Podcasts about himama

Here's a step-by-step account of how to do proper customer discovery. From how to source potential customers, conduct proper interviews and test your early product -- Ron has done it all. He shares each step with lots of details, so you can easily copy (i.e., steal) his ideas.Rushing through customer discovery is the most common mistake founders make. Check out this episode to learn how to do it right. 

As rewarding as leadership can be, it's also incredibly lonely.When you're the person who people go to for guidance and support, where does that leave you in your times of need?It's a question that many owners and directors I work with have grappled with, including Donna Rettle.In 2016, Donna was hired to work under the Executive Director as the Director of Education at a preschool in upstate New York. Her talent, drive, and fresh perspective made her the perfect candidate to replace the Executive Director when she retired.The only issue was, no one knew exactly when she would retire.Although the Executive Director often talked about retiring, she never actually took the steps to make it happen. And this continued for years.For Donna, this back and forth, will-she-or-won't-she situation was incredibly disheartening. She felt like she was being toyed with and would spend many nights in tears over the uncertainty of her future in the program.And worst of all, she felt alone. As a director whose issue involved the Executive Director of the preschool, she had no one to consult or lean on for support.By 2021, Donna had reached her limit. As much as she believed in the program and the work she was doing, she had had enough and was ready to move on.But just as she was ready to walk away, something happened that changed Donna's perspective: She came across my guest appearance on the HiMama podcast.Hearing about Schools of Excellence and the work we do with owners and directors suddenly made Donna feel less alone in her struggles. For the first time in five years, she realized she was part of a community—she just needed to find them.In this week's podcast episode, I sit down with Donna Rettle to talk about her journey from being trapped in isolating limbo to becoming the successful executive director she is today. We chat about Donna's experience within the Schools of Excellence Director's Inner Circle membership program and how it transformed her life and leadership.Join us for a conversation about:Donna's struggles before joining the membershipHer experience being a part of the Director's Inner CircleHow that experience impacted her leadershipHer goals moving forward as the executive director of her schoolLearn more and apply for the Director's Inner Circle & Owner's HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic If Donna's story resonates with you and you're looking to transform your leadership just as she did, I encourage you to apply for our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain ongoing access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you build the skills that will propel your leadership and school forward.In addition to our membership programs, we have a variety of other resources for owners and directors who want to level up their leadership. One of our latest offerings is our on-demand Delegate to Elevate Workshop. During this 90-minute online workshop, you'll learn how to delegate effectively so you can achieve your goals while reclaiming your life and your time.More about the show:If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent...

When you go to a restaurant, the quality of the food is critical to whether or not you like the restaurant and want to go back. But food isn't the only thing that matters, is it? There are a lot of other aspects of the experience that are just as important, if not more so. The service, atmosphere, and cost are just a few things that come to mind.Well, the same can be said about early childhood education. Just like the food at a restaurant, the children are the highest priority at your school. Their health, safety, and education are at the center of everything you do.But the parent experience is also absolutely critical to a child's success, which means that they, too, deserve careful attention.In this week's podcast episode, I'm sitting down with Ron Spreeuwenberg, the Co-Founder & CEO of HiMama, a software company that helps early childhood education centers manage their schools, engage parents, and support their staff.During the episode, Ron and I chat about why the parent experience is so important to early childhood education centers and what you and your team can be doing to make it more of a priority this year.Join us for a conversation about:The story and values behind HiMamaWhy parent communication and engagement is so criticalHow to better address the concerns of today's parentsWhat early childhood education leaders need to be thinking about for 2023Learn more and apply for the Director's Inner Circle & Owner's HQ: http://Chanie.me/jointhedic At Schools of Excellence we value the mental health and emotional well being of our leaders. That's why we've partnered with BetterHelp, the world's largest online counseling provider, to give our members (plus their leadership teams and staff) one FREE month of counseling, as well as 15% off for all future sessions. If you aren't currently a member but would like to benefit from our partnership with BetterHelp, you can fill out an application for our Owner's Only HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll not only have the chance to invest in your mental health but also gain access to tools, resources, community, and coaching that will support you on your journey to building a school of excellence.More about the show:If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.

