Erika Christakis, author of The Importance of Being Little.

Topic: What preschoolers really need from grownups.

Issues: The importance of creating an atmosphere of free expression; bolstering children’s resilience; what parents should look for in a preschool; the paradox of early learning (kids are hard-wired to learn but there’s an epidemic of preschool expulsions, medication, and anxiety); why all those craft projects are more for the parents than for the kids.