Episodes

  • Help! My kid won’t go to school!

    Help! My kid won’t go to school!
    Nov 15 2022
    Few parents have heard the term “school refusal,” but many families are experiencing it. In fact, since the pandemic, it is a big problem. Missing a lot of school causes cognitive-academic, social, and behavioral deficits for students. School Avoidance Alliance founder Jayne Demsky joins the podcast to help us understand what is happening, and how parents and schools can help.
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    35 mins
  • Find the helpers, be the helper

    Find the helpers, be the helper
    Oct 25 2022
    Hanh Bui fled her homeland of Vietnam as a child. She remembers the challenges of arriving in a new country with new customs, language, and expectations. Even more – she remembers the adults, and especially the children, who welcomed her, and who gave her the connectedness she needed to make a new home. Today a teacher, children’s author and advocate, Hanh invites us to think about how we can not just look for the helpers, but be the helpers, who make all children belong. Tune in to hear her remarkable journey.
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    32 mins
  • War in Ukraine and Kids (Rebroadcast)

    War in Ukraine and Kids (Rebroadcast)
    Oct 11 2022
    Amanda Morgan from Save the Children joins the podcast to share what the past few weeks have been like for the children of Ukraine, what Save the Children is doing to help children impacted by war and how we can help kids here in the US who are frightened by the war and its possible impacts for the world. Listen in to hear: ● The long-term effects of displacement and war on kids ● What we can do when our kids are worried about the threat of nuclear war ● How kids around the world can support the children of Ukraine To support Save the Children’s work in the Ukraine, visit https://www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/ukraine.
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    27 mins
  • Which Scary Movies are Good for Kids?

    Which Scary Movies are Good for Kids?
    Oct 5 2022
    Kids love Halloween! Scary stuff can be so fun . . . or it can ruin bedtime. Common Sense Media’s Editorial Director Betsy Bozdech joins the podcast to share her tips for seasonal media that is scary, but not too scary. From Hocus Pocus 2 to Zombies to podcasts, tune in for her spooky picks for kids of all ages. For more recommendations, visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/scary-but-not-too-scary-halloween-movies
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    22 mins
  • Suicidal Thoughts (Rebroadcast)

    Suicidal Thoughts (Rebroadcast)
    Sep 27 2022
    It may be hard to fathom, but children as young as age 8 can have suicidal thoughts, and many parents don’t know when their children are in crisis. In this week’s Dear Highlights podcast and in honor of Mental Health Awareness month, our host Christine French Cully, talks with Dr. John Ackerman, a child clinical psychologist and the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research (CSPR) at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) in Columbus, Ohio, about risk factors and treatments for mood disorders and suicide in children, and how to tell if your child is at risk.
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    32 mins
  • A permanent family road trip?

    A permanent family road trip?
    Sep 20 2022
    Parents Trent and Carly Shepherd (Instagram: @shepquest) join the podcast to share more about a major lifestyle change they embarked on with their two sons – traveling the country together, learning, working, and exploring on the road. What can we learn from a family whose family time is 24/7?
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    36 mins
  • Behind-the-Scenes at Highlights with CEO Kent Johnson

    Behind-the-Scenes at Highlights with CEO Kent Johnson
    Sep 6 2022
    Highlights CEO Kent Johnson joins the podcast to answer questions from our readers, talk about why his great-grandparents founded Highlights with their retirement savings, and share what makes carrying on the mission so meaningful today.
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    36 mins
  • When it’s not quite bullying . . . but it’s still so mean

    When it’s not quite bullying . . . but it’s still so mean
    Aug 30 2022
    Parenting educator Jennifer Miller joins the podcast again to talk about social aggression, exclusion, and gossiping in elementary school. Being mean at times, and being on the receiving end of meanness, is common in childhood. In a world that isn’t always kind, how can we help children lean into the best versions of themselves? Listen to learn how adults can employ curiosity and compassion to guide kids through mean moments.
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    37 mins