In this episode of The Preschool Podcast with Jo and Maddie, our hosts talk about one of the biggest challenges in childcare: burnout.   WebMD describes burnout as “[A] form of exhaustion caused by constantly feeling swamped. It's a result of excessive and prolonged emotional, physical, and mental stress. … Burnout happens when you're overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to keep up with life's incessant demands.”   Sound familiar?   Jo and Maddie start the episode by sharing their own experiences with burnout, then consider other professions with high burnout rates and how they compare with early childhood education. From there, they discuss why burnout happens and how childcare providers can avoid it with suggestions from HiMama's Early Childhood Education Blog and the HiMama Helps Webinar Series. Join the conversation and share your thoughts in Circle Time! Additional Resources on Burnout: [Blog Post] Overcoming burnout in childcare [Webinar] Addressing staff burnout at your childcare center [Webinar] How to break burnout in 2021

Today, we will go back to episode 16 in which we speak with Ria Simon on the best things to do and not do for building strong relationships with your children's teachers. With the start of the second half of the school year, this is a great time to start utilizing these techniques and suggestions to create stronger relationships with your children's educators. On today's Pinot and Parenting, we are thrilled to have with us Ria Simon, a community ambassador from HiMamam and a former educator in elementary schools.. Ria will be talking with us about the importance of building strong parent/teacher relationships and different methods and strategies that you can use to foster strong bonds with your children's teachers or for educators how to best interact with your student's parents. We will examine how to speak about difficult conversations and how to create engaging conversations without being overbearing.  To learn more about Ria Simon and HiMama, please check out himama.com and The Preschool Podcast

Happy 2022! We're revisiting one of our most popular Preschool Podcast episodes to kick off the new year. In Episode 153, Ellen Drolette, author of the book Overcoming Teacher Burnout in Early Childhood chats with HiMama's CEO, Ron Spreeuwenberg all about burnout in the field of early childhood education.

In this episode of The Preschool Podcast, we connect with Cheryl Lundy Swift, Professional Learning Literacy Advisory at Learning Without Tears. Cheryl shares practical ways that educators and parents can support the development of social-emotional learning and skills in young children.   Secure your FREE seat for HiMama's next Early Learning Summit! https://himama.link/2022summit 

Live from the Bet On Canada Summit. Yesterday PM Justin Trudeau met in person with President Joe Biden and Andrés Lopez Obrador for the first time since the pandemic. Toronto-based HiMama raised $70 million in a Series B round. A group of people have created a decentralized autonomous organization to bid on a rare copy of the U.S. constitution. Celebrating something? Let us know for a shoutout here: https://thepeak.typeform.com/to/GuHjLDoa The Peak Daily is produced by 306 Media Productions. Hosted by Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal.

How are you utilizing effective communication with parents? Parents, how are you effectively communicating with the educators in your child's life? Ria Reive from HiMama is a former early childhood educator. She shares actionable tips to improve communication with parents and teachers. As well as the overall benefit from effective communication in a school setting. You may not see how impactful parent engagement can be in the day-to-day, but down the road, there is going to be an immense benefit when both the parent and the educator have the knowledge on both sides.What are Ria's three big strategies for effective parent communication? It all starts with being yourself because you are starting the map of engagement from the get-go.Continue to be a source of knowledge for the parent. Be that stepping stone when a parent is ready for help, they may not be accepted right away, but if you continue to be that source, you may be surprised by what they are taking in. Seek professional development on communicating with parents, take the time to invest in yourself, and you will find those interactions and engagement are a lot more successful.So what kind of daily information are you providing parents on a day-to-day basis? For Ria in the classroom working with younger kids, that's going to be feeding, naps, diaper changes, etc., and then kind of how their day went, did it go amazing, or maybe they had a rough day and some of that daily info can clue in on that. So when she was in the classroom, that was translated via paper. However, we talk a lot about how parents do not need one more piece of paper, and that's where HiMama comes in. HiMama provides a digital piece of communication for efficient, direct, dissemination of information between teachers and parents.What happens when there may be a problem or disagreement? Ria and I talk about the benefits of creating an action plan. Decide how you're going to handle problems with parents and remain professional and supportive. Remember, there is a time and place,  during drop-off at the classroom door, probably isn't it. It takes a team to educate and support students with autism, and all students. Parent engagement and communication from both sides is a skill really integral to the success of the child at hand.#autism #speechtherapyWhat's Inside:The importance of effective communication with parents and teachers.Actionable tips for educators to improve communication.What kind of information should be communicated between parents and teachers?How to handle tough conversations.What is HiMama and how could it help your education communication?Mentioned In This Episode:HiMama - The Best Childcare App for Daycare CentersABA Speech: Home 

