Building Equitable Outcomes for Families with Young Children Through Access to InformationOn this episode of the Learn With Less® podcast, Ayelet sits down with Sydney Bassard. Sydney is an ASHA-certified speech-language pathologist, with a B.S. in Public Health. Her clinical focus areas are working with individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing and those with literacy challenges. Sydney engages in research with these populations as well as clinical practice. With a passion for access to high-quality service and care for all, she takes the time to invest in each client and their family. Her motto of listening, learning, and advocating stems from the three principles that guide her clinical practice. We discussed:* Sydney’s new book, “A Day With Mom,” which she co-authored with her own mother

* The importance of health literacy

* The fine line between “doing enough” and not doing enough for one’s child

* How everyday routines can be developmentally beneficial

* The importance of play, and what high quality educational materials actually are

* Where to find high quality resources for familiesHelpful Resources to Acknowledge For This Episode:A Day With Mom, by Pearl and Sydney BassardUnderstood.org – great resources on early intervention and early learningFree downloads for families and professionals from SydneyEarly & Bright SLP (formerly Mommy & Me Milestones)Maximizing Natural Language Opportunities, Without Toys, featuring Joanne CazeauHow to Use Everyday Routines to Boost Infant & Toddler Development, featuring Stacey LandbergParent Coaching and Routines for Early Language Development, featuring Cari EbertFree Infant/Toddler Development Blueprint: what are the four major areas of early development… and how can you use the pillars of Learn With Less® to support that learning, using the time, energy, and materials you already have?! Download our free blueprint today.Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program, helping educators and therapists create lasting impact in their communities with a high quality, evidence-based, “plug & play” programExpand Your Impact Workshop Bundle: for early childhood educators and developmental therapists hoping to serve new families in their community and support themselves, using their existing skillsLearn With Less® Bundle: our best infant and toddler development resources for families and educators alike, including our bestselling books Understanding Your Baby and Understanding Your Toddler, our acclaimed family music album, recorded Learn With Less® “caregiver & me” classes, and a caregiver handout featuring ideas for carryover in the homeLearn With Le...

How do we provide new families with the skills they need to support their baby or toddler’s development?This episode of the Learn With Less® podcast features an interview conducted by Joanne Cazeau, a recent guest another episode of the podcast, pediatric speech-language pathologist, owner of Koze Speech Therapy, and the brains behind the Instagram handle @thespeechpathologist. The interview originally aired on her Instagram page, and we wanted to share it more broadly, here. I want to acknowledge that the sound quality isn’t perfect, but as always, the full transcript can be found here on the Learn With Less® website, and we know you’ll get a lot of good information, even imperfectly.Toward the end of the episode, we also mention the Expand Your Impact Retreat, which is an event that already took place; however, you can access the recordings by going to learnwithless.com/expand and grabbing the workshop bundle!We discussed:* Ayelet’s professional journey and how the Learn With Less® infant and toddler development curriculum was born

* What Learn With Less® is, what makes it so unique, and the inspiration behind the program

* The biggest misconceptions and challenges about toy-less learning

* The biggest benefits of the Learn With Less® approach from both the parent/caregiver perspective, as well as the Learn With Less® facilitator perspective

* The problems or challenges the Learn With Less® program seeks to alleviate and address

* What professionals can expect from the Expand Your Impact Workshop Bundle (originally the Expand Your Impact 2021 Retreat), who it’s for, and who can benefitHelpful Resources to Acknowledge For This Episode:Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program, helping educators and therapists create lasting impact in their communities with a high quality, evidence-based, “plug & play” program Expand Your Impact Workshop Bundle: for early childhood educators and developmental therapists hoping to serve new families in their community and support themselves, using their existing skillsLearn With Less® Bundle: our best infant and toddler development resources for families and educators alike, including our bestselling books Understanding Your Baby and Understanding Your Toddler, our acclaimed family music album, recorded Learn With Less® “caregiver & me” classes, and a caregiver handout featuring ideas for carryover in the homeFree Infant/Toddler Development Blueprint: what are the four major areas of early development… and how can you use the pillars of Learn With Less® to support that learning, using the time, energy, and materials you already have?! Download our free blueprint today.Learn With Less® Stories: Testimonials from educators who’ve provided the Learn With Less® infant/toddler family enrichment curriculum and families who’ve experienced our programming.Why Is Parent Coaching Important in Early Intervention? A Learn With Less® podcast episode also featuring Joanne Cazeau of Koze Speech TherapyConnect With Us:Joanne: Website ...

