Interview with The Solutions Insights Lab
This is an excerpt from the full interview with Rollo Romig from The Solutions Insights Lab
Rollo Romig: What would you say makes your approach distinct from other groups working in similar areas?
Mara Lee Durrell: I think many organizations in the early childhood development space focus on literacy, numeracy, and measuring success based on those outcomes. What sets us apart is the pre-work needed to improve those learning outcomes—specifically, the trauma-informed approach and emphasis on social-emotional development to ensure a child is ready to learn. We take a holistic view, starting where the child is and making sure they feel safe and truly are safe before moving into academics. While we’re also focused on learning outcomes, we recognize that groundwork is essential. For me, the key differentiator in the early childhood learning space is this trauma-informed, holistic approach to the child.
Rollo Romig: Can you share an example that shows the impact of your work?
Mara Lee Durrell: Absolutely. Two impact numbers stand out to me. First, 90% of children who come into our classrooms with learning delays catch up within one year of our programming. This shows the importance of doing the pre-work—especially for children who’ve had one or more adverse childhood experiences. Trauma rewires the brain, and our program focuses on building resilience to prepare these children for success.
Second, children in our programs are three times more likely to succeed in first grade. First-grade readiness is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong economic opportunities, independence, and overall success. Our program, Element of Play, is rooted in the understanding that children learn best through play. We center play as the how, not just the what or why. Play isn’t a “nice-to-have,” it’s essential. We create safe environments where children feel secure in their bodies, build safe attachment with adults, and engage meaningfully with the curriculum.
The program incorporates guided play, free play, and a focus on language development. For example, we use auditory learning, sensory activities, and techniques that help teachers and parents extend the value of a book or concept. If we’re teaching shapes, children might feel the shapes, read about them, and explore them through sensory experiences. This approach creates a 360-degree learning environment that goes beyond rote memorization. It ensures children fully engage with and understand concepts. By changing the way we work with children, we’re creating conditions where they can thrive and build lifelong skills.
We design the experience based on how children learn, not just on what we want them to learn. It’s not just about focusing on outcomes but also considering the inputs. We’re equipping teachers with better tools and more strategies, recognizing that children learn in diverse ways. One approach won’t work for every child, so teachers need a variety of methods to reach all the children in front of them.
Rollo Romig: Melissa, what would you say is an example that shows the impact of your work?
Melissa Middaugh: One of the things that sets us apart is having all local teams in each country we work in, bringing unique perspectives to their communities. The children in our programs bring with them everything happening at home, in their proximity, and in the broader country.
In Haiti, where many young people can’t finish high school and often drop out, we looked at how to create impact beyond just training teachers. We started offering jobs to young adults—18 to 25-year-olds who had dropped out and were unemployed, disengaged, and sitting idle in their communities. We trained them to work with children, supporting preschool teachers in classrooms that often had 30, 40, or even 100 kids, as we’ve seen in Ethiopia. Through this training, these young adults gained skills and found purpose. They began supporting teachers and connecting with children, becoming valued members of their communities. Children would greet them by name, and they began to feel like superheroes—rediscovering their value and starting to dream about their futures.
These young people also became informal social workers. They’d notice children not attending school and engage parents, encouraging them to bring their children to the program. In many ways, they became a child protection mechanism, helping to integrate children into the community. This ripple effect went beyond the children—it began changing family values, community norms, and the lives of the young adults working with the kids. While our primary focus is the child, this broader impact on the surrounding adults and community is just as vital.
To read the entire interview, visit The Solutions Insights Lab!