Our brain-science backed executive function curriculum meets gold-standard assessment in a groundbreaking partnership with Reflection Sciences, giving preschool programs the tools to transform child outcomes and classroom success.
Through an exclusive partnership between The Family Partnership and Reflection Sciences, preschool programs across the country can now access this curriculum proven to help 3- to 5-year-olds strengthen executive function and build a strong foundation for success in school and life.
EGG Toolkit ("Empowering Generational Greatness") represents a breakthrough in bridging cutting-edge brain science with everyday classroom practice. Developed in partnership with the Harvard Center on the Developing Child and tested in real preschool settings since 2017, EGG gives teachers fun, flexible, and easy-to-use tools that build children's capacity for focus and resilience during the critical early years of brain development.
Three out of every four U.S. children experience at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) such as poverty, community violence, or caregiver stress that can disrupt healthy brain development. When children struggle with executive function skills, the effects ripple through your entire program: teachers feel overwhelmed, parents and caregivers worry about kindergarten readiness, and demonstrating positive outcomes becomes increasingly difficult.
But here's the good news: executive function can be taught in the classroom. When preschool programs intentionally nurture these brain skills through developmentally appropriate activities, everything changes.
Children with strong executive function can:
These aren't just "nice to have" skills—research now shows that executive function is one of the strongest predictors of school success. When you build EF skills during the preschool years, you're setting children up for success in kindergarten and far beyond.
These aren't just "nice to have" skills—research now shows that executive function is one of the strongest predictors of school success.
Co-created by John Everett Till, Chief Strategy Officer at The Family Partnership, and Christine Wing, CCC-SLP, Ph.D., EGG emerged from a simple but urgent question: Why does it take nearly 20 years for new brain science to reach early childhood classrooms?
EGG emerged from a simple but urgent question: Why does it take nearly 20 years for new brain science to reach early childhood classrooms?
Till decided that was simply too long to wait. Working directly with the Harvard Center on the Developing Child beginning in 2017, TFP rapidly tested and refined EGG in their therapeutic preschools and partner programs—including classrooms serving children who have experienced trauma and adversity.
The result is a curriculum that brings together:
Brain Science in Action: Every activity is grounded in neuroscience research about how young brains develop, with particular attention to building the skills that buffer against stress and trauma.
Classroom-Ready Tools: Because EGG was developed in real preschools (not academic labs), it's designed for the realities ECE professionals face every day. Teachers receive comprehensive training and ongoing professional development to ensure confident implementation.
Joyful Learning: Children engage with EGG through storytelling, creative play, music, movement, and reflection activities that make learning feel like fun...because it is!
Alignment with Standards: As a Parent Aware-certified curriculum in Minnesota, EGG aligns with state early childhood standards while incorporating the latest understanding of brain development.
Measurable Impact: Early pilots show statistically significant improvements in emotional language, storytelling abilities, and classroom behavior—the very EF skills that predict kindergarten success.
EGG Toolkit provides the daily curriculum through:
The Minnesota Executive Function Scale (MEFS) provides the measurement with:
Together, these tools create a powerful cycle: teach executive function through engaging activities, measure growth with scientific precision, and use that data to guide instruction. Teachers get real-time insights into what's working, and administrators get objective evidence of program quality to share with families, funders, and school districts.
Ready to see how EGG Toolkit can work in your program? Schedule a demo to explore the curriculum and assessment together.
When children develop stronger executive function skills, classroom dynamics shift dramatically. Instead of spending energy managing disruptive behavior, teachers can focus on facilitating joyful learning. The mindfulness and self-regulation practices in EGG Toolkit give children concrete strategies for managing big emotions and staying focused—skills they'll use every single day.
Early results from EGG pilots show statistically significant improvements in classroom behavior, and teachers consistently report calmer, more productive learning environments. Full results from TFP's statewide pilot will be available in early 2026, providing even more evidence of impact.
The mindfulness and self-regulation practices in EGG Toolkit give children concrete strategies for managing big emotions and staying focused—skills they'll use every single day.
