resources

Welcome to the STGi Education and Technical Assistance Podcast Center—a collection of instructive radio broadcasts addressing a variety of Head Start, Early Head Start, and early childhood topics. Click one of the links below to download a podcast (you will need to install a player compatible with Windows Media Audio [.wma]).

Emergency Preparation

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), and Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist)
Running Time: 58:10
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Community Partners; and Parents
Synopsis: The time to plan is now. This podcast examines a variety of disaster types and the emergency planning resources available to programs and their staffs.

Challenging Behaviors

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), and Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist)
Running Time: 1:03:30
Audience: Head Start Staff; Community Partners; and Parents
Synopsis: This podcast highlights the information currently available through the Center for Social and Emotional Foundations in Early Learning (CSEFEL), with specific discussion of the preschool training materials in Module 1: Building Positive Relationships and Creating Supportive Environments.

SpecialQuest

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), and Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist)
Running Time: 39:48
Audience: Early Head Start and Head Start Managers; and Community Partners
Synopsis: This podcast provides a history of the SpecialQuest project and the status of its current Louisiana Leadership Team, with particular attention paid to inclusive educational programming for children with disabilities and their families.
Note: Since this program’s taping, SpecialQuest has released new videos and materials for preschool settings. Please visit the SpecialQuest Web site to order training materials or to access downloadable online resources.

Top Ten Parent Involvement

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), and Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist)
Running Time: 54:43
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Family Involvement Personnel; and Parents
Synopsis: This podcast discusses parent involvement as an ongoing process and lists the Top Ten Parent Involvement Activities that can be implemented in an Early Head Start or Head Start Program.

Child Nutrition

Featuring: Pam Wiltse (Infant/Toddler Specialist)
Running Time: 50:40
Audience: Early Head Start Staff
Synopsis: This podcast introduces Early Head Start (EHS) nutrition services for center-based staff, with emphases on Head Start Program Performance Standards, nutrition assessments, breastfeeding, solid food introduction, picky eaters, children with special needs, tooth decay, and childhood obesity.

Incarcerated Family Members

Featuring: Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist) and Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 45:18
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers; and Parents
Synopsis: The Department of Justice has estimated that over 7.3 million children under the age 18 have a parent who is in prison, jail, on probation, or on parole. This podcast examines how children and their caregivers are affected by the criminal activity of a parent and by their subsequent arrest, incarceration, and release.

Temperament

Featuring: Pam Wiltse (Infant/Toddler Specialist)
Running Time: 42:07
Audience: Early Head Start Staff; and Parents
Synopsis: This podcast covers the nine temperament traits and three temperament styles, while examining "goodness of fit" for infants, toddlers, and parents.

ACF Region VI Office of Head Start Priorities 2010

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), and Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist)
Running Time: 44:24
Audience: Head Start and Early Start Managers
Synopsis: This podcast highlights specific Region VI Office of Head Start priorities, including Lead Screening, Response To Intervention (RTI), Oral Health, Fiscal, Teacher Competencies, Early Head Start Expansion, and Dual Language Learning.

Response to Intervention

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), and Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist)
Running Time: 55:13
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers; and Parents
Synopsis: This podcast features an in-depth discussion of Response To Intervention (RTI), a systematic problem-solving process designed for early identification of at-risk students. In addition, the podcast explores the impact of RTI on Head Start programs and Local Education Agency (LEA) referrals.

EHS Toolkit Part 1

Featuring: Pam Wiltse (Infant/Toddler Specialist) and Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 1:00:56
Audience: Early Head Start Staff; and Early Childhood Education Partners
Synopsis: This podcast highlights distinct support practices for pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and their families. Part 1 introduces EHS and discusses Research & Evaluation, Health, Education, and Child Nutrition.

EHS Toolkit Part 2

Featuring: Pam Wiltse (Infant/Toddler Specialist) and Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 1:01:15
Audience: Early Head Start Staff; and Early Childhood Education Partners
Synopsis: This podcast highlights distinct support practices for pregnant women, infants, toddlers, and their families. Part 2 discusses partnerships and services for pregnant women, as well as home-based program options.

Promoting Healthy Children

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), and Jean Marie Gueniot (Grantee Performance Support Specialist)
Running Time: 1:00:13
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Community Partners; and Parents
Synopsis: It's a national priority to eliminate all occurrences of child abuse and neglect in Head Start and Early Head Start programs. This podcast provides an overview of child abuse and neglect, emphasizing warning signs, protective factors, mandated reporting, caregiver needs, and Early Childhood Knowledge and Learning Center resources.

Second Hand Stress

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager), Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist), Rhonda Taylor (Early Childhood Education Specialist), and Pam Wiltse (Infant/Toddler Specialist)
Running Time: 53:50
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Community Partners, and Parents
Synopsis: This podcast discusses stress, defines “second hand stress,” and offers an in-depth exploration of adverse bodily consequences.

Emergency Preparation for Children and Families with Disabilities

Featuring: Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist)
Running Time: 58:30
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Community Partners; and Parents
Synopsis: This podcast discusses emergency preparedness planning best practices for children with disabilities and their families, highlighting a variety of disaster types and emergency situations.

Child Development

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 22:07
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Community Partners; and Parents
Synopsis: This Radio PodCast provides information on Child Development including the areas of development and developmental milestones from birth to age five.

Language Development and Common Communication Disorders

Featuring: Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist)
Running Time: 34:59
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Community Partners; and Parents
Synopsis: This Radio PodCast brings the audience through the developmental stages of speech and language plus highlights communication disorders and resources through the Part C and B Programs.

Let’s Move it, Move it!

Featuring: Marian McGruder (Health and Disabilities Specialist) and Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 52:22
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff; Early Learning Communities; and Parents
Synopsis: This session will provide strategies on how to add movement into your daily routine to ensure 60 minutes of vigorous activity every day.

Screening, Assessment and Child Observation

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 21:50
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff
Synopsis: This Radio PodCast focuses on the difference between screening and assessment and how to use child observation to learn about the progress of children.

Responsive Infant and Toddler Curriculum Planning

Featuring: Pam Wiltse (Infant and Toddler Specialist
Running Time: 18:13
Audience: Early Head Start Managers
Synopsis: This Radio PodCast includes a review of how the Head Start Performance Standards define Early Head Start curriculum planning and the components of a responsive curriculum. The speaker also explores and discusses strategies for selecting or developing an appropriate approach to infant and toddler curriculum.

Outdoor Learning Environment

Featuring: Ashley Steele (T/TA Manager)
Running Time: 24:29
Audience: Head Start and Early Head Start Managers and Staff
Synopsis: This Radio PodCast provided information on appropriate outdoor environments utilizing the Head Start Design Guide. Strategies are also discussed on how to keep children active when they see the same outdoor play equipment every day.