Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Not Just Cute, the Podcast shares conversations about topics related to whole child development to support teachers and parents in serving young children. Hosted by Amanda Morgan.
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Episode 58: The Science of Reading in Action K-2 (with Malia Hollowell)
05/23/2023
Episode 58: The Science of Reading in Action K-2 (with Malia Hollowell)
Malia Hollowell is the author of The Science of Reading in Action and the creator of the site Playdough to Plato. She’s a National Board Certified educator who’s helping to put the science of reading into action with playful, hands on experiences. Her book, website, and Instagram are full of fantastic examples and resources. Her primary focus is grades K-2, but depending on where your littles are skill-wise, you may find loads of great activities that are appropriate for preK as well. Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode58
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Episode 57: Science of Reading in Preschool?
05/05/2023
Episode 57: Science of Reading in Preschool?
Have you been asked how your preschool room aligns with the Science of Reading? Or maybe you’ve seen videos of two year olds reading and the sales page headlines saying that simply applying the *science* can give all toddlers the advantage they deserve? Well, in this episode, we’re adding on to the basic background and history of the science of reading found in the previous episode, and digging deeper into what all this science means in the preschool classroom.
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Episode 56: Exploring the Science of Reading
05/05/2023
Episode 56: Exploring the Science of Reading
I’ve talked and written a lot about early literacy over the years, but I’ve avoided one very popular term: The Science of Reading. I decided to keep my head down and my work research-based and just stay out of the fray of nailing down the specific jargon. But with more and more states and districts requiring “Science of Reading compliant curriculum," it’s important for early childhood educators to know what that means, what it doesn’t mean, and how it impacts our practice. If The Science of Reading is not a familiar term to you, no worries, we’re going to walk through it and some of the terms associated with it….and if you ARE familiar with the term, I hope you’ll bring whatever background knowledge you have and be ready to find some new perspectives here. Shownotes: www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode56
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Episode 55: Finding Your Voice for Advocacy & Writing (with Rae Pica)
11/23/2022
Episode 55: Finding Your Voice for Advocacy & Writing (with Rae Pica)
Rae Pica is a force. As a speaker, consultant, and the author of over 20 books in addition to articles in many popular publications, Rae Pica has been an outspoken voice for children and childhood for more than 4 decades. Constant in that career has been her passion for protecting childhood and calling others to action. In this episode, she’s talking with me about her newest book on advocating for children and for the early childhood profession, and also giving us a peek into her writing process. Whether you’ve been wondering about speaking up in your educational community or about taking your message to a wider audience in book form, you’re in the right place. Find Show Notes at
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Episode 54: Taking the Next Step for Your Program (with Shannon McGuire Bowman & Tara Beard)
10/06/2022
Episode 54: Taking the Next Step for Your Program (with Shannon McGuire Bowman & Tara Beard)
Childcare Resources of Indian River in Vero Beach, Florida began with three tenacious educators going out of their way to create something better for 25 children. Today, the ripple effect of their efforts has grown into something that impacts 3000 children and still growing. In this episode I’m talking with Childcare Resources’ executive director, Shannon McGuire Bowman as well as the director of the school that has grown out of that early program, Tara Beard. They’re sharing how one simple idea has grown into a robust community effort to serve children and families who would likely otherwise slip through the cracks. This is one big story about taking the next small step. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode54
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Episode 53: Whole Child Solutions to Brain Based Challenges with Dr. Nicole Beurkens
09/20/2022
Episode 53: Whole Child Solutions to Brain Based Challenges with Dr. Nicole Beurkens
When holistic psychologist Dr. Nicole Beurkens attends to a brain-based challenge, she doesn't look only at the ways she could change the brain. She looks at the many things that impact the brain and starts there. Nutrition, sleep, environment, input. There's so much that contributes to the challenging behaviors we see -- and we have more control over many of them than we think we do! If you're curious about how to create an environment that will help the developing brain work at its best, you'll love this episode! Find Show Notes at: https://www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode53
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Episode 52: Beyond the 30 Million Words (with Dr. Rachel Romeo)
06/15/2022
Episode 52: Beyond the 30 Million Words (with Dr. Rachel Romeo)
I'm talking with Dr. Rachel Romeo about her follow up research to Hart & Risley's famous 30 million word gap. She's sharing how language shapes development and why interactions matter beyond word counts. Show notes and links at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode52
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Episode 51: The Legacy of Fred Rogers (with Dr. Dana Winters)
06/02/2022
Episode 51: The Legacy of Fred Rogers (with Dr. Dana Winters)
In this episode, I’m talking with Dr. Dana Winters, executive director of the Fred Rogers Institute about how the work of Fred Rogers continues today. It's one of my favorites. You'll want the show notes. Find them at: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode51