Teacher burnout is at crisis levels in early childhood education, but EGG Toolkit offers something rare: daily tools that actually work. When teachers see children making real progress and classrooms running more smoothly, job satisfaction increases.
The comprehensive professional development provided by The Family Partnership ensures educators feel confident and supported. This isn't a "buy the curriculum and figure it out" approach. It's an ongoing partnership that recognizes teachers as the essential ingredient in children's success.
Parents want to know their children will be ready for kindergarten. Funders want to see measurable outcomes. School districts want evidence of quality. The MEFS assessment gives you objective, defensible data on the executive function skills that matter most for school success.
Unlike subjective checklists that can be influenced by bias, the MEFS uses interactive games to directly measure cognitive abilities. The result? Clear, reliable data you can share with stakeholders to demonstrate your program's impact.
Traditional developmental checklists often focus on deficits, i.e. what children can't do yet. Preschool teachers at The Family Partnership found this approach discouraging and unhelpful, especially when working with children who've experienced adversity.
The MEFS takes a different path. Children play engaging games that adapt to their skill level. When they reach their current developmental ceiling, the assessment celebrates their accomplishments with positive reinforcement. This strengths-based approach aligns perfectly with trauma-informed preschool care practices and helps educators see every child's unique capabilities.
Isaac Van Wesep, CEO of Reflection Sciences, has witnessed TFP's work firsthand at their Minneapolis early childhood sites. "The Family Partnership has taken what researchers know about early brain development and trauma and translated it into practices that help whole families move forward," Van Wesep explains.
For Van Wesep, this work is personal. Born with strong cognitive abilities but lacking fully developed executive function skills as a child, he understands how early experiences shape life trajectories. While he can't change his own past, he's committed to creating better outcomes for today's children.
Reflection Sciences brought the gold-standard assessment tool; The Family Partnership brought the proven curriculum. Together, they offer preschool programs a comprehensive solution that addresses both teaching and measuring executive function development.
"With EGG and the MEFS, we have something that can benefit children across the country," Till says. "A generation is too long to wait. This is our chance to reach thousands of families—and the timing is right, as more people recognize that executive function is the foundation of school readiness."
"With EGG and the MEFS, we have something that can benefit children across the country," Till says. "A generation is too long to wait. This is our chance to reach thousands of families—and the timing is right, as more people recognize that executive function is the foundation of school readiness."
Reflection Sciences provides the technology infrastructure and national distribution capacity to make that vision reality. Van Wesep envisions even deeper integration ahead, with opportunities to embed EGG within Reflection Sciences' platform so assessment and curriculum work seamlessly together in real time.
The curriculum helps build the executive function skills that buffer against stress while creating classroom environments where all children can succeed.
This trauma-informed approach recognizes behavior is communication, and brain development can be supported even after difficult experiences. EGG Toolkit and the MEFS are designed with the belief that every child deserves practices grounded in both evidence and equity.
Together, these tools offer a pathway to close opportunity gaps that often begin before kindergarten and persist throughout school.
Complete Curriculum Materials: Everything teachers need to implement daily EGG activities, including detailed lesson plans, storytelling resources, and classroom materials
MEFS Assessment Access: Web-based platform for measuring executive function development three times per year, with immediate results and progress tracking
Comprehensive Training: Initial professional development from The Family Partnership to launch implementation successfully
Ongoing Support: Continued access to professional development resources and support from TFP's expert team
Data Dashboard: Tools to track and share child outcomes with families and stakeholders
Alignment Documentation: Evidence of how EGG meets state early childhood standards
For your preschool program, this represents an opportunity to:
The 2026-27 school year will be here before you know it. Programs that begin planning now will be positioned to start the school year with a comprehensive system for supporting executive function development already in place.
You'll have the opportunity to ask questions about implementation, professional development, pricing, and how EGG aligns with your program's goals and existing practices.
Schedule your demo today and discover how executive function curriculum and assessment can work together to create breakthrough outcomes for children and teachers alike.
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EGG Toolkit for Preschools is exclusively distributed by Reflection Sciences, with comprehensive professional development provided by The Family Partnership. Learn more about this groundbreaking partnership in Reflection Sciences' press release.
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