In this extended bonus episode, we continue the heartfelt conversation with grandparents who courageously share their journeys of raising their grandchildren—navigating court challenges, financial hardships, and fractured family ties—while offering unwavering love, stability, and hope. Their stories shine a light on resilience, sacrifice, and the profound importance of keeping families together.Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and SpanishResource of the Month: https://thegrandparentsconnection.org/ "The Grandparents Connection" website: Support group offering support to Grandparents and relatives in raising children UNDER the age of 18.https://211sandiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Handbook-for-Grandparents-Raising-Grandchildren-and-Other-Relative-Caregivers-2023-ENG.pdf "Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren & Other Relative Caregivers" is intended as a general guide to help you understand and better navigate your caregiver role related to your grandchildren or other children in your care and to help you find and access services.
Today's guests are Grandparents who share their powerful journeys of raising their grandchildren —navigating courts, financial struggles, and fractured family ties —while offering love, stability, and hope. Their stories highlight resilience, sacrifice, and the importance of keeping families together.
Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish
Resource of the Month:
The Grandparents Connection : Support group offering support to Grandparents and relatives in raising children UNDER the age of 18.
Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren is intended as a general guide to help you understand and better navigate your caregiver role related to your grandchildren or other children in your care and to help you find and access services
On this episode of Parenting the Whole Child, Jennie shares how parents can nurture their child’s academic and social-emotional development by asking the kinds of open-ended, curiosity-driven questions that turn everyday moments into opportunities for play, discovery, and higher-level thinking.
Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel Siegal and Tina Bryson in English and Spanish.
Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is Project Zero’s Thinking Routines Toolbox. This toolbox highlights thinking routines developed across a number of research projects at PZ. A thinking routine is a set of questions or a brief sequence of steps used to scaffold and support student thinking https://pz.harvard.edu/thinking-routines.
Additionally, Dr. Goldstone created these prompts to engage with kids about school, relationships, hobbies, and everyday life, and to practice our own curiosity - and remember, it’s about learning, growth, and connection--not getting it right--for us, too! https://www.learningunbound.org/resources/supporting-kids-thinking
Creative, critical thinking, reasoning, and problem solving are the focus of state education standards, because they’re the skills employers value the most in today’s knowledge economy. They also happen to be key to an empowered, fulfilling adulthood. Curiosity is foundational to these skills: The motivation to investigate, understand, and learn. Using intentional communication prompts like the ones in this guide, we can support kids to not only be successful in school and work, but to be rational, expansive thinkers who respect others’ ideas, seek out diverse perspectives, make informed decisions, and value learning, growth, and connection over having the right answer.
You can learn more about Dr. Jennie Goldstone practices at learningunbound.org.
Other resources: Book to add to your library- “Seek: How Curiosity Can Transform Your Life and Change the World” by Scott Shigeoka
Introducing the start of Season 2 ! Felicia, Janelle, and Belle share where they are on their journeys and updates on life. Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is Edutopia’s Back-to-School Resources for Parents where you can find information on easing transition jitters, managing kids’ tech use, getting involved in the school, 15 other questions to replace How Was School Today?, and more. https://www.edutopia.org/article/back... If you are interested in Dr. Felicia’s books: Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing by Lili Taylor ___________Be a guest on our podcast: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA...
We collected all your questions throughout the season and discussed it in our final episode for Season 1 with our very own Director Melissa Spadin. Tune in to hear about our best parenting advice, parenting teens, parenting with grief, and be a supportive community.
Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!
Resource of the Month: Our resource for this month is our Instagram Page! Follow us at @parentingthewholechildpodcast.
In this episode, expert Coach AJ from Brightline discusses the importance of understanding neurodiversity and how it can help parents/caregivers better support and celebrate their neurodivergent children. We explore key strategies for emotional regulation, advocacy, and self-care, offering practical insights for families navigating ADHD and other neurodivergent experiences.
Book of the Month: The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children by Dr. Shefali Tsabary in English or Spanish!
Resource of the Month: BrightLife Kids - A CalHope Program by Brightline
Other resources:
Scattered Minds - Dr. Gabor Maté
Data and Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Data and Statistics on ADHD | Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | CDC
This episode explores the immigrant experience, featuring personal stories of resilience, cultural identity, and acculturation. Dr. Rhonda Beasley and Dr. Belle Tan shares their journeys to the U.S., the challenges they faced, and the strengths immigrant families bring, offering insights and advice for parents/caregivers navigating this transition with their children.
Book of the Month: Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
Resource of the Month: SDCOE Immigration Resources
Other resources:
We have Transformational Leader, Author, TEDx Speaker and Edupreneur Meena Srinivasan as our guest this month and Janelle, Belle, and Felicia did not know that this was what they needed to remind ourselves to pause, breathe deeply, and connect our hearts and mind. This is an episode you do not want to miss. We know you will save it and replay it over and over again!
Book of the Month: Fierce Compassion by Dr. Kristin Neff
Resource of the Month: Five Strategies to Care for Yourself So You Can Care for Others written by Meena Srinivasan and A Model of Mindful Parenting: Implications for Parent–Child Relationships and Prevention Research - PMC
Resources mentioned in the podcast episode:
This month, Marcus Jackson and Jen Vermillion generously share their time and expertise, guiding us in exploring each child’s unique strengths and needs when navigating sibling rivalry. Book of the Month: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Dr. Lisa Damour the psychiatrist behind Inside Out 2. Resource of the Month: Free Mental Health Webinar Series for Parents and Caregivers to Support the Youth in Their Lives with SDCOE and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. Click here for flyer in English: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TzP5hRhdBAsAQGmqa1nKSjw3FXXEezPe/view?usp=drive_link Click here for flyer in Spanish: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IVk_4adt4A_MuWQp9qslYp6NF2n-9Snp/view?usp=drive_link
In this episode, we learn from Coach Brando from Brightlife Kids about supporting our teens. We hope you enjoy this episode as we enjoyed learning from Coach Brando.
