Amazon Studios has assembled its first-ever Amazon Kids Thought Leader Board, under the direction of educational adviser Dr. Alice Wilder, to further guide the development of preschool programming that engenders lifelong creative learning. The four renowned founding board members come from academic and creative circles.

The Thought Leader Board includes: Dale Dougherty, president & CEO of Maker Media; Ellen Galinsky, president & co-founder of Families and Work Institute; bestselling kids author and illustrator Jarrett Krosoczka; and MIT Education Arcade Creative Director Scot Osterweil.

Amazon Studios head of kids programming Tara Sorensen says the plan is to have the board’s innovators help her team to predict trends, program for the future and guide discussion across childhood education staples like play, creativity, art and early life skills. Ultimately, her goal is to help foster “extended leaning outside of the series we create” for preschoolers and their parents.

As for the individual board members, she highlights some of the specific reasons for their selection. “Dale is interesting because he’s a tinkerer, not unlike Anne in our series Annedroids,” says Sorensen. “Scot is all about play, and looking outside the TV series and learning through play, while Jarrett is an artist – it was important to have him because he’s focused on right-brain learning and creativity. Ellen is currently working with us on upcoming series Wishenpoof! to incorporate life-skill learning.”

Kidscreen Summit attendees will get a chance to hear from the newly formed Amazon Kids Thought Leader Board first-hand on Monday, February 23, at the Shaping the Next Generation of Content panel.

The announcement comes just a day after Amazon Studios revealed its latest round of series pickups, which includes live-actioner Just Add Magic for six to 11s, and preschool-targeted The Stinky & Dirty Show.