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Parenting Pickup

Parenting Pickup

By: New Horizon Academy | Cara Johnson-Bader & Dr. Aimee Fearing
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Welcome to the Parenting Pickup Podcast. With over 50 years of experience in early child care and education, we're here to share all things child-related. Every episode is designed for families' education and support from parenting tips and tricks, trending topics, fun activities, child development, and so much more! Special guests in early childhood and education will join our host Cara, to share their expertise and help answer some of the most challenging questions.

© 2026 Parenting Pickup
Episodes
  • Season 4 Episode 4: 'Introducing Mental Health to Children' with Dr. Katie Lingras
    May 18 2026

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    Dr. Katie Lingras is a multi-talented guest -- she's a child psychologist, associate professor, author of 'A Kids Book about Mental Health', and the Director of Inclusiveness and Excellence at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Today she joins us to discuss how we can introduce the topic of mental health to kids how that topic intersects with her writing and pursuit of equity.

    Today's episode answers these questions:

    • What do we mean when we use the term "mental health" in the context of children?
    • What are the most natural ways to start conversations about mental wellness with children?
    • What can children's books do to further conversations about mental health?
    • How can we help children deal with changing circumstances in their community and home environment?
    • What are everyday ways to promote understanding of mental health?
    • How do we discuss mental illness within our friend and family circles?

    Below are resources Dr. Katie recommends for parents, guardians, educators and caretakers to continue their learning journey on mental health!

    • The Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health
    • The University of Minnesota Early Childhood Mental Health Toolkit
    • Talking to Children about Immigration Enforcement
    • Immigrant Family Resources

    Order 'A Kids Book about Mental Health' here


    Contact New Horizon Academy

    • Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok
    • Email us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.net
    • Check out our website to learn more!

    Thanks for listening!

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    33 mins
  • Season 4 Episode 3: 'Becoming a Behavior Detective: Emotional Co-Regulation' with Kim Hughes
    Apr 27 2026

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    Kim Hughes, a Conscious Discipline certified instructor, joins us to discuss how parents, guardians and caretakers can become better "behavior detectives". Kim demonstrates how through treating tricky behavior as a form of communication, and using emotional co-regulation as a tool to get us back to square one, we can set the children in our care up for long-term success.

    In this episode we discuss:

    • Conscious Discipline as a practice
    • The brain state model
    • Moving from controlling to connecting (modeling)
    • Naming feelings
    • Seeing mistakes as future opportunities
    • Arming children with alternative modes of expressing needs


    Attached are links Kim recommends for furthering our education on emotional literacy:


    The Brain State Model

    https://consciousdiscipline.com/methodology/brain-state-model/

    Cliffs notes for the skills of conscious discipline

    https://consciousdiscipline.com/e-learning/webinars/parent-cliff-notes-for-the-skills-of-conscious-discipline/

    'Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline' (Dr. Becky Bailey, 2001)

    https://www.harpercollins.com/products/easy-to-love-difficult-to-discipline-becky-a-bailey?variant=32128336232482

    Contact New Horizon Academy

    • Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok
    • Email us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.net
    • Check out our website to learn more!

    Thanks for listening!

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    46 mins
  • Season 4 Episode 2: 'Fostering Equity in Childcare' with Nikki Graf
    Mar 16 2026

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    On this episode of The Parenting Pickup Podcast, Nicolette Graf, a consultant and leader in equity, joins us to discuss how we can identify and pursue more equitable solutions for early childhood caretaking, both for parents and educators.

    During this episode we discuss:
    - How Nikki started her advocacy and career in equity work
    - The fundamentals of pursuing cultural experiences for children and building empathy, using the metaphors of mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors
    - Easy ways to incorporate mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors
    - How to advocate for equity in your school and community
    - How to be okay without obvious answers or solutions for children when they're encountering new cultures


    Below are some resources Nikki recommends for parents and teachers to continue their learning journey about equity in and out of the classroom:

    Paddington Station's DEI Family Toolkit https://www.paddingtonstation.org/dei-family-toolkit.html

    CDA Council 'How to Talk to Kids Under 5 About Racial Equity'
    https://www.cdacouncil.org/en/how-to-talk-to-kids-under-5-about-racial-equity/

    Early Risers Podcast, featuring Dianne Haulcy and Andre Dukes
    https://www.littlemomentscount.org/earlyriserspodcast

    Contact New Horizon Academy

    • Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok
    • Email us at parentingpickup@nhacademy.net
    • Check out our website to learn more!

    Thanks for listening!

    Show More Show Less
    28 mins
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