Empowering Parents is the KeyAs an educator or therapist, you recognize that empowering parents and caregivers is the key to supporting the families you serve. They’re the ones that are “doing it” everyday.Maybe you work primarily with children, and you want to expand to serve the family more holistically.Maybe you’re a therapist who believes in the parent coaching model and routines-based intervention. You’re curious to expand into serving families in a resource and support role.The idea of serving families in a new way in a parent education or parent support role can be daunting! To make a whole curriculum, to teach parents language (and other) strategies, to work with the whole family unit, outside of a classroom or therapy setting.You know this work is needed, and is an amazing expansion of your own skill set and knowledge. In my work both delivering caregiver/baby classes and training other professionals to create these programs in their own communities using the Learn With Less® Curriculum, I see 3 myths that tend to get people stuck, holding them back – often before they even get started.Now, before I get into these 3 myths and why they’re just false assumptions, I want to encourage you to fill out the short application form over at learnwithless.com/certification right now. You’ll gain access to my private training, which will teach you all about the ways to create lasting impact leading “caregiver & me” classes with a high quality, evidence-based, plug & play program that will have families coming back again and again. When you do, I’ll review your application, then I’ll send you limited time access to this training! In addition, I’ll be gifting you free Caregiver/Baby Classes Roadmap, wherein you’ll discover all the pieces to help you become successful with a family enrichment program that every infant/toddler family can access.3 Myths That Are Holding You Back From Leading Caregiver/Baby ClassesI find that many people believe you have to have children of your own or be an “ideal caregiver” yourself to lead Caregiver/Baby Classes in your community…First of all, I personally would pack up my baby and things, and leave the room if I walked into a group where the facilitator claimed to be the best parent ever or to know everything there is about early child development. Of course parents and caregivers want to be led in community by a facilitator who has knowledge, someone who has experience…But let’s stop for a second and think. Do you like learning from a perfectionist? Especially in one of your most vulnerable states (i.e., early parenthood)??When parents and care givers come together in a group setting like this to gain support, education, and ideas about how to help their child thrive… they’re often not looking for a rigid parenting philosophy. They’re looking for a place where they can feel heard. Where they can connect with each other, with their babies, with a community that understands what they’re going through.So it doesn’t matter whether you have kids of your own, or whether you regularly fall short of being an ideal caregiver yourself.What matters is: do you love being around kids? Do you interact well with kids? Do you love empowering and coaching parents? Because when it comes to wearing your teacher hat or therapist hat OR a family enrichment facilitator hat… what you’re doing matters… but it doesn’t matter as much as how the parent feels their child is doing. The goal is to help the parent ...

Families already have all the “right” tools to support their babies: they just need to know how to use them.In today’s episode, I’m going to be sharing with you the ultimate guide to supporting infant and toddler families through parent education. Because here’s the thing: The single most important thing your families need to realize about supporting their young child’s development is that they already have all the “right” tools to support their babies: they just need to know how to use them.All around the world, educators and therapists working with families with infants and toddlers are moving to a “routines-based intervention” approach.Essentially what that means is that the research is finally catching up with what professionals in early childhood education have known for a long time: tiny humans must be supported by responsive caregivers, and do this best in their natural environment.In the first few years of life, children learn through a process of observation (observing others), imitation (starting to imitate others) and interaction (interacting with objects in the environment and with other people in the environment).And everyday routines are those common threads that help children make sense of the world, and help them learn about basic concepts, about vocabulary for things around them, about how their bodies move and how the world feels, and about how to engage socially with others.Apply now to receive access to my private training!So when parents and caregivers can learn to maximize the everyday routines and everyday objects that they’re often already participating in and using, they can unlock their potential and boost development… and this, in turn, gives them the peace of mind they crave: it empowers them to do the big job of parenting tiny humans. They get to combat the overwhelm of early parenthood.Parenting is that great equalizer, and no matter where your families come from, what language(s) they speak, what socio-economic bracket under which they fall, or whether a child is developing along a typical progression or whether she falls outside the norm, there’s one single thing we all need to realize:When you can help families learn to recognize the tools they already have to boost their young child’s development, you’re able to help them maximize the time they have with their babies, you help them feel empowered to “get it right,” and you’re able to help them unlock the power of everyday routines (diaper) and everyday objects (paper roll) to figure out how to support their tiny human and boost all areas of development.Play, Talk, Sing, MoveSo what are the kinds of things we as educators and therapists can do to support young children and their families? What are the things we can show parents and caregivers that can help them infuse every single interaction with more connection, more opportunities for interaction, more vocabulary, more modeling?I see these as play, talk, sing, and move. I refer to these as the 4-pillars of Learn With Less®. I come back to these in each one of my therapeutic sessions as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, in everything I model and discuss with client families, and in all my parent education work with Learn With Less®.Now, the ultimate goal both with direct therapy and with any kind of parent education or enrichment class, is to build family capacity, competence, and confidence.THEREFORE, this means that your job as a parent educator or a therapist of any kind is to help parents and caregivers believe they can make a difference with their child… and you can do that using very simple strategies and very simple materials!As a pediatric speech-language pathologist, parent educator, and imperfect mother of two young children, I see so often that parents and caregivers often get caught up with the idea of finding the “best route” to fo...

