Bio
Amy Hatkoff is a writer, producer, educator and advocate and has devoted her career to raising awareness of the capacities and needs of babies and children. She has worked with children, families and professionals in shelters, welfare hotels, community-based programs, early childhood and infant mental health programs, schools, hospitals, doctors' offices, and prisons. She is passionate about translating the growing body of science on early brain development into a language that is easy for parents of all backgrounds to understand and has created a range of projects to widely disseminate this information.
Ms. Hatkoff synthesized the science on early brain development for The First Years Last Forever, part of New Screen Concepts series for parents hosted and created by Rob Reiner. The video addresses how parents and caregivers can foster children's emotional, social and cognitive development. It has been distributed nationwide as part of Reiner's public education campaign about the importance of the first years of life.
Ms. Hatkoff is the author of You Are My World: How a Parent's Love Shapes a Baby's Mind (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2007) which celebrates the power and impact of early relationships on babies' development. Including the bilingual Spanish-English edition, more than 60,000 copies of the book have been sold. After years of working with homeless children and families, Ms. Hatkoff wrote How to Save the Children (Simon and Schuster Fireside Press, 1992). The book draws attention to the suffering of children in the United States and offers concrete suggestions about how to fight the impact of poverty and neglect on their lives. With a moving foreword by Marian Wright Edelman of the Children's Defense Fund, and as a Book-of-the-Month Club pro bono publico selection, How to Save the Children had more than 45,000 copies in circulation.
Ms. Hatkoff co-produced Neglect Not The Children, a documentary for PBS hosted by Morgan Freeman. Nominated for a New York Emmy and winner of the C.I.N.E. Golden Eagle Award, the film demonstrates how community-based programs and caring individuals can increase the likelihood of positive outcomes for at-risk youth. She also co-produced pieces on children and families for CBS Morning News.
Ms. Hatkoff taught child development and family support at the Continuing Professional Studies program at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. She was keynote speaker at the Maternal and Infant Mental Health Conference, the Parent-Child Home Program Conference, the Childbirth Postpartum Professional Association conference, and the International Alliance of Women Scientists and Scholars for a Better World Conference.
Concerned about the conditions on factory farms, Ms.Hatkoff wrote The Inner World of Farm Animals; Their Amazing Social, Emotional and Intellectual Capacities (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, Spring, 2009). With a foreword by Dr. Jane Goodall and an afterword by Wayne Pacelle, former President of The Humane Society of the United States, Ms. Hatkoff challenges readers to reconsider the way we think about and treat farm animals. Combining the latest research with touching stories and beautiful photographs, the book makes a plea for treating these beings with compassion and respect.
Ms. Hatkoff received a BA in Child Psychology and Early Childhood Education from Hamilton College and attended a master's program in Parenting Education and Family Support at Wheelock College as well as a postgraduate program at the Infant-Parent Study Center in New York City. Articles on her work have appeared in New York Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, Family Circle, and Parent's Digest. She has also written for numerous publications including Family Magazine, Childhood Education, and the New York Daily News.