Online preschool options are growing in popularity.  Just this past spring, Ted Talk organizers created a bit of a stir in the early childhood community when they awarded a portion of their Audacious Project funding to an online preschool company, Waterford UPSTART.  While proponents suggest this is an affordable and accessible option for families that may not otherwise have preschool options, detractors say the most valuable parts of preschool could never be packaged into a virtual program. Even before this brouhaha boiled over, Amy Webb was writing about the misconceptions surrounding online preschool on her site, The Thoughtful Parent.   I’m so excited to have her join me on today’s episode to break this topic down. Is online preschool the panacea for early education inequality, or just a placebo we invest in to make ourselves feel better? You can find show notes for this episode at Https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode25

Episode 25: Online Preschool- Panacea or Placebo?

Not Just Cute, the Podcast is like listening to a conversation with your nerdy best friend.  Who happens to be obsessed with child development.  Each episode covers a different topic related to parenting, early childhood education, and healthy, whole child development in order to support teachers and parents in serving young children.

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Challenging behaviors seem to be on the rise in preschool classrooms.  Prerna Richards, of Together We Grow, specializes in supporting educators with a behavior coaching program.  In this episode, she shares what she believes is behind this increase, and what can be done to better help our youngest learners. Find Show Notes : https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode73

Episode 73: Challenging Behaviors in the Preschool Classroom (with Prerna Richards)

 Once upon a time.....   ...Happily ever after.   These are common fairy tale phrases. But they're more than just staid story stems. These common phrases -- and the stories in between -- hold not only a recipe for imagination and fantasy but also for resilience.   Stephanie Goloway (EdD) is a powerful advocate for the importance of imagination, play, and storytelling.  As a now-emeritus professor, she’s taught young children as well as college students and has focused her research on how fairy tales align with and support child development.  She’s written a book called, Happily Ever Resilient, where she shares how the ordinary magic of resilience is woven into the extraordinary magic of fairy tales, supporting all children as they face the challenges of life. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode72 

Episode 72: Fairy Tales and Resilience (with Stephanie Goloway, EdD)

Most people associate the library with silence.  But what if we associated it with play?   In this episode, I’m talking with Tammie Benham, Youth Services Consultant for the Southeast Kansas Library System. Tammie believes that where libraries, children, and families intersect, magic is possible.  And she’s set out to make that magic through a family engagement program focused on using play to teach, encourage, and support families in the communities she serves. Find Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode71

Episode 71: Bringing Families to the Library with Play (with Tammie Benham)

We started this series with the overall argument for why play is essential for human development.  The next three episodes dug deep into three main themes: Why we need play for mental health and wellness, for brain development and real learning, and for soft skill development.  Then, we shifted to several shorter episodes, touching on specific types of play and how they contribute to development.  In this final episode, I’m talking about why ALL children need play, even when others may think it’s time to help children “catch up” instead. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode70

Episode 70: Why We Need Play for All

What does fingerpainting have to do with the Space Race?  In this episode, we're talking about art and creative play and their role in learning, thinking, and innovating. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode69

Episode 25: Online Preschool- Panacea or Placebo?

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