Early Childhood Matters:
A global storytelling platform
Early Childhood Matters connects voices and ideas that advance collective thinking on early childhood development. I worked closely with the team through a strategic redesign process to update the brand, the content, and the platform.
My role: Audience research, product strategy, brand positioning, overseeing platform implementation
Design + build by Chez Boris
ECM has a rich history as an annual journal, but the site was outdated
Early Childhood Matters began as a newsletter started by the Van Leer Foundation in 1971, to share knowledge about early childhood amongst partners. It became an annual journal in the late 80s. Until 2024, its digital presence the simple, online content archive you see here.
In late 2025, we relaunched it as a storytelling platform
The journal is beloved by its global audience of readers. Through an extensive audience insights process, we learned that readers wanted more: new formats of storytelling, multimedia, and ways to connect and build community.
The new platform offers many ways to explore the richness of the journal
Combining research, theory, interviews, essays, and photo stories, the journal offers many formats for storytelling.
ECM offers complex, multimedia stories
The new Birth of a Parent podcast dives into the ways that becoming a parent transforms who you are.
Our directory fosters connection and community.
We tell vital stories from around the world, but also wanted to catalyze real connection, both IRL and online. Our community directory helps experts find each other, enabling collaboration and a great sense of connection.