The Importance of Music

Music plays an important role in all of our lives, and this is especially true for young children. Alexandra Dutton, Judy Haus, and Liza Pevzner discuss ways that music increases language development, memory skills, and motor skills for children. If you aren't a music lover or someone who is comfortable singing, listen to hear ways you can incorporate more music into your life with your child.

Some of the songs mentioned:
Miss Katie sings:
youtu.be/1R8pmh8I6FU?feature=shared

Snoop Dogg:
youtu.be/1XYoduQMAjU?si=7J0bQFfD5vOGOo7-

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Rule of Thumb for Your Preschooler's Birthday Party

When your child's birthday rolls around, it's a special time to celebrate! Join Judy Haus, Rachel Turtledove, and Alexandra Dutton talk about birthday parties for our youngest children, from the perspective of both educators and parents. Sometimes what you want in a party is not what works best for your child's age, personality, or temperament. Hear about some tried and true strategies to plan a great celebration for your child.

A wonderful resource for families: www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/age-…irthday-party-guide

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My Child Needed Therapy -- Parents' Experiences

This follow-up podcast to the previous episode, "What Do You Mean My Child Needs Therapy?" lends helpful insights into what the process can be to get outside support for a child. Three parents share the different paths they took to support their children -- one who was anxious, one who had language delays, and one who is autistic. They share the challenges they had and what they and their children ultimately learned from receiving services.

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What Do You Mean My Child Needs Therapy?

Hosts Alexandra Dutton and Judy Haus speak with Psychologist Carrie Rodrigues and MFT Katrinca Ford about something families often feel confusion or fear about: Hearing that their child may need an assessment or therapy. But what does that really mean, and what does an assessment for a child entail? How long will my child need therapy? Should I worry about my child being labeled?

Some resources mentioned in the podcast:

Developmental Milestones: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

Speech Milestones: https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones/

Contact Katrinca Ford, MFT: www.familyplaytherapy.com

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What Is the Role of Preschool?

How is preschool different than, say, having a nanny? What happens with preschool turns out to be different than what you expected? Host Alexandra Dutton talks with Garrett O'Brien (OFS Mill Valley) and Susie Kohl (White Pony Preschool) about managing your expectations as a parent whose child is starting preschool and how to have a great experience. No surprise here -- it begins with trust!

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Emergent Curriculum in Early Education

OFS Directors Alexandra Dutton and Danielle Roach are joined by Darcy Campbell, Executive Director of Cow Hollow School in San Francisco. Darcy once said, "(Emergent curriculum) is the hardest way to teach, but the best way." Hear about why our schools choose emergent curriculum, how it prepares children for the future, and how it creates children who are "problem-seekers" in addition to children who are creative, resilient, and able to take the perspectives of others.

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Developing Empathy in Children

Until recently, it was assumed that young children can't really be empathetic and understand the perspectives of others. OFS directors Alexandra Dutton and Lizz Nolasco discuss the recent research that demonstrates that children can develop empathy as young as a year old. They share some strategies help adults teach empathy to young children. In order to live in a democratic society and be part of a community that considers the needs of others, we have to help children grow to understand their emotions and how those emotions impact others.

Book referenced: Handbook of Moral Development
Edited By Melanie Killen, Judith G. Smetana

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Literacy Development with Dr. Daniel Meier and Pam Remensperger

Alexandra is joined by Pam Remensperger (OFS TK teacher) and Dr. Daniel Meier, SFSU professor, to talk about literacy development in children. We know that reading to children leads to later reading success, but how? What can educators and parents do to support their child's literacy skills? When should a parent expect their child to learn how to write? All this and more will be discussed in this educational and insightful podcast!

Daniel mentioned the podcast, Sold a Story: features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/ that discuss some of the problems with how America handles reading education.

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Inclusion in Preschool

OFS Directors Alexandra Dutton and Lizz Nolasco talk with author and educator Mike Huber about inclusion in preschool. It's becoming increasingly common to see children of diverse abilities in mainstreamed settings. What does inclusion look like in preschools? What are the benefits of classrooms designed for children with a diverse range of abilities? Mike answers all of these questions and helps us understand that inclusion is wonderful for every child.

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Language Development in Young Children

Language develops in young children at such a wide range, how is a parent to know when something is a concern? Dorothy and Alex are joined by Seven Bridges Speech Pathologists Shannon Kong and Jordan Welk to discuss language milestones for children 0-5, and when to seek additional support.

Learn more about Seven Bridges Therapy: www.sevenbridgestherapy.com/
American Speech and Hearing Association: www.asha.org

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Dr. Monica Gandhi on RSV, COVID, and the Flu in Young Children

We invited Dr. Monica Gandhi back to share her expertise on the illnesses we are seeing in all of our preschools. Recorded on Nov. 1, 2022, Dr. Gandhi talks about RSV, vaccinations, long Covid in children, and how to protect our children and families in the holiday season. Her extensive knowledge on Covid and public health allows us to look ahead to plan for illnesses this winter.

Some articles mentioned by Dr. Gandhi:
www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/…00544-8/fulltext

jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/art…%20286%20children.

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How Are the Kids Doing?

Dorothy talks with Chelsea Bryson (OFS Assistant Director) and Madison Montoya (OFS Preschool Teacher) about how children are doing 2 1/2 years into this pandemic. They share their insights about children's mental health, current research into children's development, and how to help children move forward.

Follow Madison on TikTok and Instagram @theteachmadison

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Strength Based Parenting / Teaching

OFS Program Directors Alex and Lizz are joined by strength-based coach and educator Emma Tempest to discuss how strength-based teaching/parenting can change your perspectives. We all have a negativity bias that highlights things that we don't like or that go wrong, but what if we instead looked for strengths in ourselves, and in our children? Her ideas help us to see how teaching and parenting can be more joyful for us and for our children.

Find your strengths: https://viacharacter.org/account/register

Learn more about Emma's work: www.makeyourownrainbows.com/meet-emma/

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COVID Vaccines for Kids

With Covid vaccines finally being approved for children under the age of 5, we have a lot of questions! Alexandra Dutton (OFS Lafayette) is joined by Lizz Nolasco (OFS San Rafael) to talk to Dr. Yasuko Fukuda. Dr. Fukuda is a pediatrician in San Francisco who is the current chair of the California AAP, and has been on the board of the California Immunization Coalition. She will answer questions about the new vaccines and help us understand how Covid has affected young children's health.

Want to get your child vaccinated for Covid? Check out covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/ to learn more!

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Dual Language Learners

Ever wonder how children learn language? What about children learning more than one language? Alexandra Dutton, OFS Lafayette Program Director, is joined by OFS San Rafael Program Director Lizz Nolasco and Elodie Resurrection from Ecole Bilingue to discuss the way dual language learners acquire language. They put to rest some of the myths about learning multiple languages as young children, and share ways to support language development at home.

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Growth Mindset with Michele Bailey, MA Ed.

What do you do when you're frustrated and can't complete a task? How do you model resilience and perseverance to your children? Michele Bailey, MA Ed. joins OFS Program Director Alexandra Dutton, MA Ed. to discuss Growth Mindset. Growth Mindset is an idea coined by Dr. Carol Dweck about helping children see the value in their potential and their efforts, rather than only in their results. It's a game changer for both children and adults.

The books discussed were:

• Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

• Ish by Peter H. Ray

• Fantastic, Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak

• After the Fall by Dan Santat

• The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein

• Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg

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COVID and Preschoolers with Dr. Monica Gandhi

If you have children under the age of 5, January 2022 may have been one of the most stressful months since the beginning of the pandemic. The Omicron variant shuttered classrooms and left families and educators with questions about vaccines, masking, and the safety of being at school. Dorothy and Alex talk with UCSF COVID expert Dr. Monica Gandhi about how COVID has impacted families with children who can't be vaccinated against COVID yet, and what may be coming in the near future as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

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How Do You Find Quality Childcare?

Finding the right preschool for your child is a daunting experience. Dorothy and the directors, Alex, Judy, Lizz and Danielle, share what they think families should look at when they are exploring childcare and preschools. Does curriculum matter more than the educational level of the teachers? Why is it so hard to find good schools?

Childcare is also being impacted by the Transitional Kindergarten expansion. You can read the full letter from the podcast written by Holly Gould owner of Rockridge Little School here: bit.ly/3lPMRKM

How Are Preschools Faring Right Now?

We keep hearing about the ways that child care programs and preschools are struggling right now. Listen as Dorothy, owner and executive director of Old Firehouse Schools, talks with educators Judy Haus, Lizz Nolasco, Danielle Roach, and Alexandra Dutton about the state of the Old Firehouse Schools. How are teachers really doing? How are children handling starting school after being mostly at home for the last year? We discuss what we have noticed in our programs and lessons we have learned.

Importance of Play with Deya Hill

Why is play so important? Dorothy Stewart and Alexandra Dutton are joined by Deya Hill, author, former preschool director and college professor. Deya explains the value of play and what children are learning from play.

Recommended Books:

Dribble Drabble: Process Art Experiences for Young Children. Hill, Deya Brashears. (2016)

Why Play? The Role of Play in Early Childhood Education. Pancoast, Christopher K. (2017)