Reimagine Childhood

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood, brought to you by the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer welcomes Lysetta Layer, a qualified instructor and certified academic language therapist, educational diagnostician, and preschool minister at Park Cities Baptist Church, to discuss early childhood learning differences and how educators can notice and support them without diagnosing. Lysetta explains dyslexia as a neurobiological difference with early indicators (e.g., spelling and word retrieval challenges, inconsistent retention, letter/number reversals), and emphasizes the value of early remediation. The conversation also touches on autism spectrum indicators, speech and language (expressive vs. receptive) concerns, and the limits of identifying ADHD in preschool. They highlight documenting observable facts, partnering with parents compassionately, and using resources like Child Find and Texas Early Childhood Intervention (birth–36 months) and public school evaluations to access support, stressing that all children are made in God's image and can meet their potential with appropriate help.

00:00 Welcome and Mission

00:49 Meet the Expert Guest

06:04 Noticing Without Diagnosing

09:42 Dyslexia and Autism Signs

30:35 Spectrums and Diagnosis

31:53 Speech Language Basics

39:04 ADHD and Early Intervention

45:07 Resources and Closing Charge

Lots of resources for this one:

ChildFind in Texas: https://www.spedtex.org/resources/child-find-frequently-asked-questions

Early Childhood Intervention in Texas - https://www.hhs.texas.gov/services/disability/early-childhood-intervention-services

International Dyslexia Association

https://dyslexiaida.org

Understood – For Learning and Thinking Differences

https://www.understood.org/

Stand Up LD: Supporting Learning Differences

https://standupld.org/

Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

http://dyslexia.yale.edu/

Autism Speaks

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

Ages & Stages Questionnaire -super helpful — https://agesandstages.com/

ECCN Course Bundle - Support Children with Special Needs and Their Families - https://earlychildhoodchristiannetwork.com/groups/supporting-children-with-special-needs-and-their-families/

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer interviews Dr. Kayla Abshire, director of innovation and learning at San Marcos Academy, about developmentally appropriate technology education for young children. They distinguish passive screen time from intentionally teaching technology as a productivity tool, addressing concerns such as delayed language development, reduced social-emotional skills, sleep disruption, and physical impacts. Dr. Abshire shares practical, mostly hands-on strategies for pre-K, including mouse and keyboard skill-building, letter recognition, unplugged coding with movement-based sequencing games, early robotics with Bee-Bots and coding mice, and scaled-down digital citizenship focused on device care, safe clicking, and kind communication. The conversation also covers parent and teacher pushback, the need for professional development, and the goal of helping children create with technology rather than only consume it.

00:00 Welcome to Reimagine Childhood

00:50 Meet Dr Kayla Abshire

03:02 Screen Time Risks Explained

07:07 Teaching Tech Without Screens

14:12 Unplugged Coding and Robotics

20:46 Digital Citizenship and Parents

28:43 Creators Not Consumers Wrap Up

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer talks with grandmother Kate Mobell, whose grandson Shepherd was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy just before kindergarten, and Dr. Diana Castro, a board-certified neurologist and neuromuscular physician. They explain why early educators' daily observations can help families pursue quicker evaluations and referrals, especially when concerns have been minimized. Dr. Castro outlines common early signs of Duchenne—delayed walking, speech delays, fatigue at recess, frequent falls, difficulty with stairs or jumping, toe walking, enlarged calves, and Gower's sign—and notes possible cognitive and learning impacts. The conversation also covers why early intervention matters, how treatments like gene therapy aim to increase dystrophin, and how teachers can document specific behaviors, encourage OT/PT or specialist evaluation, plan for safety needs, and compassionately support families and classmates through education and community resources like CureDuchenne.

00:00 Welcome and Purpose

02:34 Shepherd Diagnosis Story

08:17 Signs Teachers Can Spot

18:47 Learning Library Promo

19:50 Treatments and Gene Therapy

22:42 Access to Gene Therapy

25:05 Schools as Early Advocates

28:01 Supporting Families at School

35:13 Teacher Action Steps and Wrap Up

Download milestone lists by age from birth to age 5 HERE! These can be super helpful in documenting what you see!

https://cureduchenne.org/ has tons of resources for parents who might have a recent diagnosis.

https://neuromdcenter.com/ is Dr. Castro's clinic in Dallas. She says patients from all over the world!

Connect with Dr. Castro on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dianacastromd/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DianaCastroMD

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood, brought to you by the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer welcomes Mary Ann Bradbury, former executive director of the Texas Baptist Church Weekday Education Association and longtime Christian education leader, to discuss cultural shifts affecting young children and families. They describe a "war" for children's hearts and minds driven by technology, social media, marketing, and increasing busyness, contributing to stress, anxiety, and loss of joy in children. Mary Ann emphasizes that attention shapes discipleship and urges Christian educators to "armor up" by prioritizing human connection, play-based learning, time in nature, reading aloud, and slower, child-led experiences that allow wonder and critical thinking. They also address pressures on parents, concerns about AI-infused toys and ed tech, and call educators and families to act as gatekeepers who protect God's design for childhood.

