Send us a text Is it possible to foster in kids the skills and knowledge needed to avoid trafficking and exploitation without needlessly exposing them, even in small way, to the devasting ugliness of those worlds? My guest today, Erin Williamson, believes that it is possible. Erin is the Chief Programs & Strategy Officer at Love146, an organization that has been fighting to end child trafficking and exploitation for over two decades. As you will hear, the approach Love146 takes is evidenc...

Send us a text What happens when a public health leader writes a memoir? In Harper Bailey’s case the resulting work is as instructional as it is engaging. As you will hear in our discussion, this was intentional. Harper wanted It Was Her: A Memoir, her debut book, to inspire readers to do the “inner work so children don’t inherit unhealed wounds.” As you will also hear, that inner work is demanding and perpetual, and it might even take on different forms depending on where an individual is in...

Send us a text This is the second part of my episode on the cognitive health of deaf children. My guest is Donna Jo Napoli, Professor of Linguistics and Social Justice at Swarthmore College, author of fiction and science books, and co-director of Rise Videobooks. The first part focused on early language and cognitive development. This second part focusses on what Donna Jo and her colleagues are doing to improve the reading skills of deaf students. More information about Donna Jo, her books, t...

Send us a text More than half of all deaf students who graduate from high school have reading skills at or below fourth grade level. Research indicates that low literacy makes it difficult for individuals to obtain or maintain any employment, let alone the kind of employment that affords independence, a house, and a family. For well over a decade, Donna Jo Napoli – my guest this episode – and her colleagues have been publishing articles on why deaf students seem to have this literacy deficit....

Send us a text Recently, Lucy Foulkes, a Research Fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian newspaper titled, “Mental-health lessons in schools sound a like a great idea. The trouble is, they don’t work,” in which she asserts, “the only information we should teach en masse is where a young person should get help.” My guest today to discuss this article and get beyond its provocative title is Kevin Runions. In addit...

Send us a text Do you know where the substitute teachers for your child’s preschool come from? If you are like me, you might imagine that potential substitutes and administrators sit down and get to know each other, possibly over tea and finger sandwiches. My guest this episode, Paul Buckley, will tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Paul explains that current staffing practices afford preschools and substitutes very little, if any, say in the match process and offer few opp...

Send us a text Piper Gibson is a Doctor of Functional Medicine; the Founder of the Tic Disorder Institute: Regenerating Health; and the author of Tic Talk: Common Misconceptions, Natural Approaches, and Real Conversations about Tic Disorders. Piper is on a mission to counter the narrative that we should ignore kids’ motor or vocal tics and hope that they grow out them. Instead, as she and I discuss, Piper argues – and has the research to back it up – that the experiences of kids with tics can...

Send us a text Family law is complicated. There are prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, custody petitions, visitation petitions, and post judgment matters, among other issues. Moreover, family law exists within an evolving society where perspectives, opportunities, and technologies are constantly changing and influencing the outcomes. This is why I was excited to have Kelly Scott on the podcast. As a seasoned attorney in a leadership role within the family law community, Kelly is a...

Send us a text David Pisarra wants to help fathers navigate their custody and divorce cases to secure more time with their kids. Like several previous Talking About Kids guests, David believes that the processes and systems can be easily biased against fathers, and David wants to help fathers overcome the obstacles. David and I discuss his perspective, his experience as a family law attorney, the dos and don’ts of family court, and Dad’s Law School, David’s online community that he designed t...

Send us a text Lee Norwood is passionate about helping families find the “perfect college fit.” As the founder of Annapolis College Consulting and a member of the CounselMore Executive Board, Lee spends a lot of her time dispelling myths about college admissions, testing, tuition, and the role of a college consultant. Lee recently launched College Sharks, which offers on-demand virtual college coaching at a fraction of the cost of hiring a college consultant by the hour. Lee and I discuss the...

Send us a text This is the final mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. In the previous five episode, I asked some past guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to inspire parents, educators, and direct service providers. This final recommendation comes from me. More information is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Send us a text This is the fifth of six mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. To help listeners have a rejuvenating summer, I asked some previous guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to inspire parents, educators, and direct service providers. This fifth recommendation comes from Seanna Leath, Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Affiliated Faculty in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. More informatio...

Send us a text This is the fourth of six mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. To help listeners have a rejuvenating summer, I asked some previous guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to inspire parents, educators, and direct service providers. This final recommendation comes from Stanley Krippner, the celebrated humanistic psychologist who was recognized by the American Psychological Associations with its Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International...

Send us a text This is the third of six mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. To help listeners have a rejuvenating summer, I asked some previous guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to inspire parents, educators, and direct service providers. This third recommendation comes from David Riedman, the founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database and an Assistant Professor at Idaho State University. More information is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Send us a text This is the second of six mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. To help listeners have a rejuvenating summer, I asked some previous guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to inspire parents, educators, and direct service providers. This second recommendation comes from Sarah Lindstrom Johnson, Associate Professor in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. More information is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Send us a text This is the first of six mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. Summer is a time for relaxation and, hopefully, rejuvenation. It is in that spirit that I asked some previous guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to that they find inspirational for their positive depictions of relationships between parents, educators, or direct service providers and kids. The first recommendation comes from Aaron Kupchik, Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at ...

Send us a text Like my previous guest, Ulric Shannon, my guest this episode, Edgar Palacios, believes that students are more successful when they see themselves reflected in their teachers, and, like Ulric, Edgar is a graduate of the Surge Institute. Today, Edgar is the CEO of the Latinx Education Collaborative (LEC), an organization he founded to support Latinx students by supporting Latinx educators. Edgar and I discuss his work and his commitment to creating optimal learning environments f...

Send us a text Ulric Shannon believes that students who do not see themselves reflected in their teachers and in the educational leadership develop harmful beliefs about authority, power, and value. Indeed, statistics show that the faculty in many school districts do not share the demographics or the backgrounds of the student bodies they serve. Ulric set out to change this. In this episode, Ulric and I discuss what he did, whether it is working, and how you can get involved. More information...

Send us a text To succeed, to be happy and healthy, kids need safety and support. Unfortunately, too many kids do not feel safe or supported at school or in out-of-school-time programs (OST) because they do not share the dominant culture’s abilities, race, religion, orientation, identity or identity expression. For the third year in a row, Talking About Kids was granted media access to all of NYC Pride’s events, and took the opportunity to ask two of the parade Grand Marshalls about the impor...

Send us a text There is a richness to the new children’s book, Like That Eleanor: The Amazing Power of Being an Ally by writer Lee Wind and illustrator Kelly Mangan, that affords a caregiver and a child myriad opportunities for discussion, exploration, and, ultimately, connection. It weaves history lessons with contemporary, school scenarios that young children will recognize in a way that entertains while modeling skills that young children need. I think Lee and Kelly have created something ...