Everyone at Parents as Teachers has a story, so how can we tell it so people will listen? At the National Center, we're often fielding requests from the media, brainstorming how to share stories effectively, and strategizing about the best channels for amplifying the partnerships between families and parent educators. Jen Peters, a communications strategist with over a decade of experience supporting initiatives across education, technology, and public health, and Kerry Caverly, Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer for the Parents as Teachers National Center, join us to talk about the different ways that parent educators and Parents as Teachers affiliates can share stories about the work they do, and why storytelling matters.

By bringing together a unique and comprehensive portfolio of evidence-based programs (including Parents as Teachers), Imprints Cares in Winston-Salem, NC addresses the developing social, behavioral, and academic needs of children while also studying the impact of these efforts on families. Dr. Anna Miller-Fitzwater and Maria Stockton join us to talk about Imprints Cares, its affiliation with Parents as Teachers, and the research behind what makes this carefully integrated program work so well.

Parent educators work with families through many life cycle events, including grief and loss. Dr. Kirk Coverstone, a consulting psychologist, and Roschel Servantes, Director of Learning and Development at Parents as Teachers National Center, join us to talk about what home visitors might expect in the immediate aftermath of a death experienced by a family they work with and specific ways to provide grieving families with practical and emotional support.

This episode addresses loss and grief in detail and may be difficult to hear. Listener discretion advised.

For more information, please visit:

Bereaved Parents in the USA: https://bereavedparentsusa.org/

The Compassionate Friends: https://www.compassionatefriends.org/

Dougy Center: https://www.dougy.org/

National Sudden and Unexpected Infant Child Loss: https://www.sidscenter.org/

Share: https://nationalshare.org/

In addition to a variety of workshops and breakout sessions, this year's annual conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico brought together researchers and practitioners from around the world to explore how Parents as Teachers is implemented in diverse cultural contexts. In this episode, recorded at the conference, Parents as Teachers Board Director Pete Weldy moderates a panel of experts from Nigeria, the US, and Switzerland on the successes, challenges, and lessons learned in integrating research into practice to support families and young children worldwide.

We've heard from a doula, now let's hear from a mom. Kima K., mother of three, shares her experience working with a doula and why she recommends a doula to every mom she meets.

How can we improve health outcomes for parents and children? By starting early. Parents as Teachers has been working with affiliates to bring certified doulas alongside our evidence-based model to improve outcomes for newborns and their families. Guest host Rachel Giannini speaks to doulas and parent educators Robin Lloyd and Erica Baltrusaitis about their work and how they help families with the youngest of children.