons Learned and the Path Ahead" panel on 10/20 featuring the Cooney Center's Medha Tare & more. More info and register: bit.ly/4ohAQf1