Episode 4: Language and Early Literacy

Your child's early years are really important; 90 percent of a child's brain develops by age 5. You don't need to be a perfect parent — there’s no such thing — but you only get one chance to do the best you can for your child in their early years. Vince Torres and Christine Waldbeiser, both from the family support team of First Things First, talk about the many different, no-cost programs and services available throughout Arizona to help parents and caregivers like you support your little one’s healthy development and learning.

Young kids take in a lot of information about the world through their eyes, and healthy vision is important for their overall development and later school success. How does vision develop in babies and toddlers, and how can a parent know if their child has a vision problem? This episode of First Things First’s pArentZ pod gives great information and simple advice for parents on what to look for, where to get simple vision screenings (often at no cost), and how to follow-up to ensure your child’s healthy vision.

All parents feel stress, and so do young children. What may look like misbehavior is very often the result of a child dealing with more stress than they can handle. This episode of FTF’s pArentZ pod talks about how parents can recognize the signs of excessive stress and help their little ones through the big emotions that come with it.

This episode of the pArentZ pod, the Arizona infant and toddler podcast from First Things First, focuses on kindergarten readiness. If a child arrives at kindergarten prepared they will likely go on to be good readers, high school graduates and more successful in life. This preparation however—just like early learning—starts at birth.

This episode of the pArentZ pod, the Arizona infant and toddler podcast from First Things First, is all about reading. Every parent wants their child to be a good reader, because it's so important to being successful in school and life. But many people think learning to read just happens for kids as they grow up. Not so. Our guest, Jenny Volpe, the CEO of Make Way for Books in Tucson, AZ, is passionate about helping young kids on the path to being good readers. That path starts from birth.

This episode of FTF’s infant and toddler podcast features a conversation about child development with DeAnn Davies, with tips on understanding your baby’s cues, tummy time, and what your baby needs most.