The Learning Variability Network Exchange (LEVANTE) brings together researchers from around the world aiming to capture the richness and diversity of child development and learning.
Only by conducting open-access, cutting-edge research can we enhance our knowledge on learning and developmental variability.
Delve into the science of learning variability, explore cutting-edge research, and discover practical insights to enhance learning for all.
Home » Harvard University, USA
The LEVANTE site at Harvard University, co-led by Principal Investigator Dana McCoy together with Stella M. Hartinger Peña, focuses on how early childhood experiences shape children’s development as they enter and progress through primary school. The research builds on a prior study of two parenting interventions in rural Andean Peru—one in-person and one digital—and examines whether their effects persist over time.
Using longitudinal data, the project investigates how early environments influence developmental trajectories into middle childhood. It also contributes to ongoing work on measuring child development in ways that reflect local contexts while allowing for comparison across settings.
By examining how early interventions relate to longer-term outcomes, the site adds to understanding how developmental trajectories evolve over time in different settings.
Principal Investigator
Dana McCoy is an Associate Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the United States, specializing in early childhood development and education in global contexts. Her research focuses on how early childhood experiences shape children’s development as they enter and progress through primary school.
Her work examines the long-term effects of parenting interventions, particularly in low- and middle-income country contexts. Drawing on longitudinal data, she studies whether early supports, delivered in-person or digitally, have lasting impacts on children’s development and how these effects vary across contexts.
Co-Principal Investigator
Stella M. Hartinger Peña is an Associate Professor at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Peru and an environmental epidemiologist specializing in environmental health and development. Her research focuses on environmental health and its consequences for underserved populations, including in the context of childhood illness and chronic disease in Andean communities.
She leads implementation science research that connects environmental health and clinical care, with a focus on sustainable interventions for childhood illnesses and chronic disease management in Andean communities. Her work integrates environmental science, epidemiology, and climate research to design scalable strategies and inform policy to support vulnerable populations.