Welcome to Playground Post, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps education innovators ahead of what’s next.

Here’s what we have on deck for today…

1. Supporting students after extended absences

2. Voter-backed childcare funds open new markets for innovation

3. Did emergency education funding work?

Supporting students after extended absences

Extended absences create a complex challenge for schools, disrupting both academic progress and vital social connections.

This represents an opportunity to develop integrated solutions.

Education consultant Barbara Blackburn highlights support strategies to help students get back up to speed ASAP:

1. Lesson videos students can watch to catch up

2. Time for classmates to help each other learn

3. Lessons that can be adjusted for different students' needs.

For companies building education tools, this is a chance to create software that makes these three things easier for schools to implement.

Voter-backed childcare funds open new markets for innovation

Recent elections show voters are ready to open their wallets for childcare — even in politically diverse regions.

• Travis County, TX secured $75M through property taxes

• Sonoma County, CA passed a sales tax generating $30M annually.

These wins — along with many others — means expanding market opportunities in childcare.

With regions securing millions for new slots and facility expansions, there's growing demand for solutions in childcare operations, facility management, and support services.

Did emergency education funding work?

Federal pandemic aid gave schools a $190 billion lifeline — but new research shows it wasn't the magic wand we hoped for.

Two studies dropped this summer looking at how ESSER funds impacted learning loss.

The verdict?

• Schools with ESSER funding showed slightly better recovery (0.05 standard deviations in math and reading), but we're still only halfway back to 2019 levels

• Despite the massive $190 billion investment, current teaching and tutoring programs aren't closing the gap fast enough

Schools need fresh solutions that can accelerate learning recovery beyond conventional approaches.

If you enjoyed this edition of Playground Post, please share it with your friends!

We’ll be back with another edition on Friday. See you then!

To stay up-to-date on all things education innovation, visit us at playgroundpost.com.