The first time we screened The Early Show with Alax at my house, we watched the “Growing” episode in which I appear as a guest. My five-year-old looked at the woman seated on Alax’s spaceship couch and said earnestly, “She looks a lot like you.”
My look-alike was talking with an intergalactic puppet about early childhood development. Alax is a visitor from outer space. He’s the host of The Early Show with Alax, a show about the care and education of humans through age 5. Alax brings in expert guests (including a woman who looks remarkably like me) to talk about early childhood development and programs available to support New Mexico families.
The Early Show with Alax was created for the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department by a team of local artists and partners who work together to make sure the show is trustworthy, nonjudgmental, and fun.
One goal of the show is to share tips, ideas, and activities families can do together that support early brain development. We have an episode on the importance of play and another one coming out soon about language development.
Another goal is to make sure families know about programs and resources available to them. In our episode on safe sleep, we shared information about free home visiting
services for families with new babies. In the growth and development episode I watched with my kids, we talk about free early intervention services available through the
Family Infant Toddler program for young children with developmental delays or disabilities.
The information in the show is for adults, but your kids will want to watch it with you.
The puppeteer who embodies Alax, Devon Hawkes Ludlow, is hilarious and curious. Across episodes we learn that Alax is an ancient being who loves tennis, confetti, and especially
Dolly Parton. The show is light and often silly, but it takes seriously the importance of the care and education of young children. And as an early childhood policy researcher, my off-camera role in the show is to help ensure the information we share is trustworthy and that it honors all the amazing parenting and caregiving happening in New Mexico.
The Early Show with Alax has been crafted lovingly, goofily, and a little weirdly, for New Mexico families with young children. We hope you’ll check it out, share the videos, and remember to like and subscribe.
About Our Guest Writer: Hailey Heinz lives in Albuquerque with her husband and two young kids. She moved to Albuquerque in 2008 and is originally from Alaska. Hailey works at the University of New Mexico, where she studies public policy related to early childhood care and education. Prior to that, she reported on public education for the Albuquerque Journal. As a mom studying child care policy, Hailey is keenly grateful for all the early childhood professionals who have cared for her kids over the years. For fun, Hailey eats burritos and plays trivia with friends.
