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.

In this episode of Plant the Seed of Learning, we explore a powerful and unconventional approach to child therapy with Kate Beckwith, a psychodynamic psychotherapist and arts education specialist whose work challenges traditional therapy models. Kate shares how her practice, Kate’s Garden, integrates nature, animals, movement, art, and play to support children’s emotional well being and development.

We discuss why therapy does not need to be confined to an office, how freedom of choice supports regulation and emotional processing, and why movement and time outdoors play a critical role in mental health. Kate explains how being in nature can trigger dopamine release, support emotional regulation, and offer children new ways to communicate feelings that may be difficult to express with words alone.

This conversation also addresses the rise in diagnoses such as ADHD and autism, how nontraditional therapeutic environments can better meet children’s needs, and how parents and caregivers can be supported alongside their children. Drawing from her TED Talk and clinical experience, Kate offers practical insights into adapting to a world where play and access to nature are increasingly limited.

This episode invites listeners to rethink what effective therapy for children can look like and consider how curiosity, movement, and connection to the natural world can support healing and growth.

In this episode of Plant the Seed of Learning, we take a global look at how culture shapes early childhood education through a conversation with Parul Sindhwani, Principal for Early Years at Nehru World School in India. We compare what early childhood education looks like in India and the United States, exploring how community values, family structures, and cultural expectations influence children’s learning and development.
Parul shares insights into her role as a preschool leader, the strengths she sees in Indian early childhood education, and how educators support social emotional development, co regulation, and mindfulness in culturally responsive ways. We also discuss the rapid growth of early childhood education in India, changing parent expectations, and what educators and families in the U.S. can learn from a more community centered and intergenerational approach to early learning.
This episode is for parents, teachers, therapists, and policymakers interested in global perspectives on child development, early learning, and kindergarten readiness.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Lisa J. Lucas, educator, therapeutic coach, and author of Better Days and Practicing Presence. Drawing on more than 35 years in education, Dr. Lucas shares how small, consistent daily practices, such as reflection, gratitude, intentional pauses, and relationship-centered routines, can significantly improve teacher well-being, classroom climate, and student engagement, even within imperfect systems.

We discuss why she wrote Better Days, how daily practices support teachers facing increased stress and challenging classroom behaviors, and why simple habits like spending time outdoors can regulate emotions and restore connection. Dr. Lucas also offers practical self-care strategies for the new year, explains how her work can be used by both teachers and parents, and leaves listeners with one powerful piece of advice for navigating today’s demanding educational landscape; with presence, intention, and hope.

In our debut episode of Plant the Seed of Learning, Aimee and Crystal introduce the mission behind the podcast—merging the education and medical models to bring science-based, practical insights to parents, teachers, therapists, and policymakers. We walk through our seven recurring segments and dive into this week’s topic: the real science of co-regulation and developmentally appropriate mindfulness. Learn why young children can’t self-regulate on their own, what the research actually says about mindfulness in early childhood, and one simple strategy you can try tomorrow.