On this week's episode of the Preschool Podcast, we chat with Tania Ferrandino, Occupational Therapist and Senior Professional Learning Producer at Learning Without Tears. Tania dives into the importance of play in early childhood education rather than focusing on the end goal of having a child write their name. Parents and educators can learn valuable tips in this episode on how to help children build foundational fine motor skills while having fun.  Learning Without Tears wants to give our Preschool Podcast listeners 10% off workshops and products by using promo code HIMAMA at checkout, until Dec 31, 2021. Visit their website here!

In this episode of The Preschool Podcast, we connect with one of HiMama's Early Childhood Educators, Maddie Hutchison to discuss this topic, what it means to provide a safe and rights-focused classroom, how and why educators should discuss this often sensitive subject, and how educators can respect and honor children's decisions….even if the decision the child makes is less than ideal.

Parent engagement is so important to the growth of children. Ria Simon from HiMama shares with us why parent engagement is so incredibly important, how it benefits children and how to increase parent engagement.

On today's Pinot and Parenting, we are thrilled to have with us Ria Simon, a community ambassador from HiMama and a former educator in elementary schools. Ria will be talking with us about the importance of building strong parent/teacher relationships and different methods and strategies that you can use to foster strong bonds with your children's teachers or for educators how to best interact with your student's parents. We will examine how to speak about difficult conversations and how to create engaging conversations without being overbearing.  To learn more about Ria Simon and HiMama, please check out himama.com and The Preschool Podcast

Let's talk about the importance of parent communication. In my years of teaching, parent communication has always been something I strive to get better at. Is that something that you would consider yourself good at? What are some ways you keep parents informed during the school year, especially now through covid? I'm thrilled to welcome our guest Ria Simon!Ria Simon is the Community Ambassador at HiMama. Prior to starting at HiMama, Ria was a Registered Early Childhood Educator and worked 7 years in the classroom. She taught all ages but mainly preschoolers. Ria lives in Toronto with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her niece and nephew and being on the water. What we cover:Why parents communication is an important subject to coverHow covid changed the way we communicate with parentsDifferent styles of communication that are effectiveTips to getting better at communicationFind HiMama at:https://www.instagram.com/himamaapp/www.himama.comSubscribe, Review, Rate, Comment, Do it ALL. See you next week for another episode of Shaping Little Minds Podcast!

Talking systems, Parent communication, Lesson planning, daily reports, and just having fun on the playground with HiMama representative Ria Simon! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thedaycaredude2u/message

Ria Simon is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and worked 6 years in the classroom. She taught all ages but mainly preschoolers.  In this episode, we chat about the relationship between parents and their children's teachers, and why communication is so important. We discuss what is too much, too little and how the pandemic impacted our ability to connect.  Check out more about Ria and the resources she provides at HiMama as the community ambassador through these links to her social media  www.himama.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/himamacircletime https://www.instagram.com/himamaapp/

On this very special 250th episode of The Preschool Podcast we chat with the host of The Preschool Podcast and HiMama's CEO, Ron Spreeuwenberg! Ron dives into the history of HiMama, a social enterprise company and the trends and key takeaways from 249 episodes as The Preschool Podcast host! The HiMama child care app helps to streamline your digital parent communications, join the family today and get a quote!

Dans cet épisode, nous entendons comment des objectifs clairs et convaincants peuvent vous donner une vision à long terme et une motivation à court terme en tant qu'entrepreneur. Nous entendons Anie Rouleau, fondatrice et PDG de The Unscented Company, sur son objectif de bâtir une entreprise respectueuse de l'environnement et de la société. Elle partage également la façon dont l'enracinement de The Unscented Company en tant que société Certified B dirigée par des valeurs a aidé à définir son chemin de croissance unique. Nous nous connectons ensuite avec Alana Frome, co-fondatrice et CTO de HiMama. Alana explique comment le fait de suivre une approche éprouvée de démarrage en matière de développement de produits a fourni des objectifs clairs à chaque étape du travail et comment l'établissement d'une vision claire du soutien aux éducateurs de la petite enfance a fortement différencié son offre.

