Shine: A child and youth development podcast

Today we’re speaking with our internal experts about the importance of Family Choice regarding childcare with the recent passing of AB 22. What is AB 22? AB 22 will extend universal access to full-day transitional kindergarten (TK) programs to all 4-year-olds statewide at no cost to families. Unfortunately, the proposed legislation (AB 22) that expands TK across California, falls short for many families, communities across the stat...

Carolina was brought to the United States at the age of 2 years old. Her parents came to the U.S. in search of a better life and in hopes of achieving the American Dream. She grew up in the public-school system, went to East Carolina University to study Psychology and then to Central Law School. Throughout her educational career she faced the complex immigration process like many other Dreamers. She noticed the sacrifices her paren...

In this episode of Shine, we speak with Stephanie Collett, a nutrition and health educator at Catalyst Family for over 20 years. We dive into the importance of family meals, helping your kids form lifelong healthy eating habits, and how and why to get kids involved in the kitchen, as well as some practical tips for getting those healthy foods into your children's diets!

And be sure to check out the show notes -- Stephanie was kind ...

In this episode of Shine, we are joined by Diana Ladio, a professional musician and educator based in Nashville, TN. She tours playing shows with her electric strings ensemble, The Moxie Strings, and bringing enrichment workshops to schools across the country. She is an avid emotional health advocate and mentor, and as comes through in this episode, she cares deeply about helping children become empowered through music. 

In this co...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Today we’re joined by Megan Vincent, Senior Director HR Ops, Cynthia Gallardo, Program Quality Manager, and Sarah Richie, Program Coach. We dive into topics surrounding self-care in the Field of Education, especially during these challenging times. We navigate behavioral challenges in children, how we can be more present in the classroom and be more emotionally available to children. We also pr...

The importance of play, especially as we head into the summer months, is more important than ever. We’re slowly transitioning into this new normal as we grow closer to post-pandemic. For this particular episode, as things re-open and it’s physically possible to be together again, we’re focusing on the importance of play in nature. Kids will be returning to summer and day camps. We're joined by Site Supervisor of South Lake Tahoe Ca...

It is National Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month!

We will be highlighting resources for families, teachers, and providers to support our state’s Dual Language Learners (DLLs). Nearly half of California households represent multilingual families and we recognize the increased significance of supporting our multilingual communities here at Catalyst.

Joining us today are our Dual Language Learning experts Lizelle Wulff, Ka...

Today we’re going to get advice on How to look for quality childcare, a topic that is on a lot of parents’ minds right now. 

As we know, the childcare sector has been devastated by the pandemic, with thousands of licensed childcare centers in California either permanently or temporarily closed during 2020.  

Now we're seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, and many families who had their kids at home with them over the last year ...

The pandemic has provided challenges on a scale that none of us have seen in our lifetimes. It’s been up to us as adults to help our youth navigate this with compassion and grace in the moment while also fueling their optimism with opportunities to reconnect with meaningful people and places in their lives — like summer camp. 

Sometimes it takes the smallest of assurances, like playing outside, tossing a ball, riding bikes, taking ...

We all want our home to be a sanctuary from the stress and demands of the world - a place where our child’s play is encouraged and social/emotional development is protected. Yet, often, we find ourselves white-knuckling it through the drama of unexplainable meltdowns and wildly inappropriate behavior that make parenting So Not Fun.

Join Simplicity Parenting Counselor® Mary Van Geffen to learn how choosing Simplicity in 4 key areas...