Episode 87: Technology and ECE (with Emily Cherkin)
In her January 2026 Congressional testimony, Emily Cherkin put it simply: "Parents are not naive — we know our children will use technology...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
Kids & family
Not Just Cute, the Podcast: Intentional Whole Child Development for Parents and Teachers of Young Children
Not Just Cute, the Podcast shares conversations about topics related to whole child development to support teachers and parents in serving young children. Hosted by Amanda Morgan.
Episodes
20 of 87 episodes
Episode 86: Play-Based Learning - A Scoping Review of the Research
A scoping review published in the Early Childhood Education Journal analyzed over 50 studies on play-based learning for ages 4-6, and the fi...
Episode 85: Making the Case for Joy in Playful Early Learning
Joy is one of those concepts that everyone understands until you try to define it. And yet, the research is remarkably clear about what it d...
Episode 84: The Essential Role of Agency in Play and Early Learning
Agency — the ability to make choices, act on them, and feel that those actions matter — is key to play and learning. In this episode, we dig...
Episode 83: Schema Play Theory (with Heather Bernt-Santy)
Professor and early childhood advocate Heather Bernt-Santy is widely known from her podcast as That Early Childhood Nerd. In this episode, H...
Episode 82: Second Read - There's Good in the World. And It's Worth Fighting For.
In this episode, we revisit one of the most-read pieces published on Not Just Cute: "There's Good in the World. And It's Worth Fighting For....
Episode 81: Not Just Cute Book Study - Best Moments and Big Ideas
Is play the missing piece in today's educational puzzle? That's the question we wrestled with during a three-part book study I hosted this s...
Episode 80: Actions of Play (with Heather Jackson)
Unlock the secrets to transforming early childhood education by focusing on the actions — not just the topics — that captivate young minds....
Episode 79: Building a Blended PreK Model (with Machelle Scogin)
This episode explores the transformative blended pre-K program at Prosper Independent School District in Texas, championed by Michelle Scogi...
Episode 78: We Could All Use the Science of JOY
I had an experience a few months ago that began with a fantastic workshop with one of my favorite schools, and *seemed* to end with a broken...
Episode 77: Why Play? (With Rae Pica)
Rae Pica has been a fierce advocate for children and childhood for over 40 years. And during that time she's written a whole bookshelf full...
Episode 76: A Play-Based Evolution (with Amber Unger)
When Amber Unger (also known as the Cream City Teacher) began her career in education, she thought she'd be working with teenagers. As her p...
Episode 75: Empowering Parents as Teachers - Mobile Early Education Outreach Team (With Play Smart Literacy)
In episode 74, I introduced you to Michele Dineen-White, the creator of Play Smart Literacy in Chicago. Play Smart Literacy is a truly mobil...
Episode 74: Innovative Early Education Outreach that Actually Reaches the Children - Play Smart Literacy (With Michelle Dineen-White & Talmage Steele)
Michele Dinneen-White was working in an early education outreach program when she realized something. The program wasn't actually reaching o...
Episode 73: Challenging Behaviors in the Preschool Classroom (with Prerna Richards)
Challenging behaviors seem to be on the rise in preschool classrooms. Prerna Richards, of Together We Grow, specializes in supporting educat...
Episode 72: Fairy Tales and Resilience (with Stephanie Goloway, EdD)
Once upon a time..... ...Happily ever after. These are common fairy tale phrases. But they're more than just staid story stems. These common...
Episode 71: Bringing Families to the Library with Play (with Tammie Benham)
Most people associate the library with silence. But what if we associated it with play? In this episode, I'm talking with Tammie Benham, You...
Episode 70: Why We Need Play for All
We started this series with the overall argument for why play is essential for human development. The next three episodes dug deep into thre...
Episode 69: Why We Play with Art
What does fingerpainting have to do with the Space Race? In this episode, we're talking about art and creative play and their role in learni...
Episode 68: Why We Play Pretend
This episode's focus is the dress-up area and dramatic play. We'll talk about the powerful developmental support that comes from preschooler...