Dr. Lorea Martinez, Author, Social Emotional Learning Consultant, Researcher and author of Teaching with the HEART in Mind discusses with HiMama the importance of not only recognizing but attuning to emotions of young children during early childhood. Want to connect with Dr. Lorea Martinez and learn more about TEaching with the HEART in Mind or purchase her book? You can do so through her website, Facebook, or Twitter!

In this episode, we hear how clear and compelling goals can give you long-term vision, and short-term motivation, as an entrepreneur. We hear from Anie Rouleau, Founder and CEO of The Unscented Company, on her goal to build a business that is respectful of both the environment and society. She also shares how rooting The Unscented Company in being a values-led Certified B Corporation helped define her unique growth path. We then connect with Alana Frome, Co-Founder and CTO of HiMama. Alana shares how following a proven start-up approach to product development provided clear goals at each stage of work, and how setting a clear vision of supporting early childhood educators powerfully differentiated her offering.

HiMama connected with Meghan Foster, Founder & owner of T is for TOT Curriculum on tapping into children's natural love of learning and how she's created a curriculum to create a seamless transition from young childhood to kindergarten through play-based and engaging activities. Curious how as an educator we can help you document children's learning and development in the classroom? Let us help you out and get a quote for your classroom today!

HiMama recently chatted with Dr. Cara Goodwin, Clinical Psychologist and owner of Parenting Translator on the different ways educators and parents can not only support children with developmental delays and autism but how to recognize the signs early. Curious how as an educator we can help you document children's learning and development in the classroom? Let us help you out and get a quote for your classroom today!

HiMama connected with Dina Scellatio, Preschool Principal at Centner Academy recently to discuss how her school incorporates mindfulness practically into the classrooms. The school's focus on social-emotional development in children is what sets them apart. Dina shares with us a few tips all educators can include in their classroom throughout the day. Find out more about Centner Academy on their website or their Instagram.

HiMama chats with Dani Christine, Multi-Site Child Care Business Owner, Consultant, and Digital Content Creator of www.ChildcareSites.com.  on how to get started with creating your own child care business. Dani dives into the steps on becoming a child care entrepreneur and discusses why now is the best time to start your own business more than ever.   Connect with Dani through her website, Instagram & Facebook to learn more.  

Childcare companies have had to adapt significantly in the past year. In this episode, host Ann Gadzikowski has a conversation with Ron Spreeuwenberg, CEO of the number one rated childcare app HiMama, about how his company has changed since the start of COVID-19 while also staying true to their company's core values.

Thinking of re-branding your child care? HiMama chatted with Beth Cannon, Entrepreneur, educator and Key Note Speaker of Beth Cannon Speaks about creating a culture and brand in your child care center. Beth gives us 5 tangible tips on how to ensure your employees align and adhere to your goals and brand as a company. Connect with Beth through her website and join her Facebook Group!

Michael Gagliano is Senior Director of Sales at #paid and Charlie Locke is VP of Sales at HiMama. But today, we’re learning about SDR Nation, their online community where SDRs can receive career advice and coaching from sales leaders hand-selected by Charlie and Michael. In this tag-team episode, Charlie and Michael discuss the difference between dreams and goals, the mission behind SDR Nation, and erasing the stigma of being a salesperson. Aly Merritt, Head of Community at SalesLoft, joins as guest host. Charlie, Michael, Aly, and Jeremey also talk about the SDR Nation experience and what makes a good coach. Visit SalesLoft.com for show notes and insights from this episode.