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Episode 50: Rethinking the Entire Approach to Preschool (Diving into the NPR Article)
03/14/2022
Episode 50: Rethinking the Entire Approach to Preschool (Diving into the NPR Article)
Early last month, NPR published an article with the title, “A top researcher says it's time to rethink our entire approach to preschool”. Maybe you saw it, or like me, maybe you had several people send it to you because they knew you’d find it fascinating. The article featured developmental psychologist and researcher Dr. Dale Farran and her reflections on the most recent round of startling outcomes from the Tennessee Voluntary PreK cohort, which she and her colleagues at Vanderbilt University have been studying for more than a decade. The article struck a nerve, particularly its last line which said, “We might actually get better results, … from simply letting little children play.” In this episode, I’ll be diving into some of the context around this article and the study it references. We’ll talk about what we can learn from these results and why these lessons apply far beyond the scope of the popular article. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode50
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Episode 49: Leaders Lounge with Beth Cannon
01/05/2022
Episode 49: Leaders Lounge with Beth Cannon
Find Show Notes at This episode comes from a livestream I did with Leaders Lounge summit organizer, Beth Cannon. We talked about her experience helping early education teams get clear about their purpose and about their process. We take on a topic that makes many educators uncomfortable – business – and talk about how certain business concepts, help us build better teams, have clearer communication with parents, and overall, simply improve the way we serve children and families. Beth also gives the inside scoop on her upcoming summit, the Leaders Lounge. This unique online summit includes resources focused on both classroom teachers and program directors. Inside the summit, you’ll find value-packed presentation from an array of speakers on topics that will lead to true transformation for yourself and your team. You’ll learn about theory and practice, but also practical tips on how to implement systems that allow you automate, delegate, or eliminate some of the more redundant tasks and free up more time to the things that create a lasting impact. The Leaders Lounge offers inspiration, application, and connection for professionals who want to make a lasting difference. The summit takes place online Friday January 14th – Monday January 17th , 2022.
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Episode 48: Connecting Through Music (with Laurie Berkner)
12/20/2021
Episode 48: Connecting Through Music (with Laurie Berkner)
If you’ve spent much time listening to children’s music, you’ve likely heard of Laurie Berkner. And if you haven’t, you’ll be thanking me for the introduction later. Laurie Berkner has a gift not only for creating engaging music that even adults actually like, but for truly seeing, hearing, and respecting children in the process. For her, each performance is really about connection first. If you’re looking for new music in your classroom, you’ll definitely find that here, but you’ll also learn some surprising insights about how we show up for and connect with children in meaningful ways. Let’s jump in! Find Show Notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode48
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Episode 47: Supporting New Teachers (with Vanessa Levin)
11/23/2021
Episode 47: Supporting New Teachers (with Vanessa Levin)
I'm talking with Vanessa Levin of PreK Pages and Teaching Trailblazers about how we can better support each other as educators!
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Episode 46: The Power of Nature Play (with Meghan Fitzgerald of Tinkergarten)
09/16/2021
Episode 46: The Power of Nature Play (with Meghan Fitzgerald of Tinkergarten)
Meghan Fitzgerald has combined her many professional and personal experiences with her passion for learning, play, and nature, to create Tinkergarten, a program that supports caregivers in providing children with powerful outdoor play experiences. In this episode, she shares her insights on how and why playing in nature benefits every child’s development and supports healthier, happier growth. Show Notes at: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode46
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Episode 45: Getting Parents on Board with Play (with Rae Pica)
07/29/2021
Episode 45: Getting Parents on Board with Play (with Rae Pica)
I had a great conversation recently with my friend, Rae Pica, about how and why we should get parents on board with play-based, developmentally appropriate education. Show Notes: www.https://notjustcute.com/podast/episode45
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Episode 44: Fairy Dust Teaching (with Sally Haughey)
06/24/2021
Episode 44: Fairy Dust Teaching (with Sally Haughey)
You may be familiar with Sally Haughey’s amazing work through Fairy Dust Teaching, a site committed to respecting the whole child, community, play, and education as a living, breathing art form. She began the site in 2010, as a place to collect and share her own thoughts as an early childhood educator. In the eleven years since then, it has grown into a global community and has been the springboard for two books and multiple conferences and summits, all focused on the beauty and wonder and magic of early learning. Sally is a brilliant balance of down to earth accessibility and enchanting inspiration. I know you’re going to love her as we talk about the importance of wonder, play, and building up great humans! Show Note: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode44
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Episode 43: "The Uncontrollable Child" (with Matis Miller)
06/11/2021
Episode 43: "The Uncontrollable Child" (with Matis Miller)
