Young children aren’t broken. But the systems around them may be. The MoA Framework supports educators, caregivers, and leaders in creating the conditions where agency is visible, valued, and safe.
The MoA Framework consists of FIVE major components rooted in the symbol of a tree: Roots, Trunk, Branches, Aerial Roots, and Elements.
The foundational values and principles that ground our work: equity, dignity, and belonging.
Diverse pathways for development: academic, social-emotional, creative, and physical growth.
Reflective thinking to adapt and grow.
Grounded in over a decade of research, it shows how children express agency. Young children express their agency in many ways. What they are able to do depends on the environments, relationships, and opportunities they are given.
Based on two decades of research, the MoA Framework identifies the most common ways children show agency and the conditions that support it. These patterns come from real classrooms and communities, not just theory.
The MoA Framework has been studied and applied across nine culturally diverse communities in the United States. It has been used in bilingual, inclusion, and monolingual classrooms with children ages 3 months to 8 years.
It was developed in collaboration with educators, families, and community leaders to reflect the complexity of real learning environments.
We already know that all children are capable of demonstrating every marker in the framework, regardless of language, race, identity, ability, or background.
If children are not using these markers, the question is not what the child is missing. The question is what systems or conditions might need to change.
We made this for teachers, administrators and the children and families they serve. When you enter, you will experience a creative representation of children’s agency and what it takes to support it.
This website is copyrighted. Please respect our collective work by citing us anytime you draw from what we are offering here.