00:00 Welcome to Reimagine Childhood

00:50 Meet Mary Ann Bradbury

02:48 War for Kids Attention

20:50 Slowing Down Through Connection

25:06 Let Kids Lead Play

28:01 Tech Attention Trap

32:55 Nature and Parent Support

You can find more from Mary Ann Bradberry in our on-line course library.

Illuminating What Kids Need From You

Infant/Toddler Development: Lighting the Path for Life

The Child's Pathway To God Through Nature

Mary Ann mentioned a few books in this episode:

The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister - by Linda Raven Lodding

Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, M. Ed.

Eyes Are Never Quiet by by Lori Desautels, Michael McKnight

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer talks with pediatric occupational therapist and skidamarinkkids.com founder Kendra Worley about rising developmental concerns in young children, including sensory regulation challenges, speech delays, anxiety, ADHD, and autism-related symptoms. Kendra explains functional disconnect syndrome and God's design for brain development, describing the right brain as the foundational "brake pedal" and the left brain as the "gas pedal," and how modern life can over-stimulate left-brain activity through stress, screens, early academics, overstimulating environments, and reduced movement. She shares practical classroom strategies to support balanced development, including big-body play, stop-and-start games, breathing, encouraging an upward gaze, using the left side/left hand, visual tracking, and gratitude practices, and points listeners to her Tantrum Tamer app and resources at skidamarinkkids.com.

00:00 Welcome to Reimagine Childhood

01:37 Why Kids Are Struggling More

04:23 Gods Design for Brain Balance

13:48 Modern Triggers and Practical Fixes

22:04 Stressed Parents and Connection

22:56 Screens Replace Outdoor Regulation

25:38 Classroom Tools for Self Regulation

36:39 Gratitude Big Picture Wrap Up

Here's a great article on that goes more in-depth about what you might see as far as behavior goes in children with delayed right-brain development or left-brain development! So fascinating!

Find other amazing resources at https://skidamarinkkids.com/

Download the free Tantrum Tamer app to help you with tools for the classroom (or as a resource for parents).

And follow Kendra(a pediatric occupational therapist) and her colleague, Ali (a speech/language pathologist) on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/skidamarinkkids/

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer welcomes Devon Kuntzman, founder of Transforming Toddlerhood, certified coach with a psychology degree, former global nanny, author, summit host, and creator with nearly one million Instagram followers. Devon reframes toddlerhood as a critical, beautiful developmental stage and explains differences between babies, young toddlers, and older toddlers, emphasizing that behavior is communication and often reflects missing skills. She shares a three-part approach—decode behavior, nurture development, and build skills—then addresses common challenges: power struggles (exit the struggle while holding limits and offering choices), physical aggression (connect, set limits, teach skills), biting (get curious, track patterns, support both children, and scaffold with safe alternatives), and tantrums (ensure safety, stay calm, uphold limits, and use "less is more" during meltdowns).

00:00 Welcome to Reimagine Childhood

00:50 Meet Devon Kuntzman

01:47 Why Toddlers Get a Bad Rap

05:06 Toddler Stages and Communication

08:52 Power Struggles and Boundaries

16:18 Hitting Biting and Skill Building

30:56 Tantrums Plus Final Takeaways

If you enjoyed the conversation today and need a downloadable PDF mini-guide....HERE you go! A detailed guide to the 4 challenging toddler behaviors we talked about today.

https://www.transformingtoddlerhood.com/

https://www.transformingtoddlerhood.com/book/

https://www.instagram.com/transformingtoddlerhood/

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer talks with author and jesusloves.org founder Tara Hackney about rewriting the classic song "Jesus Loves the Little Children" after adopting a traumatized two-year-old from India and realizing the original lyrics felt outdated and incomplete. Tara shares how her experiences in global ministry and adoption awakened a deeper passion to help children understand they are purposefully made, personally known, and perfectly loved by Jesus, and how diversity reflects God's grand design. They discuss practical ways educators can honor God's image in every child through respectful interactions, creativity, empathy-building experiences, and cultural exposure, while connecting everyday actions to God's love. Monica also highlights upcoming ECCN conferences in Georgetown and McKinney, Texas.

00:00 Welcome to Reimagine Childhood

00:50 Meet Tara Hackney

02:07 Why Rewrite the Song

03:12 Adoption Sparked the Change

04:58 Gods Grand Design in Diversity

09:01 Purposefully Made Personally Known

10:54 Practical Classroom Mindset Shifts

15:01 Creativity Justice and Reasoning

16:42 Let Kids Create and Learn

19:24 Do Overs and Childlike Mercy

22:30 Quick Story Break Setup

22:43 Conference Season Preview

23:49 Keynotes and Registration

25:06 Teaching Kids Gods Love

27:46 Culture and Classroom Differences

30:43 Immersion and Empathy Activities

35:15 Worship Creativity and Discernment

40:05 Reimagine Teachers as Missionaries

42:27 Purposefully Made Reflection

44:46 Final Challenge and Farewell

Connect with Tara at her website www.jesusloves.org where she also has a really cute shop with merch for you!

