Kindergarten registration season often brings excitement—and anxiety—for many parents. But what does it really mean for a child to be ready for kindergarten?

In this episode, Crystal Loose, former kindergarten teacher and early learning specialist, and Dr. Aimee Ketchum, pediatric occupational therapist take a deeper look at what research says about kindergarten readiness and school readiness.

Drawing on a recent study from Early Childhood Research Quarterly, they explain why readiness is not just about knowing letters or numbers. Instead, children enter kindergarten with different combinations of early literacy, math, and social-emotional skills, and these readiness profiles can influence how children adjust and succeed in the classroom.

Aimee and Crystal discuss key findings showing that social-emotional skills—such as following routines, managing emotions, paying attention, and cooperating with peers—are some of the strongest predictors of kindergarten success. They also highlight the critical role that positive teacher–child interactions play in helping children grow academically and socially during the kindergarten year.

The conversation also explores practical ways families can prepare children for kindergarten using play-based learning, shared reading, conversation, and everyday routines.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why kindergarten readiness is multidimensional, not just academic

• Why social-emotional skills often matter more than early academics

• How high-quality classroom interactions help children thrive

• Why pre-teaching reading and writing is not the key to kindergarten success

• Simple strategies families can use to support language, literacy, and self-regulation

Aimee also shares how her Kindergarten Readiness Boxes help families build these foundational skills through play, while Crystal discusses the seven learning sessions and parent resources she provides to support early literacy and school readiness.

If you're a parent preparing for kindergarten, an early childhood educator, or a professional supporting young children, this episode will help you understand what truly matters when children take their first step into school.

What does it really take to help children thrive from birth through the early years?

In this episode, hosts Dr. Aimee Ketchum, pediatric occupational therapist, and Dr. Crystal Loose, early childhood educator, walk listeners through the key ideas in their book The Early Childhood Promise: Sparking Change for Parents, Early Childhood Professionals, and Policy Makers.

Chapter by chapter, Aimee and Crystal discuss the most important issues shaping early childhood development, kindergarten readiness, play-based learning, and family support. They also highlight practical tips from the book designed specifically for parents, early childhood professionals, policymakers, and community leaders who want to improve outcomes for young children.

Throughout the episode, they share real-world strategies and actionable ideas that anyone can use to support healthy development, strengthen early learning environments, and advocate for policies that put children first.

Whether you are a parent, teacher, therapist, childcare provider, healthcare professional, or policymaker, this episode provides a clear overview of the ideas and solutions presented in The Early Childhood Promise.

Learn how small changes in homes, classrooms, communities, and policy decisions can make a big difference in the lives of young children.

Buy the book on Amazon:
https://a.co/d/0bA9n86n

Learn more about the book and resources:
https://www.earlychildhoodpromise.com/

In Part 2 of our Movement Series, we continue the conversation about why movement is a powerful driver of child development. Many parents hear the advice: “Just talk more to your child and they’ll learn to talk.” While modeling language and repetition are important, communication development is much more complex. Speech and language are deeply connected to a child’s movement, sensory processing, regulation, and attention.

In this episode, we speak with Helen Guntrip, Founder of Talk & Move, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist, and preschool yoga teacher with over 22 years of experience supporting families and educators. Helen shares how her Talk & Move program combines whole-body movement with vocabulary, speech sounds, and phonological awareness to support the whole child.

Helen explains how movement helps children become more regulated, engaged, and confident, creating the brain-body connection that allows communication to develop more naturally. We explore why speech and movement are not separate developmental areas, early signs a child may need support, how movement can reduce challenging behaviors, and simple ways parents and educators can integrate movement into everyday routines to support language.

If you’ve ever wondered why some children communicate more easily when they are moving, playing, or regulating their bodies, this episode will help you understand the science behind it and give you practical ideas you can start using right away.

Website www.talkandmove.co.uk

Instagram www.instagram.com/talk.and.move

LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/talkandmove/

Check out Helen's website for Talk & Move:

Is the trend toward Type B parenting just another viral idea, or is there real science behind it?

In this episode of Plant the Seed of Learning, Dr. Aimee Ketchum and Crystal Loose explore the growing conversation around laid-back parenting styles and why a less structured approach may actually benefit children’s development. When parents allow more flexibility, unstructured play, and independence, children gain opportunities to build emotional regulation, resilience, problem-solving skills, and confidence.

To dive deeper into the role of play and movement in early childhood, Aimee and Crystal are joined by movement expert Darlene Koskinen, founder of MoovKids, an innovative program helping educators and families integrate meaningful movement into children’s daily routines.

With more children living increasingly sedentary lifestyles, Darlene explains why movement is critical for brain development, physical health, learning, and self-esteem. She shares practical strategies teachers and parents can use to build strong movement foundations that support attention, coordination, and emotional regulation.

