Jackie Mader is a senior reporter for The Hechinger Report where she has reported on early childhood education since 2016 and writes a bi-weekly newsletter covering the early years. Her work includes an in-depth look at how Covid-19 impacted the mental health of young children, extensive coverage of the child care industry and reporting on how parent and family support programs and policies, including two-generation approaches and guaranteed income initiatives, impact young children.
Mader’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The New Republic and USA Today, and recognized with awards from The New York Press Club, The Newswomen’s Club of New York and the Education Writers Association, among others. Prior to covering early childhood, she reported on K-12 education for The Hechinger Report, led The Report’s coverage of education in Mississippi and wrote Education Week’s rural education blog. In 2021, Jackie was an early childhood reporting fellow with The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma.
Jackie previously taught middle school special education in North Carolina and trained new teachers in the Mississippi Delta. As a Spencer Fellow, Jackie will take a close look at access to high-quality child care in America and the consequences of the failure to invest in the early years.