She has a monthly newsletter where she shares lots of fun ideas as well. Here's the link if you want to sign up.

Find the song on Spotify or Youtube:

Audio only - https://open.spotify.com/album/1fxDj0EWd0bJ8fPNTQj2SL

Audio and video (lyric video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGR9HoxoZIA&list=RDhGR9HoxoZIA&start_radio=1

Connect with Tara on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jesusloves.ministry/

Find the book Jesus Loves The Little Children on Amazon HERE.

If you'd like to place a bulk order of these little books, reach out to Tara on her website for bulk pricing.

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood, brought to you by the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer talks with Sarah Philpott—farmer's wife, mom, part-time teacher, and author—about two lift-the-flap board books for young children: Wake Up Little Seed (plant life cycles) and Moo Moo Nap Nap (midday rhythms of rest on the farm). Sarah shares how farm life inspired her to help children see God as "the who behind the science," and she offers practical classroom ideas like starting with the end in mind by opening fruit, showing seeds, planting in soil, and tracking growth over time. Their conversation also explores helping children connect food to farms, building positive nap-time routines through repetition and predictability, and making read-alouds engaging through expressive voice, prediction questions, and acting out stories. The episode also highlights ECCN's upcoming two-day Texas conferences and notes Sarah's devotional for women experiencing infant and pregnancy loss.

00:00 Reimagine Childhood Intro

00:46 Meet Sarah Philpott

01:54 Wake Up Little Seed Story

04:29 Classroom Planting Ideas

06:44 Food Comes From Farms

12:30 Moo Moo Nap Nap Rhythms

20:01 Read Aloud Tips and Wrap

Connect with Sarah at https://allamericanmom.net/

On her instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sarahlphilpott/

Her children's books that we talked about today are

· Wake Up, Little Seed

· Moo, Moo, Nap, Nap

You can find all of her books on Amazon - HERE

SPECIAL NOTE: If you or a momma in your circle of influence has suffered with infant or pregnancy loss, check out her book Loved Baby: 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood from the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer welcomes Brock Eastman (aka Dr. Phineas Einstein Fizzlebop), an award-winning author, Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. contributor, and dad of four, to discuss why connecting science and faith matters for young children. Brock shares how Dr. Fizzlebop began as a Clubhouse Jr. science column and grew into videos, a 52-week family devotional (Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop), and Super Simple Science board books covering basics like colors, counting, alphabets, weather, and space. They talk about planting early "memory seeds" that help children integrate faith with everyday learning, the importance of parent-child reading and shared experiences amid modern distractions, and the power of saying "I don't know—let's look it up." Brock demonstrates simple experiments—baking soda and vinegar balloon inflation, "cluck from a cup" amplification, and a straw rocket launch—each paired with a faith connection, and he also mentions his middle grade series Parable Port where Jesus' parables come to life.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

02:29 Brock Science Origins

04:57 Dr Fizzlebop Resources

31:05 Why Moments Matter

36:51 Curiosity Builds Trust

39:37 Fizz Inflator Experiment

48:34 Cluck From a Cup

53:57 Rocket Launch and Sendoff

Connect with Brock Eastman (aka Dr. Fizzlebop) on his website - https://www.brockeastman.com/dr-fizzlebop.html or on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@fizzlebop

or on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/fizzleboplabs/

Find all of his picture and board-books here - https://www.brockeastman.com/picture--board-books.html

Fun experiment for Father's Day! - https://www.brockeastman.com/fizzlebop-lab-updates/fathers-day-fizztastic-experiment-water-balloon-strength-test

Our Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@ECCN-Admin/podcasts

In this episode of Reimagine Childhood, brought to you by the Early Childhood Christian Network, host Monica Healer talks with Debbie Simmons, founder and CEO of Anchor Point, about why so many early educators feel overwhelmed and how to build resilience without defaulting to control, hustle, or silence. Debbie explains that pressure reveals where our trust systems "leak," and encourages educators to view burnout and anxiety as data points for needed shifts in rhythms, relationships, and honest conversations. She challenges listeners to be brave, speak up, and first be honest with God about fear and lack of trust, noting that internal stress can impact health. Debbie offers practical tools for daily life: start the day centered with God, surrender your schedule, breathe to regain clarity, and focus on the "next best step."

00:00 Reimagine Childhood Intro

00:50 Why It Feels Heavy

08:33 Silence And Hard Talks

18:25 When You Cannot Give 100

23:46 Summer Conference Preview

26:23 Honest Trust Conversations

30:11 Daily Practices to Trust

41:28 Legacy and Closing Prayer

Find more great info about Debbie Simmons and all that she brings to the table on her website at https://thedebbiesimmons.com/

Or on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thedebbiesimmons/