To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share:
Your best parenting strategies
Any parenting questions you have
Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed
Cherished memories with your fathers or mothers and how those moments impacted you.
If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode and you get to win the book of the month. You can reach us by email at sel@sdcoe.net or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599.
Resource of the month: Brightlife.kids - Personalized support for California families. Kids ages 0–12 get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Live, 1:1 video sessions, secure chat, on-demand content, and more.
Book of the month: The Emotional Lives of Teenagers Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by Dr. Lisa Damour
In this episode, we explore effective parenting strategies, how to find quality care, and step into the topic of postpartum depression. We hope you gain valuable insights from this discussion focused on Early Childhood Development
To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share:
Your best parenting strategies
Any parenting questions you have
Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed
Cherished memories with your fathers and how those moments impacted you.
If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode. You can reach us by email at sel@sdcoe.net or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599.
Resource of the Month: San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative website: https://www.sdqpi.org/
The “Families” tab has a lot of helpful information, including questions to ask when searching for child care. There is also a “Guide for Selecting Quality Child Care” in English and Spanish
Book of the Month: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel in English or Spanish.
Other Resources:
MIHA Data Brief, Symptoms of depression during and after pregnancy
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents, highlighting the urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families to help our communities thrive. Check out the full press release here.
Additionally, there are these free resources to share with families & caregivers:
Maternal Mental Health in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
Move Your Body, Calm Your Mind, from the Governor’s Advisory Council
Mental Health resources from the CA Surgeon General’s Office
All About Young Children website: https://allaboutyoungchildren.org/english/
A helpful resource on what development looks like across age ranges, and videos from families. Available in many languages.
CA Teaching Pyramid - Family resources: https://cainclusion.org/teachingpyramid/materials/family/
An approach to social emotional learning utilized in many SD County early education programs. This page includes a number of resources for families, including one-page guides for specific challenges (e.g., bedtime, transitions)
In this episode, we have the pleasure of hearing from Janelle's daughter, Genevieve, and Felicia's daughter, Temple, as they share how they cultivate healthy relationships with their emotions. Through the guidance and example set by their parents, they’ve learned to embrace their feelings and understand that it's okay to make mistakes knowing that their parents are always home base. We hope you enjoy this insightful conversation.
To ensure our podcast remains relevant and engaging, we'd love to hear from you. Specifically, we invite you to share:
Your best parenting strategies
Any parenting questions you have
Connections or insights related to the topics we've discussed
Cherished memories with your fathers and how those moments impacted you.
If you leave a voicemail, your message could be featured in an upcoming episode. You can reach us by email at sel@sdcoe.net or leave a voice message at 858-292-3599.
Resource of the Month: SanDiegoFamily.com
Book of the Month: Where Are You From? Or De Donde Eres? by Yamile Saied Mendez and Jaime Kim in English or Spanish!
Our special guest this week is Anthony Ceja. Join the four of us as we go deep and discuss navigating blended, co-parenting, biological, and single parenting journeys.
Living Arrangements of Children: 2019
This month’s giveaway: The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel in English or Spanish. In order to receive this month’s giveaway, call us at (858) 292-3599 or email at sel@sdcoe.net in English or Spanish with your topics or questions that you would like us to talk about.
This month’s resource: Soluna, a CalHOPE program by Kooth, is an innovative virtual behavioral health
program developed by the California Department of Health Care Services in collaboration with Kooth. The Soluna app provides California’s youth and young adults (ages 13 – 25) with immediate access to a comprehensive mental health toolkit in English and Spanish, community support, resources, journaling, and personal coaching in 19 different language– all at no cost to the user, their parents, or their school. Be sure to check it out at SolunaApp.com
Introducing Parenting the Whole Child podcast with Janelle Lopez, Dr. Belle Tan, and Dr. Felicia Singleton. Join us as we journey through parenting together! In this episode, Janelle, Belle and Felicia answer these four questions:
What made you the parent you are today?
What’s your favorite memory from your own childhood?
What are you the most proud of your kids?
What is a parenting move you thought you would never do when your parents did it to you?
So that you get a chance to know who we are as we kick off this podcast to create a supportive community for parents/guardians.
This month’s giveaway: "The Conscious Parent: Transforming Ourselves, Empowering Our Children" by Dr. Shefali Tsabary
This month’s resource: Check out Brightlife for personalized behavioral health support for California parents with kids ages 0-12. Get free, expert coaching for sleep issues, worry, social skills, and more. Coaches receive professional inclusivity and cultural competency training, and many speak both English and Spanish, come from diverse backgrounds, and have experience with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. No cost or insurance needed. Visit hellobrightline.com for more information.
In order to receive this month’s giveaway, call us at (858) 292-3599 or email at sel@sdcoe.net in English or Spanish with your topics or questions that you would like us to talk about OR answer these month’s questions:
What made you the parent you are today?
What’s your favorite memory from your own childhood?
What are you the most proud of your kids?
What is a parenting move you thought you would never do when your parents did it to you?
We are so looking forward to hearing from you and journeying with you!