Supporting The Family As A Unit, as a Parent EducatorWe’ve used the term “Mommy & Me” here because it’s a searchable term, but we refer to our Learn With Less® classes as “caregiver & me” classes. Not familiar with this term? We use it as one way to reflect our commitment to inclusivity. Our classes are open – and meant for – ALL parents and caregivers: not just moms… but also dads, non-binary folks, grandparents, foster parents, babysitters, nannies, and other amazing grownups who care for tiny humans. We’re playing the “search term” game, here (so that you can find this great content more easily!), and we’re committed to helping shift the conversation from “mommy & me” classes to “caregiver & me” classes… to do our part to shape the more inclusive world we’d like to live in.As an educator or a therapist of any kind, you know that parents and caregivers need to feel confident that they can support and connect with their new baby or toddler.As a professional working with families, the single most important thing that allows you to do your job effectively… is to support that CONNECTION between caregiver and child.You know that all parents and caregivers – regardless of where they come from, what language(s) they speak, or what socio-economic bracket under which they fall, ALL want the same thing for their child: to raise a great human and to have peace of mind they’re doing what they need to do to support their child.You also know that not all parents and caregivers come into parenthood knowing about how to support their children’s development, and many of them have a LOT of questions. They may rely on you as an educator or therapist to “fix their child” or “educate their child” for them, but many of them want to know more, want to “do it right” and “do it better.”You know that not all kids who need a bit of help are going to qualify for early intervention services.And finally, you know that ALL parents/caregivers – whether their children are developing within “normal” limits or whether they fall outside of the typical trajectory. They could use the support and education involved in seeing how the magic in those mundane, everyday moments is the key to connection, the key to supporting their child’s development, and the key to raising a great human being – from day one.Ready to apply now to the Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program? Head here!You Have the Knowledge and Ability to Support Families through Parent EducationWithin the therapy room, you can support parents and caregivers alongside their children if you’re serving a child with delays, and if you can manage to get buy-in and engagement from the family. Within an early childcare setting, you can support the children by creating a language-rich, movement-rich, child-led environment to support open ended play…But still, you know you could be doing more to support the family unit as a whole.There’s still that niggling feeling that, with your knowledge about early child development and how to support the bond between caregiver and child… you could create truly enriching opportunities to help families from all backgrounds in your local area…And… you know could probably get paid to do it! You may have already started checking out the other offerings in your area. You may already be the person many of your friends and neighbors confide in or ask questions about development or behavior problems…The idea of leading “mommy and me” (caregiver & me) groups or “sign language” classes or “early language development” workshops… may crossed your m...

Bringing Together New Families to Build CommunityOn this episode of the Learn With Less® podcast, Ayelet sits down with Lindsay Teitelbaum, a pediatric speech-language pathologist, mother, parent educator, Learn With Less® facilitator, and the owner of the inclusive community play space, Spirited Play Labs. Lindsay’s physical community play space for new families is in San Ramon, California. She supports new families with neurodiverse children, as well as parents and caregivers with children of all developmental levels, from birth to three. Lindsay has doubled down on building community by bringing groups of families together with “caregiver & me” groups. Not familiar with the term, “caregiver & me” classes? We use it as a more inclusive term instead of “mommy & me” classes. Our classes are open to – and meant for – ALL parents and caregivers: not just moms… but also dads, non-binary folks, grandparents, foster parents, babysitters, nannies, and other amazing grownups who care for tiny humans. We’re going to play the “search term” game here (so you can find this great content more easily!) and help shift the conversation from “mommy & me” classes to “caregiver & me” classes… to do our part to shape the more inclusive world we’d like to live in.In this episode, we discuss:* Lindsay’s background and how she placed her values front and center in terms of how she wanted to practice speech-language therapy* What drew her to the Learn With Less® philosophy, and the value of prioritizing parents and caregivers and parent education* Perception changes she’s experienced that allowed her to create a space for families* What it means to be creating an inclusive space, what Lindsay has considered, and who ends up being centered * How it feels to serve families as a facilitator, instead of coming in as the “expert” Helpful Resources Related to This EpisodeLearn With Less® Stories:  Additional podcast episodes and other interviews from educators who’ve provided the Learn With Less® infant/toddler family enrichment curriculum and families who’ve experienced our programming.FREE Infant/Toddler Development Blueprint: Discover the four major areas of infant and toddler development, what’s involved in each one in the first three years of life, and what you can do to support that learning (using what you already have in your home).Maisie Soetantyo’s Better Community certification and Autism Career Pathways (you can follow Maisie Soetantyo on Instagram, here)Independent Clinician Podcast, with Jena Castro-CasbonAffect Autism PodcastTwo Sides of the Spectrum with Meg ProctorLearn With Less® Bundle: get our favorite infant and toddler development resources (save 70%)! Discover how to support & connect with your tiny human, without having to buy a single toy.Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program: Use your existing skills as an educator or therapist to serve families holistically with a high quality program that will provide lasting impac...