If you’ve ever wondered whether kids really need more structure—or simply more opportunities to move, explore, and play—this episode will change how you think about childhood.

In our conversation with Darlene Koskinen we learn the importance of movement through gymnastics and karate. Darlene is the creator of Moov Kids moovekids.com and here is some more informatoin on her programs: https://vimeo.com/1133131215/ee67ec4eb5?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

In this research deep dive, we break down what the latest science says about how children learn to read—and why it matters more than ever. We explore the rise of structured literacy, a term introduced by the International Dyslexia Association, and how it connects to decades of research known as the Science of Reading.

Using a 2025 study from Reading Research Quarterly, we unpack compelling evidence that explicit, systematic instruction in foundational skills like phonemic awareness and phonics leads to significantly stronger reading outcomes in kindergarten and first grade. In fact, students in structured literacy programs showed dramatic gains—equivalent to months of additional learning—compared to traditional approaches.

We also walk through the five pillars of reading instruction—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension—and explain how they work together using real-world examples parents can use at home.

This episode makes one thing clear: early literacy is not just an academic issue—it’s a life outcome issue. Children who are not reading proficiently by third grade are significantly more likely to struggle long-term. The good news? We now know what works.

If you are a parent, teacher, or therapist, this episode will give you practical insight and the confidence to support early readers the right way.

Article:

Citation: Lane, H. B., Contesse, V. A., Gage, N. A., & Burns, M. K. (2025). Effect of an Instructional Program in Foundational Reading Skills on Early Literacy Development of Students in Kindergarten and First Grade. Reading Research Quarterly (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.), 60(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607

Effect of an Instructional Program in Foundational Reading Skills on Early Literacy Development of Students in Kindergarten and First Grade

Having a baby in the NICU can be overwhelming, especially when parents are flooded with conflicting information about newborn medications and vaccines. In this episode, we tackle common NICU myths and fears with evidence-based guidance from a multidisciplinary NICU team.

We start with a popular misconception circulating on social media: If a mother is healthy, her baby doesn’t need hepatitis B vaccination or erythromycin eye ointment at birth. Our experts explain why this is false, and why these medications are given as preventive protections during a newborn’s most vulnerable period, not because a parent is assumed to be unhealthy.

Joined by three experienced NICU nurses and a neonatologist, along with an occupational therapist who practices in the NICU, we walk families through:

• The most common reasons babies are admitted to the NICU

• What the first 24–48 hours in the NICU are really like, both emotionally and medically

• How families can mentally and practically prepare for an unexpected NICU stay

• The evidence behind vitamin K and the real risks of vitamin K deficiency bleeding

• Why hepatitis B vaccination is recommended at birth and how it protects infants

• Why erythromycin eye ointment is still used even when prenatal testing is normal

• How misinformation about newborn care spreads and how parents can evaluate it

• Ways parents can support their baby’s development in the NICU, even when they feel powerless

• Questions parents should feel confident asking their NICU care team

This episode is designed to empower parents with clear, respectful, science-based information while honoring the fear, uncertainty, and emotional weight of a NICU experience. Whether you’re currently in the NICU, expecting a baby, or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers clarity, reassurance, and practical guidance from professionals who care for newborns every day.

In this episode, Dr. Daris McInnis pulls back the curtain on how literacy actually develops. He clearly breaks down early literacy into its core components—oral language, print awareness, alphabet knowledge, and phonological awareness—and explains why reading is not instinctual like speaking, but must be explicitly taught. Listeners walk away with a practical, empowering understanding of what’s broken in how we think about literacy, and how parents and caregivers can build strong foundations for reading starting at birth.

In this episode of Plant the Seed of Learning, we welcome Allison Jandu, potty training consultant and author of The Adaptive Toolkit for Potty Training Children with Disabilities. Together, we take a developmentally informed look at potty training and why readiness, not timelines or pressure, is the key to success.

Allison shares why she wrote her book and addresses common misconceptions that often create stress for families. We talk about how to recognize true readiness, what to do when a child is not ready but external pressure exists, and how readiness may look different for children with disabilities or developmental differences. The conversation also explores accidents and regressions, what they tell us about a child’s nervous system, and how parents can respond in supportive ways.

We dive into sensory factors that often interfere with potty training, including barriers parents may not realize are at play, and discuss the role of retained reflexes and how they can impact staying dry. Allison offers practical strategies for adapting the potty training process, including small changes families can make right away and tips for managing potty use outside the home.

This episode is designed to help parents feel informed, confident, and less alone, reminding listeners that potty training is not about doing it perfectly but about supporting each child’s individual developmental path.