Under the Cupola: A Stepping Stones Museum for Children Podcast

In our first episode of “Under the Cupola,” Robert Townes, our Director of Public Affairs, talks to Dr. Craig Bailey, Director of Early Childhood at the Yale Center of Emotional Intelligence and Assistant Professor at the Yale Child Study Center, discuss some of the emotional challenges that children and families have dealt with while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and how parents and caregivers can help children cope this emotional strain. A researcher with experience as an early childhood educator, Dr. Bailey is a co-developer of the evidence-based RULER approach to social and emotional learning.

'Under the Cupola: A Stepping Stones Museum for Children Podcast' will launch March 29, 2021! Stay tuned for more episodes

You’ve read the stories. You’ve heard the news. It’s never been more important to support the mental health and wellbeing of our children and families. But where do you turn if you suspect your child needs professional mental health support? How do you get your child the help they need? Join us for this episode of the Stepping Stones Museum for Children ‘s Under the Cupola podcast as Dr. Gail Melanson, Executive Director of the Mid Fairfield County Community Care Center, provides expert strategies to empower parents and caregivers to play a leading role in their children’s mental health and wellbeing.

It is said that a child’s smile is the most beautiful thing in the world, but it takes work to keep it that way! The ongoing pandemic changed many things about our lives including our children’s dental habits and the ability to access regular dental care for them. “Significant negative effects on children’s oral health” is one result of this pandemic reported by pediatric dentists. In this latest episode of Stepping Stones Museum for Children’s “Under the Cupola” podcast, Star 99.9’s Kevin Begley and Robert Townes, the museum’s Director of Public Affairs, are joined by Dr. Katherine Fleming, an Assistant Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at UConn’s School of Dental Medicine to talk about the important things that we need to know to get our children’s smiles back on track. Please join us for a compelling conversation about why the time is now to get our kids back in the dental chair.
For more information about the University of Connecticut’s School of Dental Medicine, please visit dentalmedicine.uconn.edu.

Any time parents are concerned with their child’s development or behavior or receive a special needs diagnosis, they are left with more questions than answers. Why isn’t my child speaking? Or reading? Why are they hitting other kids? How do we get the help and services our child needs to succeed? How do we navigate the conversations this diagnosis will spark with our family, friends, school district and others?
In this latest episode of Stepping Stones Museum for Children’s “Under the Cupola” podcast, Star 99.9‘s Kevin Begley and Robert Townes, the museum’s Director of Public Affairs, are joined by Eve Kessler and Janine Kelly, two local moms who found themselves in this exact scenario: When their children were diagnosed years ago, those answers were not always readily available and they felt alone in dealing with the important decisions that had to be made. Today, Eve, and Janine, along with their partner Carolina Corrigan, are leaders within SPED*NET, the Special Education Network of Wilton, a non-profit organization that works tirelessly to build an informative, welcoming community to help parents and caregivers learn “everything they wish they had known when they knew something was wrong with their children.” Please join us for a compelling conversation about raising children with special needs and how best to deal with a suspected or confirmed diagnosis.
For more information about SPED*NET Wilton and its programs, please visit spednetwilton.org.