Matis Miller is the author of the new book, The Uncontrollable Child. He’s a licensed clinical social worker and therapist and the founder, director, and supervisor of The Center for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy of New Jersey. Certified in both cognitive and dialectical behavior therapies, Matis brings a unique perspective on the balance point between extremes – something that is often missing in conversations about challenging childhood behaviors. If you’ve been wanting to show up to behavior challenges with more confidence and clarity, you are in the right place. Find show notes at www.https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode43
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Episode 42: Thrivers (with Dr. Michele Borba)
03/25/2021
Episode 42: Thrivers (with Dr. Michele Borba)
Dr. Borba's newest book, THRIVERS: The Surprising Reason Why Some Kids Struggle While Others Shine, combines scientific studies, input from dozens of researchers/experts focusing on resilience, and interviews with more than 100 young people from all walks of life. Through all of that research, Dr. Borba found something surprising: the difference between those who struggle and those who succeed comes down not to grades or test scores, but to seven character traits that set Thrivers apart (and set them up for happiness and greater accomplishment later in life). Find show notes at https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode42
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Episode 41: Lessons from Remote Teaching (with Allison McDonald)
03/10/2021
Episode 41: Lessons from Remote Teaching (with Allison McDonald)
One year ago, Allison McDonald was teaching preschool in the state of Washington and writing her popular blog, No Time for Flash Cards. Like many other teachers, her class was suddenly canceled when the pandemic hit and the world shut down. After the initial shock, her school began talking about how they could safely move forward and continue serving children and families. While working with her team to answer those questions, Allison was fielding similar questions from teachers in her online world as well. Over the past year, she’s been innovating to serve her own students while also supporting teachers around the globe during this unique and challenging period. Through it all, she’s not only discovered tips and concepts to help teachers through a pandemic, but she’s also identified key questions that we can all use to guide us now AND as we move forward. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode41
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Episode 40: What's New with DAP?
01/07/2021
Episode 40: What's New with DAP?
Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode40 After the U.S.- based National Association for the Education of Young Children – or NAEYC – launched its national accreditation system for early childhood learning programs in the early 1980s, they made an interesting observation. While their accreditation criteria frequently referenced the term “developmentally appropriate practice”, when they met with different people across a variety of programs, they found little agreement about what that term actually meant. In response, the association released a position statement in the mid-80s to help create a more cohesive understanding and application of the term across the field of early education. In the same spirit of responsive care that they endorse, NAEYC revises and updates their position statement about every 10 years to respond to the current state of research and social discourse, and to clarify misunderstandings. The Fourth Edition of NAEYC’s Position Statement was released at the end of 2020. If you’ve been curious about what kind of changes can be found in this latest edition, I’ll be jumping into some of the main concepts and key changes in this episode.
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Episode 39: Let's Play, America! (with Pat Rumbagh)
12/11/2020
Episode 39: Let's Play, America! (with Pat Rumbagh)
Several years ago, Pat Rumbaugh was nicknamed “The Play Lady.” And the nickname stuck. After spending 25 years getting young people to play through her work as a PE teacher and tennis coach, she co-founded Let’s Play America and took on the task of encouraging people of ALL ages across the nation to prioritize play. We’ll be talking about why play matters and how we can do a better job of setting aside time to play every day. In her TEDx Talk, Saving Play- One Playful Step at a Time, Pat not only shared her important message, but she delivered part of it while hula-hooping. Pat is clearly playfully passionate, and she has an important message to share today. Find Show Notes At: https://www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode39
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Episode 38: Finding the Verbs and the Magic in Early Childhood Education (with Heather Jackson)
11/24/2020
Episode 38: Finding the Verbs and the Magic in Early Childhood Education (with Heather Jackson)
I'm so excited for you to meet Heather Jackson, director of the Reggio-inspired Sunflower School. In this episode she shares her thoughts on verbs as thematic units, slowing down to capture the true intentions of the children we work with, and the beauty and importance in the magical thinking of childhood. Whether you aspire to teach specifically from the Reggio philosophy or not, you will find so much inspiration in this episode. If you’ve been wondering how you could do an even better job of bringing a child-centered approach to your curriculum or if you’re looking to bring more of the magic of childhood into your teaching practices, you are in for a treat. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode38
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Episode 37: What if We Taught the Way Children Learn (with Rae Pica)
10/15/2020
Episode 37: What if We Taught the Way Children Learn (with Rae Pica)
If you’ve ever questioned the status quo in early education or wondered how you could better educate the whole child – particularly during this time of unique regulations – you’re going to want to listen to what Rae Pica has to share.
