“There are no perfect parents, and there are no perfect children, but there are plenty of perfect moments along the way.” With this quote from Dave Willis in mind, today's guest Kim Hughes teaches us how to savor the perfect moments in playful ways with our kids.  But what are the best ways to do that?  And does playing with children include playing with infants?  For any parent who craves a bond with their kids, you won't want to miss this season finale of the Raising Young Children in Wake County Podcast.Kim Hughes is the Founder of Conscious Connections LLC, a behavior management and educational consulting firm serving teachers, child caregivers, nurses, and parents who seek to build highly effective, positive relationships with those in their charge.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

Dr. Mary-Cassie Shaw hears a lot of the same questions from parents, and they usually center around food and sleep.  So today she answers questions like: How much sleep should a child be getting really?   When should they start eliminating naps?   What are the first foods that should be introduced?  What should you do if your child is a picky eater?   Let's find out on today's episode.Dr. Mary-Cassie Shaw, MD, is an Adolescent Medicine specialist at Oberlin Road Pediatrics in Raleigh NC. Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

As a parent of young children, do you find yourself thinking:"Why can’t we ever find all the shoes?!?""Why can’t my child go potty, brush teeth, and put on PJs without being asked?”"How do we always forget the backpack?!”Sound familiar?  Well today we're talking all about routines and how young children - especially children who aren't old enough to read yet - can use visuals to improve those daily functions that can sometimes cause parents to pull out their hair.Kristen Balhoff is a Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor, working with young families in the Triangle, especially those with autistic or neuro divergent children like hers.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

Back on episode 6, we covered the nuts and bolts of how to register for kindergarten, and the differences between charter, magnet, private, and public schools. Today we uncover when to register for kindergarten - when is a child ready on a social emotional level and on an intellectual level?  It's not an easy choice, and what are some of the skills that parents should be looking for to determine of their child is ready?Our guest today is Bonnie DiLeone, former ready-to-learn coordinator at Project Enlightenment and early childhood specialist / interventionist working with children between birth to three years old and their parents. Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

Today, host Emily King and pediatric occupational therapist Rose Langston talk about motor and sensory development, when parents should be concerned, how they can help, and why reaching milestones by a certain age might not be as imperative as we once thought. Rose Langston is an occupational therapist and clinical manager at Pediatric Possibilities.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

Ok parents, if you've been confused by all of the elementary school options that Wake County has to offer, this episode is for you!  Today, Wake County Public School System Magnet Coordinator Tamani Powell Anderson joins us to give us the inside scoop on when you should start looking into kindergartens, what a magnet school is, what a charter school is, and how to figure out what school is best for your child.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

As parents, most of us are concerned about cognitive development, and we all have questions about milestones for communication, language, non-verbal skills, pronunciation, and more.  But how do we know if our child is on the right path?  And what can we do to help support them?Today Tracy Vail joins us to give us some language tips for our our children.Tracy Vail is a speech language pathologist that's been working with children with autism since 1982 in a variety of settings, including public schools, private schools, homes and private practice.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP

We expect children to develop physical, mental, and emotional skills, but that won't happen unless the child feels safe.  And in order to feel safe, there needs to be a connection. But what does that mean?  And can there be a true connection even before the child is talking? Today we're talking all things social skills, with Christine Burkhart, the owner of Building Connections, which empowers children of all abilities. Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP For more from Project Enlightenment Foundation, join us for Project Palooza October 8, 2022!

As parents, how do our own emotional and stress levels impact the ones we're caring for?  We all want to give our children a safe environment to grow, so if we're not bringing our best selves to our parenting, what can we do about it? Edla Prevette is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and registered play therapist. For more than 30 years, she has counseled children and adults of all ages and trained and consulted with parents, teachers, and community. Edla also worked at Project Enlightenment for 20 years as a teacher, parent consultant, and parent counselor. Edla is trained in cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, Triple P Parenting, and EMDR. She enjoys taking research based philosophies and sharing the information in a pragmatic way with children and adults and believes this enables them to flip their thinking and actions for positive change.  Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP For more from Project Enlightenment Foundation, join us for Project Palooza October 8, 2022!

Most of us don't expect much from babies except a little fussiness, a lot of tears, and a whole lot of cuteness.  But when babies turn into toddlers, we expect much more from them. The tantrums aren't as cute. They're expected to regulate their emotions. They're expected to communicate their needs.  But that's not always realistic.Today we're joined by Lynn Young, who has spent over three decades as a teacher, trainer and coach. For 20 years, she taught in an inclusive preschool classroom that she designed for children with hearing loss, to learn and play alongside their peers with normal hearing. Home visiting and parent education were an integral part of this program. Prior to her work in the preschool setting, she worked as a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing at the upper elementary and high school levels. She retired from Wake County Public Schools in 2018 and currently, she works as a conscious discipline certified instructor, working with parents and teachers all over the country and as a life coach for parents and teachers.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP For more from Project Enlightenment Foundation, join us for Project Palooza October 8, 2022!

Today we share how it all began. Project Enlightenment started in 1969, when the Raleigh public schools received a three year grant to create a collaborative mental health and education program. This program was to provide a training site for child psychiatry residents at Dorthea Dix child psychiatry program to serve the mental health needs of young children - an innovative idea in 1969. Project Enlightenment has since served young children and their families in a variety of ways across Wake County and is currently a part of the Office of Early Learning in Wake County Public School System. Today we're joined by Dr. Charlie Kronberg and Dr. Barbara Still, to help give us even more of a historical context for the mission of Project Enlightenment Foundation and the passion we all share for Project Enlightenment.Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.Thank you to our sponsors: K&L Gates Empire Gives Back Foundation and Empire Eats BHDP For more from Project Enlightenment Foundation, join us for Project Palooza October 8, 2022!

How do I know if my child is ready for kindergarten?  How can children learn through play? Does nutrition, sleep, and activity really matter when kids are so young? I think my child might be neurodivergent. What should I do about it? What are magnet, charter, and private schools? And how do I choose what’s best?In this series, we include interviews with experts in early childhood education, psychology, and pediatrics to discuss topics including the importance of play, managing toddler behavior, language and motor development, Kindergarten readiness, how to set up routines, and parent mental wellness. Raising Young Children in Wake County is brought to you by Project Enlightenment Foundation, hosted by Dr. Emily King, and produced by Earfluence.