Ron Spreeuwenberg, CEO of Co-Founder of HiMama and host of The Preschool Podcast, joins Kris on the show this week. Ron talks about how HiMama is providing answers and support in the COVID-19 crisis, the surprising results from their survey, and what five things your school can do to come out of the crisis the most successfully and financially viable as possible.   Key Takeaways: [4:45] Kris just made a huge dream come to life. After wanting to live in a river home for more than 12 years, she will be living in a beautiful river home in Colorado. [12:41] Rob’s dad had a huge impact on him to be a leader in the community and industry, so when creating HiMama, he set out to start a business that scratched his entrepreneurial itch but also had a social impact and made a meaningful difference in the world. [13:23] HiMama started in 2013, and now is built up to have 75 employees. [16:38] Doing the right thing is the right thing to do. At HiMama, one of the core values is “own positive change,” because no one is going to do it for you. [20:15] The five important things Rob is seeing in the landscape now for early learning centers through the COVID-19 pandemic: Communication. If you are the owner or director, communication with your parents is so essential right now. Decentralization of decision making/teacher empowerment and giving teachers more choices Creativity and Innovation. When we let teachers make decisions, cool things can happen like busy bags and car parades. More openness and adoption to screen time and technology in the classroom Focusing on not what just is expected in health and safety, but how to stand out and provide a quality environment [27:33] Even if they have to be out of the box and a little different from the norm during this time, schools can still focus on fun activities and ideas to keep in touch with parents. [36:30] Focus on what you can control, and what the best version of a post-COVID-19 center can look like. [38:21] In the HiMama survey, the answers were clear that this is a time to band together and talk with your community and what it is you can do to serve them in a way they feel comfortable about. [47:10] Ron’s podcast The Preschool Podcast is up to 200 episodes now. It is a great remote way to hear conversations between top industry leaders and gain inspiration to take into your work.   Quotes: “It’s your responsibility to look after your community, your employees, and your customers.” “Social impact is good for business.” “Even if you have no answers, it doesn’t matter. You still have to stay in touch.”   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray The Child Care Success Company Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit — offering $1 ticket Grow Your Center Child Care Authority Child Care Exchange The Dream Manager Simon Sinek HiMama The Preschool Podcast

Scott Wayman, the founder and CEO of Kangarootime joins us today to talk about what it looks like to be the owner and founder of a successful company. Kangarootime is the leading all-in-one childcare management software for daycares and preschools. During the Covid 19 crisis, Kangarootime decided to put growing the business on hold in order to focus on serving and helping child care centers through this time. Scott and his team have been dedicating their time to putting weekly webinars together in order to help child care centers survive this time. Scott talks about his story as a struggling owner and how he bounced back to build a thriving business that focuses on serving their clients. You can find the Kangarotime facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ktchildcareconnect/Recording to the past KT Webinars here, which I have been featured in 2 of :) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb0OV1K2Ad350OUt0L-jTBw/videosIf you would like to register for my free webinar on Recession Proofing your Child Care Center, click on this link. Your free workbook will be emailed to you! https://childcare-biz-coach.ck.page/71a38f4cf1?fbclid=IwAR3aVqNvI9qJekwGD0vFNqDWVeyIuMOsEJWamqnstO4BKExqGj9BhHVrcuMBe sure to join my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/childcarebusinesscoach/

This is a very special episode with Joshua McVey, a HiMama parent and employee. Josh shares his experience using a child care app and how having insight into his son's activities in child care has supported his experience as a single dad. He also talks about how he's gained an appreciation for the hard work that educators put in every day from his experience as a parent and working with child care professionals through HiMama. Resources:  Connect with Josh at joshua@himama.com HiMama Blog

Do you feel like you don't have time to breath some days? Are you afraid to leave your center unattended? In this episode we discuss how learning how to delegate can save you money. It's important to know your worth as a child care center leader. Making sure you are not doing tasks that are below your pay grade is an important step in becoming a good leader. For additional resources check out: www.childcarebusinessprofessionals.comYou can find more information on our training courses at:https://childcarebizpros.teachable.com/p/rising-star-program

"Being purpose driven means your odds of being successful in business are higher. This is just the best way to build and run a business." Episode #52 of Season 2 of The Social Impactors Podcast features #SocialImpactor Ron Spreeuwenberg, Co-Founder & CEO of Hi Mama, an app that provides a quick and easy way for child care programs and parents to record and share children's activities, everything from silly and fun moments to learning and developmental milestones. Ron and I talk about the initial reason for building HiMama, how early childhood education is one of the most important industries and jobs, and why he believes the world was built for making a social impact and should be a priority for people around the world for positive change. Leave a #iTunes review to help new people find it! Link: https://apple.co/2WI5Ckn Email me if you have a special guest in mind that you want me to host on the podcast! Link: thesocialimpactors@gmail.com #SocialImpactEverywhere --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theimpactorspodcast/support

How is your child care business doing relative to your peers? This year, HiMama partnered with Kris Murray from The Child Care Business Success Company on the report. This is the fourth consecutive year that labor is listed as the biggest organizational risk in the industry. We discuss the impact of leadership, culture, and how to have and live your core values. Resources:  2019 Child Care Benchmark Report The Child Care Success Company Child Care Rockstar Radio Child Care Success Summit 2019  

