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The COVID‐19 pandemic has brought attention to the stark inequities in public education worldwide, with the United Nations sharing these statistics: Schools closed in 191 countries, affecting 1.5 billion students and 63 million primary and secondary school teachers. Half of students did not have access to a computer, and 40% did not have internet access. A total of 56 million children live in areas that are not served by mobile networks — for example, in sub‐Saharan Africa. In the United States, about 7 million school‐aged children are in homes without home internet service.

Adults are often viewed as skilled interpreters who understand infants' acts even when they are unconventional and diffuse. The first step in interpretation-the selection of acts from the stream of behavior-is examined here. One hundred forty adults (mothers and fathers and other men and women) viewed videotapes of 9-, 15-, and 21 -month-old infants. One half of the subjects were asked to note times when they thought the baby performed a meaningful act; the other half of the subjects were asked to note an intentionally communicative act. Times were recorded by a microcomputer. Parents selected more meaningful acts than nonparents and agreed more about selection of all acts. All subjects agreed more about intentionally communicative than about meaningful acts, at least for older infants.We wish to thank the National Science Foundation (Grants BNS-8012068 and BNS-83OO716) for their support.