Jesse Ilhardt uses her experience as the co-founder and executive director of VOCEL, a teacher, and a mother, to discuss the extraordinary capacity of young children, the power of play and relationships, and the importance of investing in the adults who nurture young children's development. Not only does Jesse emphasize the power of play, but also the importance of parental involvement in child play. She shows us how we can play with our children, and why we should.

Jesse Ilhardt co-founded VOCEL, a nationally recognized, research-informed, and community-driven early learning organization for parents, children, and educators, in 2013, and was named the Executive Director in 2021. Prior to co-founding VOCEL, she worked for six years as a pre-K teacher and teacher coach at Teach For America. Across these roles, she has combined intellectual horsepower, creativity, and business acumen to develop innovative early education programs, lead high-impact teams, and cultivate champions. She is a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and has presented at Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child, the Austin Early Childhood Symposium, the Collaboration for Early Childhood Symposium, and the Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health Spring Seminar Series. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx