By Jamie Le Sesne Spears, M.Ed., Family Engagement Specialist  Summer is filled with opportunities for children and adults to play outdoors. When children begin to explore and interact with nature, these outdoor opportunities begin to transform into learning experiences.    Benefits of nature play    Natural learning happens when young children play in and with nature. In fact, nature play is beneficial not only for physical growth but

by Jamie Le Sesne Spears, M.Ed, Family Engagement Specialist  By now, your children are counting down the days to summer break! They are likely excited for a change and to spend time with family.  For parents and caregivers, it can be stressful filling long summer days with engaging activities.  Brainstorm with your child As you plan your summer schedule and activities, ask your school-ager what

by Jamie Le Sesne Spears, Family Engagement Specialist My journey to motherhood has been a long and winding road. Like most, it started with hopes of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby. However, our story took a different path. Over the past five years, I have experienced infertility, failed fertility attempts, at-risk pregnancy, and infant-loss. Simply put,

by Jamie Le Sesne Spears, Family Engagement Specialist Even before your little one can read, their journey to becoming a reader begins with you! Story time is more than just fun for children; reading aloud is an essential part of supporting literacy and developing language skills. Encouraging your preschooler to participate in story time The

by Lauren George, Family Support Specialist Children are explorers and inventors who learn by doing. Play gives children an opportunity to develop and practice new skills at their own pace by following their unique interests. With hundreds and hundreds of options in the store, and thousands online, choosing toys should be easy, right?  The toys

Guest post by Alzein Pediatrics You’ve celebrated your baby’s first birthday with candles, balloons, and cupcakes and suddenly, you have a toddler. Suddenly too, while the candles were still sending tendrils of smoke into the air, your toddler seems to have become a picky eater.  Your baby who was once eager to try everything is

by Kristin Cofield, Family Engagement Specialist After two months of social distance and stay-at-home orders, many people may experience physical and emotional drain.  As our awareness about COVID-19 heightened, we went into crisis mode.  There was a lot of anxiety, panic, fear, and a need to make quick decisions for the best interest of our

by Kristin Cofield, Family Engagement Specialist Being a parent has never been easy, but we all know in this age of social distancing and COVID-19, it’s only gotten harder. Many of us are experiencing the current events personally. You may have loved ones suffering from the coronavirus. You may have lost a job or financial

Updated as of July 22, 2020. There’s been so much talk about the “front line” during the COVID-19 pandemic: medical professionals, emergency personnel, grocery workers. But, we know that there are so many child care programs who are still open and still providing quality care for the children of those going in to work every

Updated July 22, 2020 You may feel like the world we’re living in has gone wild- it’s definitely not the same Central Indiana we were living in during February. It can be overwhelming to digest all of the ever-changing news about COVID-19, whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a child care administrator, a business owner,