How STEM programs survived and continue to thrive in public schools and throughout the county. The massive, nationwide experiment that was the 2020-2021 school year is now essentially over. Whether parents, teachers or students liked it or not, every student got a taste of being home schooled. The ability to adapt — either financially, technologically […]
Influencing for Good
Find out how these social-media-influencing OC moms are using their platforms to give back. Tina Sadri Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Family: Husband, Ehsan; Sofia, 9, Siena, 5 City: Newport Beach Handle: @tinasadri on Instagram and TikTok Website: tinasadri.com Follower Count: 195K on Instagram What is the focus of your social media influencing? “The overall […]
Special Needs Through the Pandemic
We profile some local families with special needs and the challenges they’ve faced through the pandemic. J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center San Juan Capistrano Parents: Krysti and Brendan Crafts Kids: Olivia Griffin, 7, Brooklyn Griffin, 5, Juliette Crafts, 3, Savannah Crafts, 20 months City: San Clemente Special needs background: Juliette was born weighing 5.5 pounds, […]
Parenting a Child with Asperger’s through a Pandemic
A local expert offers advice for parents of children with Asperger’s to help them thrive through challenging times. By Michael Uram Kids can thrive in the face of incredible challenges — including a year-long stay-at-home order — with the right tools. So long as we listen to them, respect their boundaries, understand their needs, and […]
Special Needs Programs Adapting due to the Pandemic
The pandemic has had a real impact on special needs families and programs. Here’s how they adapted and what they’ve learned. Chinh Tuong Nguyen’s son, Patrick, was born on July 5. He rarely cried during his first 8 months, even when he had the chickenpox. “I thought it was very normal and I was a […]
Camp Resilience
We interview the Camp James executive director about how the camp stayed open through 2020 to return this summer. Summer camps, like most of the world, were turned upside down in 2020. Despite the quick pivoting that was required when California locked down last spring, some camps managed to stay open. Among them was Camp […]
Education Insights
It’s a new year, but things are still far from normal. We get some perspective from the Orange County Superintendent of Schools Al Mijares on what to expect in the year ahead. Parenting OC: What is the state of education in Orange County for 2021? Al Mijares: In many ways the state of education at […]
A Healthy Mental Space
How educators and parents can help students — and themselves — emotionally cope with pandemic and socio-political stress. A pandemic. Political divisiveness. A storming of the United States Capitol. It sounds like the makings of a political thriller, but it’s the reality Americans have been living for the past year. On a local level, families […]
Happy Campers
Making the best of the 2020 season, local camps now look ahead to continue offering kids much-needed socialization with health and safety in mind. Each quarter at the Acting Academy for Kids & Teens, kids produce a musical theater experience complete with singing and dancing. “The crown jewel at AA4K is [our] Summer Performing Arts […]
Education Outlook Part Two -The Light at the End of the Tunnel
The Rise of Alternative Learning However, not all students returned to school. Some districts brought students back in phases, or chose to bring back elementary school students, but not middle and high school students. And if families were not sending their students back to school, they were seeking out learning alternatives. Learning pods — aka […]