Every child has limitless potential

Trust for Learning is a philanthropic partnership expanding ideal early learning environments for all children and families in publicly funded settings, pre-natal to age eight.

Explore Our Strategy

Toolkit - Head Start Reimagined Through Ideal Learning Leadership Coaching

A toolkit for using the principles of ideal learning environments to establish, refine, and deepen commitment to a shared instructional vision within a program.

Explore The Toolkit
Head Start Reimagined: How Leadership Coaching Unlocks the Potential of Ideal Learning

A Series - “What to Look For” in Ideal Learning Head Start Classrooms

Authored by Ideal Learning Head Start Network members, this series introduces educators, decision-makers, parents, and caregivers seeking to understand various ideal learning approaches in practice.

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The “WHAT TO LOOK FOR” series

Report - Nurturing All Children in Nature

Nurturing All Children in Nature highlights the benefits of nature-based learning environments and spotlights exemplary publicly-funded nature-based programs around the U.S.

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children playing int he forest

Report - Seeding Equitable Educator Development

Seeding Equitable Educator Development synthesizes the work of nine partner grantees around the country who worked to create more inclusive, antiracist and sustainable early educator pathways.

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Report - Measurement Guide: Evaluating Quality in ECE

Measuring the Quality of Early Learning Environments envisions a new, equity-driven approach for assessing the quality of programs and demonstrates how the principles of ideal learning can be used to guide decision-making.

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Evidence Brief - Ideal Learning Environments for Young Children

Ideal Learning Environments for Young Children highlights recent developmental, neuroscience, and implementation research aligned with nine principles of high-quality early childhood learning environments.

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Evidence Brief

The Ideal Learning Head Start Network (ILHSN)

The Ideal Learning Head Start Network aims to facilitate the integration of ideal learning approaches into Head Start, ensuring that children from low-income communities can access innovative, holistic, and high-quality early learning experiences.

Learn more about the Network
ILHSN Summer 2024 Convening, Connect, Reflect, and Recharge

Explore the principles of ideal learning environments

The principles of ideal learning environments sit at the nexus of equity and quality in early childhood. Informed by developmental science, ideal learning environments are play-based, child-centered, and support parents and educators as lifelong learners.

Explore Ideal Learning
Avance parent and child

Investing in ideal learning in Colorado

Over the last few years, Trust for Learning has partnered with Early Milestones Colorado and a number of local partners to support the expansion of ideal learning approaches as Colorado rolls out Universal Pre-K and expands Kindergarten access for children across the state. This partnership has yielded a number of resources that policymakers and community leaders can use as they build high-quality learning environments for children in Colorado.

Expanding Ideal Learning Programs in CO
Colorado Report

How are educators supported in ideal learning approaches? Read the report!

Co-written by members of the Ideal Learning Roundtable and Trust for Learning, this report features snapshots of 11 educator development approaches and analyzes themes, tensions, barriers, and opportunities to scale equitably within and across them.

Read the Report
ideal pathways report

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Ideal Learning Resources