In this week’s episode, we flip the podcast and replay the conversation Kris recently had with Ron Spreeuwenburg from The Preschool Podcast. They discuss why marketing strategies are important for child care, the change in the landscape of how people should market, and the two main buckets to be sure your strategy is covering. Kris also discusses how to build trust and rapport with potential and existing parents, and why it’s okay to show the whole world how cool and innovative your work is.   Key Takeaways: [1:22] The Preschool Podcast is brought to you by HiMama, a platform for learning from leading professionals in early childhood education. [7:28] The North American Child Care Benchmark Study is here, and would love your help in providing a broader base to the sample size. The more data, the better. [13:59] Any business needs to market so they can be found by the best clients and maximize their enrollment. [15:34] Even at 90% enrolled, you are still leaving thousands of dollars on the table. [16:30] The two buckets that Kris feels are important to cover in digital marketing are researching and social media. [19:34] Visibility on Google is key to enrollment. When parents are googling “child care” or “daycare” in your location, it is important to be one of the top results. [24:48] Schools should have a business page, and it is more about engagement now than likes. While targeted ads can be more direct, we should think of Facebook as a tool to bolster human engagement and connection. Pictures, videos, and comments are great ways to start a conversation and add texture to the community. [30:58] The more real and human a business is on Facebook, the more it will build trust from Millennial parents. [37:58] Many business owners just want to focus on their business and not dive into social media. That is fine, just make sure you have an expert such as Kris Murray’s team on board to make sure you have your bases covered. [38:10] Don’t be shy about sharing all the great and exciting stuff you are doing on your website and social media!   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray Child Care Marketing Solutions Child Care Success Academy Child Care Success Summit The Preschool Podcast HiMama Digital Marketing and Social Media Strategies for Child Care HiMama/Benchmark  

HiMama runs the annual ECE of the Year Award to celebrate individuals who are inspirations in the field. We had the pleasure of interviewing Halle Rubin, the 2018 ECE of the Year and Director at Children's Creative Center in Chicago. In our conversation, Halle shares her passion for the field, her professional journey, and her leadership approach with us. She also talks about the global pen pal program that she runs at her center that has a big impact in connecting her teachers and kiddos with different cultures.  Resources mentioned: Reach Halle at belmont@childrenscreativechicago.com Children's Creative Center Chicago 2018 ECE of the Year - Halle Rubin

