Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Kathy Hirsh-Pasek is the Stanley and Deborah Lefkowitz Professor of Psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia. She is the author of 11 books and over 150 professional articles on early childhood and infant development, with a specialty in language and literacy, and playful learning. Hirsh-Pasek was one of the investigators on the acclaimed National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, co-authored the language and literacy curricula for the State of California Preschools, and serves as an advisor on the National Institute of Health Toolbox initiative. She was co-creator of the moral development curricula, An Ethical Start, and speaks widely on ways to translate primary research findings into practice for young children. She consults world-wide on educational policy and works with children’s media, the toy industry, children’s museums and children’s libraries. Her research is supported by funding from the National Science Foundation and The National Institutes of Health. An advocate of the importance of play and playful education in early childhood, she is a founder and member of the executive committee of The Ultimate Block Party, which drew more than 50,000 people to its inaugural event at Central Park in New York City in October 2010.

Dr. Hirsh-Pasek is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society. Her book Einstein Never used Flashcards: How Children Really Learn and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less (Rodale, 2004) won the Books for Better Life Award for best psychology book. She and her colleague Roberta Golinkoff from the University of Delaware were joint recipients of the 2009American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Service to Psychological Science. and the 2011 Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society from the American Psychological Association.

Education
Hirsh-Pasek received her BS summa cum laude in psychology and music from The University of Pittsburgh and her PhD in human development from the University of Pennsylvania.

Books

 * A Mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. (co-authored with R. M., Golinkoff, L. Berk, & D. Singer, D. 2009)
 * Celebrate the scribble: Appreciating children’s art. (co-authored with R. M. Golinkoff, 2007)
 * Play=Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth (co-edited with D. Singer & R.M. Golinkoff)
 * Action meets word: How children learn verbs (co-edited with R.M. Golinkoff, 2006)
 * Child Care and Child Development: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (co-edited with NICHD Study of Early Child Care Network, 2005)
 * Einstein never used flashcards: How our children really learn and why they need to play more and memorize less. (co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 2003)
 * Becoming a word learner: A debate on lexical acquisition. (co-edited with R.M. Golinkoff, N. Akhtar, L.Bloom, G. Hollich,, (2000)
 * Breaking the language barrier: An emergentist coalition model for the origins of word learning. (co-authored with G. Hollich & R.M. Golinkoff, 2000)
 * How babies talk: The magic and mystery of language acquisition (co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 1999)
 * The Origins of grammar: Evidence from comprehension. (Co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 1996)
 * Academic instruction in early childhood: Challenge or pressure? (co-edited with L. Rescorla and M. Hyson)