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 […]
Education Outlook Part One – School Daze, Looking Back at the Chaos of 2020
With a new year comes hope for a better tomorrow. This has never been more true. Here, we reflect on 2020 and anticipate the year ahead in education. In mid-March, Orange County students were sent home for what many parents and teachers assumed would be a two-week period, just until this COVID thing got sorted […]
A New Normal for Mompreneurs
Find out how these OC mompreneurs have adjusted and adapted throughout 2020. Jasmine Roth Age: 36 Family: Husband, Brett; daughter, Hazel, 5.5 months City: Huntington Beach Star of: HGTV’s “Help! I Wrecked My House”; previously on “Hidden Potential” How did your passion for home construction and design begin? “By accident! I started building a house […]
Montessori: A Method for Our Time
How Maria Montessori’s system transitions well for current educational needs brought about by the pandemic. The Montessori method isn’t a new educational philosophy. It was developed by Italian physician Maria Montessori in the early 1900s. But that doesn’t make it any less relevant. “So far, Montessori has proven to be timeless,” said Ana Rivas, head […]