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Episode 36: Resilience (with Dr. Nefertiti Poyner)
09/18/2020
Episode 36: Resilience (with Dr. Nefertiti Poyner)
Today I’m talking with Dr. Nefertiti Poyner of the Devereaux Center for Resilient Children and I’m going to to tell you right now, she is an absolute delight. Educators and the children they love and teach are being stretched in every direction, Dr. Poyner shares some of the principles that create the “ordinary magic” that helps us all to bounce back. She shares a fantastic script for building resilience and relationships in the midst of all the frustration that children are feeling as they navigate new restrictions in the classroom and helps us all to remember how to “live today well.” Find show notes at https://www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode36
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Episode 35: A Back to School Pep Talk
08/14/2020
Episode 35: A Back to School Pep Talk
It’s back to school time, and normally that means getting back to the structure of something familiar….but this year is totally different. And it’s different for each of you. I’ve been thinking about how to kick off this new school year, with a pep talk of sorts, and somehow address all of the challenges and all of these differences in a way that applies to each of you in your unique circumstances. Show Note: https://www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode35
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Episode 34: Play, Standards, and Literacy (with Vanessa Levin)
07/10/2020
Episode 34: Play, Standards, and Literacy (with Vanessa Levin)
Today I’m talking with Vanessa Levin about the importance of play in early childhood education with some extra attention to how playful learning can go hand in hand with meeting objectives and promoting literacy.
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Episode 33: Grieving the School Year We Thought We'd Have
04/22/2020
Episode 33: Grieving the School Year We Thought We'd Have
As states and districts begin this trickling process of making final announcements about the school year, many closing -at least physically – for the remainder of the school year, I’ve seen heartbreak reflected over and over in educators around the country. These feelings of loss. Over the progress we were making. Over the plans we’d set out. Over the routine we loved – a hundred little precious things that happened every day. Over the work we love, and most of all, over these children we love. There’s a collective mourning over the school year we thought we’d have. Jill Riley talks with me about how to acknowledge and process our grief and why we need to do that in order to get "unstuck" and move forward. Find show notes at: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode33
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Episode 32: How Interactions Build Young Brains
02/21/2020
Episode 32: How Interactions Build Young Brains
In this episode, we’ll cover a quick review of what serve and return interactions are as well as what the newest research tells us about why they’re so important. Find Show Notes at:
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Episode 31: Engaging Young Scientists, with Asia Citro
12/12/2019
Episode 31: Engaging Young Scientists, with Asia Citro
Author of Zoey & Sassafras and creator of the publishing house, Innovation Press, Asia Citro is truly a woman on a mission to help young children think creatively and see themselves as scientists. You’ll want to catch what Asia has to say about helping children see themselves as scientists and how we can all learn to see that science is truly everywhere. I think she’ll give you a lot to think about as she challenges us to see failure as a necessity and to overcome our adult tendency to over-control the science experiences and instead invite more ownership from our youngest scientists. Show Notes: https://notjustcute.com/podcast/episode31
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Episode 30: Kids in the Kitchen, with Tiffany Dahle
11/13/2019
Episode 30: Kids in the Kitchen, with Tiffany Dahle
Cooking can be a powerful activity for young children. From literacy skills, math skills, fine motor skills, and sensory and science experiences, along with the confidence that comes from taking risks, learning from failures, and sharing time and food with others, time in the kitchen with kids is time well spent. I’ve invited my friend, Tiffany Dahle to talk with us about her experiences with teaching children to cook. She’s the author of two cookbooks for kids – The Ultimate Kids’ Cookbook, and The Ultimate Kids’ Baking Book -- and author of the blog, Peanut Blossom. (In the interview, you’ll hear her mention that the baking book hasn’t released yet, but it actually *just came out yesterday*.) Tiffany and I have known each other for about a decade now, and as the online world often works – we’ve been emailing and messaging for years, but this is the first time we’ve finally be able to connect for a live conversation. She has some fantastic things to say about the importance of starting small, cooking and baking as a type of play, and why managing risk has everything to do with experience and practice rather than avoidance. Get the show notes at: https://www.notjustcute.com/podcast/episode30
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Episode 29: Acting Out (with Rae Pica)
10/08/2019
Episode 29: Acting Out (with Rae Pica)
Why are there so many reports of children frequently falling out of their seats? Why is behavior becoming more and more of a challenge in the classroom? And why are delayed fine motor skills becoming more and more prevalent? One common thread, as my guest Rae Pica will explain, is movement.
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