Sharing stories and experiences offer some of the strongest ways to connect, reflect, and enrich our community. In celebration of Father's Day, Mario Drain, a Fatherhood Involvement Specialist at the Milwaukee Health Department and a 2026 National Home Visitors of the Year recipient joins us to share his story.
Setting Goals the "SMART" way
06/23/2026 | 25 mins.
Goal setting is a part of service delivery and a proven strategy for supporting personal growth, yet it isn't always easy to do. Daniel Charles II, Director of the Mission United program and Program Manager of the Parents as Teachers initiative at United Way of Central Georgia, joins us to talk about why goal setting is so important, how we can help families identify, set, and prioritize goals through the SMART method, and how as parent educators we can balance our program goals with the goals of our families.
Did COVID-19 Affect Early Child Development?
05/26/2026 | 29 mins.
Masks. Social distancing. School closures. COVID was a stressful and confusing time for all, but did the pandemic leave long lasting effects on the development of children who were living through it? Dr. Dani Dumitriu, a pediatrician, neuroscientist, pediatric environmental health scientist, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University, joins us to talk about the latest research on how COVID affected children and families from a developmental and relational health perspective, and what we've learned about how to mitigate the effects of a similar upheaval on children in the future.
Supporting Families Upstream: The Role of Home Visitors in Child Abuse Prevention
04/28/2026 | 30 mins.
Melissa Jonson-Reid, Director at the Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training at Washington University, joins us to share how home visitors can embrace their role in supporting families, building on strengths, and fostering safe, nurturing environments that promote child and family well-being—both during Child Abuse Prevention Month and throughout the year.
Nature and Home Visiting: Bringing the Outside In
03/24/2026 | 32 mins.
We feel good taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature, and research shows that exposure to nature can lower stress, boost attention, and improve engagement - especially in children. Jennifer Smith-Simms, Public Programs Manager at the Missouri Botanical Garden, joins us to talk about how any interaction with nature – big or small – can be therapeutic no matter how old we are, and she shares easy ways home visitors can incorporate nature into our work and everyday lives.
Parents as Teachers has been working with families for over 40 years, matching parents and caregivers with trained professionals who make regular, personal home visits during a child's earliest years to build strong communities, thriving families, and children that are healthy, safe, and learning. Our internationally recognized evidence-based home visiting model is backed by 40 years of research-proven outcomes for children and families. Parents as Teachers currently serves nearly 180,000 families in all 50 U.S. states, 115 Tribal organizations, six other countries, and one U.S. territory.
The Parents as Teachers podcast will highlight stories of home visitors, parent educators, trainers, doulas, and researchers – and take listeners behind the scenes of our evidence-based model, and the people who bring it to life.
To learn more, go to parentsasteachers.org.
The Parents as Teachers Podcast is hosted by Erinn Miller, and produced by Jill Ruby.
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