Creating Inclusive Communities for Families Who May Hold LGBTQ IdentitiesOn this episode of the Learn With Less® podcast, we sat down with Mason Aid, an LGBTQ educator focused on inclusion and how to take the next step in becoming an ally.We discussed:* Mason’s background, and how they got into the work they’re doing today* A few basic definitions of useful vocabulary, such as pronouns, non-binary, cisgender, and the difference between sexual identity and gender identity* Various things Mason has had to consider because of their own gender identity as a non-binary parent* Mason’s suggestions for families to consider when it comes to supporting their own children as they start to build awareness of their own gender identities* Top tips for parents, caregivers, and educators who want to create an inclusive, supportive community for young children* A few of Mason’s favorite resources to share with families or helping professionals who want to support others who are questioning or who are coming outHelpful Resources to Acknowledge For This Episode:Mason’s Compassionate Coming Out Guide: resources and tips on how to respond, and how to deal with how you might be feeling if a child or family member comes out to you about their gender or sexual identityQueer Kid Stuff YouTube ChannelPop N’ Olly YouTube ChannelGLSEN, for educators and parents of school-aged childrenPFLAG, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and GaysThe Trevor Project, supporing LGBTQIA+ youthEverywhere Babies, by Susan MeyersFree Infant/Toddler Development Blueprint: what are the four major areas of early development… and how can you use the pillars of Learn With Less® to support that learning, using the time, energy, and materials you already have?! Download our free blueprint today.Connect With Us:Mason: Website / Facebook / Instagram / LinkedInAyelet: Facebook / Instagram / PinterestText Transcript of the EpisodeAyelet: Welcome to Learn With Less® I am so happy to have Mason Aid, they/he. Mason is an LGBTQ educator focused on the greater Midwest, who loves to talk about inclusion and how to take the next baby step in becoming an ally. Whether you consider yourself an ally or simply want to learn more about the LGBTQ community, they share passionately and in a disarming manner. Mason lives in Columbia,

Just what is parent coaching in early intervention?On this episode of the Learn With Less® podcast, we sat down with Joanne Cazeau, of Koze Speech Therapy and @thespeechpathologist (Instagram). Joanne is a licensed pediatric speech-language pathologist and private practice owner who believes strongly in the power of parent coaching – working with caregivers directly to support their young children when providing early intervention services. We discussed:* Joanne’s professional and personal background that brought her to the work she’s doing today* Disparities in clinical service, culturally responsive care, and the implications of biases held by practitioners providing speech therapy and other services* How Joanne’s therapeutic approach has shifted from when she was working in a private practice to her work in early intervention working for herself* The impacts of the pandemic on her outlook and therapeutic approaches* Some of Joanne’s favorite therapy “hacks” when it comes to being creative now that she’s following more of a parent coaching / bagless style of therapy* Joanne’s favorite resources to share with families or other professionals who are hoping to approach early intervention in this wayHelpful Resources to Acknowledge For This Episode:More Is Better: Maximizing Natural Language Opportunities, by Lee Ann Jung, Ph.D.Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies at the University of FloridaTeach Speech Services, with Kacy Wickerson, M.A., CCC-SLPTransplaining, with A.C. Goldberg, Ph.D., CCC-SLP and Chris Rehs-DupinLearn With Less® Bundle: get our favorite infant and toddler development resources (and save 70%)! Discover how to support and connect with your tiny human, without having to buy a single toy.Free Infant/Toddler Development Blueprint: what are the four major areas of early development… and how can you use the pillars of Learn With Less® to support that learning, using the time, energy, and materials you already have?! Download our free blueprint today.Learn With Less® Caregiver & Me Classes a developmentally based family enrichment curriculum for caregiver and infant/toddler learning. Classes available both virtually and in-person.Learn With Less® Facilitator Training & Certification Program: create lasting impact leading ‘Caregiver & Me’ classes with a high quality, evidence-based, “plug & play” program that’ll have families coming back again & againLearn With Less® Stories: Testimonials from educators who’ve provided the Learn With Less® infant/toddler family enrichment curriculum and families who’ve experienced our programming.Black Rockette: Perspectives of a black female speech language pathologist in academia, by Dr. Ianessa Humbert, Ph.D.Show more...