Our Blog

In this second of our three-part series, our experts – Dr. Susan Canizares and Dr. Heather Wittenberg —give tips for making a smooth transition from preschool to Kindergarten. Dr. Heather: Back in the “bad old days,” we didn’t have much understanding of early childhood development. Young children were seen as too little to learn very […]

When should YOUR child start Kindergarten? Our experts are here to help you decide! Dr. Susan Canizares, our Chief Academic Officer, not only has a Ph.D. in Language and Literacy Development, she’s a nationally recognized authority on early childhood education. Dr. Heather Wittenberg is a mom of four and a child psychologist who blogs at […]

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama called for national expansion of prekindergarten programs through the “Preschool for All” initiative. Two reports issued since then – good news and bad news – have added substance and urgency to the debate over the President’s proposal. The good news came in March, when a […]

One of our own favorite moms, Harmony Faust, recently became a mother to the adorable Henry, and she’s learned very quickly some of the trials and tribulations of being a parent. Check out her “Mom”ent to see why being a mom is sometimes more of a “poopy” job than one expects. My friends with babies […]

Being a Mom is challenging. Up-all-night-on-barf-patrol, breaking-up-sibling-squabbles, finding-a-bathroom-for-a-potty-training-toddler – challenging. Being a Mom is also miraculous – baby’s-sweet smile, first-steps, watching-them-sleep miraculous. But the Mom moments that keep me going during long, challenging days are the silly ones. I was having one of those challenging days. It started out with an important meeting around a […]

Don’t be intimidated by potty training your child. Dr. Heather gets parents excited about this amazing development and offers guidance with these video tips! Find more potty training tips from Dr. Heather here.  

School plays, a trip to Disney World®, and mountain vacations fill our photo albums. But none of those are the moments I cherish as a mom… not by a long shot. The most meaningful moments of my parenting were years in the making and captured only by my heart. From birth, my daughter Annika hated […]

It’s painful to see your kid struggle. And yet one of my favorite recent “mom moments” resulted from a setback that my younger son experienced. The setting was my living room, where a handful of kids were participating in a low-key piano and voice recital for a group of friends and family. “Hank,” as the […]

With all of the debate about work/family balance lately, it’s hard not to wonder whether your personal solution is the “best” one. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution to parenting, and there are many paths to feeling successful as moms and dads.  That being said, there’s one clear route to feeling lousy about your parenting: […]

It’s one thing to say that you want your children to experience challenges, but it’s quite another to sit tight while they struggle through difficult times. Recently our family made a cross-country move that landed my 10- and 8-year-old sons 2,500 miles from home, in a new house and a new school. I had to […]

Don’t dread potty training – celebrate it! Potty training is actually the signature achievement of your toddler’s development. But it’s not simple – it’s a complicated process of mastering physical, emotional, and cognitive milestones. I’ve accumulated some surefire strategies to help along the way, from my experience as a mom (I changed diapers – nonstop […]

Save the planet with the help of your kids. Setting a routine is the best way to form healthy, green habits – and it’s never too late to learn a new routine, especially when it comes to teaching your family to become more environmentally responsible. Here are some simple ways we’ve become greener as a […]