Since 2013, Ron Spreeuwenberg has been the Co-Founder & CEO of HiMama based in Toronto, where he leads all aspects of a business that facilitates information sharing between child care programs and parents. The HiMama application aims to save child care and early learning programs time and money, while significantly enhancing family engagement through real-time sharing of digital media. Ron has an MBA from Harvard specializing in International Business and Entrepreneurship and a degree in Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick tries to talk about closing out 2018 and heading into 2019. Angela and Pavlos had different plans. Resource of the Week: Five Minutes With Dad PopSocket - PopSockets Grip and Stand for Phones and Tablets Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/popsocket. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Pavlos and Nick talk about how an inspirational quote from Pavlos can help you as 2018 comes to an end. Resource of the Week: The Cat Who Ate Christmas. Angela and Nick love The Cat Who Ate Christmas Book. Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/thecatwhoatechristmas. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Angela and Nick talk about Angela's experience with a new type of classroom. Resource of the Week: The Picky Little Witch Book. Angela and Nick love reading the Picky Little Witch Book. Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/pickylittlewitch. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Pavlos and Nick talk about what to do when things do not go well the first time. Nick is coaching basketball the first time and the first half of the first game did not go well. Pavlos and Nick share what they did to improve. Resource of the Week: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Cheese Touch Game. Pavlos loves Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He and his friends enjoy the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cheese Touch Game, too. Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/wimpykidgame. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Pavlos, Angela, and Nick talk about caring for your community. Caring for your community does not have to be complicated. Here are four simple things anyone can do to maintain and even improve their community. Resource of the Week: Mario Monopoly Game. Pavlos and Angela love playing this game. It is a fun, kids' take on the classic game Mom and Dad grew up playing. Check it out: http://fiveminuteswithdad.com/mario. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Pavlos and Nick talk about how to be kind to others at school. Resource of the Week: New Don't Wake Daddy Game. Pavlos and Angela love playing this game. It's great for some high-quality face-to-face time. Check it out: http://fiveminuteswithdad.com/daddy. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Angela and Nick talk about how to pick a good book to read. Resource of the Week: What If It Were Possible? a book by Joanne Fairchild Miller and her 8-year-old granddaughter Clara Isabel Logsdon, who also illustrated the book. Angela loves this book. It's a fun book about imagination. Check it out: http://fiveminuteswithdad.com/possible. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Angela and Nick talk about Halloween, having fun, and a trick Nick likes to play on Halloween. Resource of the Week: CreativeLine SpeedRipper Cube. It's basically a Rubik's cube. We love it and use it. The kids love to mess it up and challenge Nick to solve it. Check it out: http://fiveminuteswithdad.com/cube. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can get Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Pavlos, Angela, and Nick talk about how they have fun at home. Resource of the Week: Silly Jokes for Silly Kids, a children's joke book for kids aged 5-12. Here's our affiliate link to pick one up on Amazon. Check it out: http://fiveminuteswithdad.com/sillyjokes. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick and Angela talk about learning guitar and being creative. Resource of the Week: Beginner's Guitar for Kids with Winden and Squiggy: Teach Yourself to Play the Guitar book. Our friend Pamela Hodges sent Pavlos and Angela this awesome coloring book that teaches kids to play guitar. It's about 300 pages of coloring and guitar fun! Here's our affiliate link to pick one up on Amazon. Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/guitar. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick, Angela, and Pavlos get silly and talk about friendship. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, the team reflects on years of podcasting on National Podcast Day. Resource of the Week: The Hug Game. It's like tag but you need to hug the person when you catch them. It's a fun family game the kids love. This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick, Pavlos, and Angela talk about what to do when you make a mistake. Resource of the Week: The Alex and April Show, another kids podcast available at wwwAuthenticLearner.com    This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick, Pavlos, and Angela share a good laugh and talk about the fishing trip the kids took with their grandparents. Resource of the Week: 39 Piece Magnetic Fishing bath toy. Pavlos and Angela loved this toy when they were younger. They still have many of the pieces, too. Here's our affiliate link to pick up the latest version for your family on Amazon. Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/fishing. That link won't cost you any more but Pavlos and Angela earn a small commission if you buy something on Amazon after using our link to get there. :) This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick and Pavlos talk about going back to school and how important it is to do good things. Resource of the Week: The Bad Guys (The Bad Guys #1) book. Pavlos loves this book series. It's about not judging people by how they look. Here's our affiliate link to pick one up for your family on Amazon. Check it out: https://fiveminuteswithdad.com/badguys. That link won't cost you any more but Pavlos and Angela earn a small commission if you buy something on Amazon after using our link to get there. :) This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars kids Pavlos and Angela, and their dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick and Angela talk about Angela starting at a new school. Resource of the Week: The Gemma the Gymnastic Fairy (Rainbow Magic) book. Angela loves this series. Check it out Here's our affiliate link to pick one up for your family on Amazon: http://FiveMinutesWithDad.com/Rainbow. That link won't cost you any more but Pavlos and Angela earn a small commission if you buy something on Amazon after using our link to get there. :) This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars nine-year-old Pavlos, six-year-old Angela, and their thirty-nine-year-old dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick and Pavlos talk about a recent trip to the doctors and how Pavlos was brave. Resource of the Week: Klask: The Magnetic Game of Skill. We got that for Christmas and the kids really like it. Here's our affiliate link to pick one up for your family on Amazon: http://FiveMinutesWithDad.com/Klask. Using that link won't cost you any more but Pavlos and Angela earn a small commission if you buy something on Amazon after using our link to get there. :) This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars nine-year-old Pavlos, six-year-old Angela, and their thirty-nine-year-old dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!  

In this episode of the Five Minutes With Dad podcast, Nick, Angela, and Pavlos have a big case of the sillies but talk about how to have fun together as a family. And thanks to Antonella for the awesome gift, which we love playing! Resource of the Week: Check out this week's resource, Charades Party Game - Family Charades-in-a-Box Compendium Board Game - Features 6 Themes, 360 Cards, Spinner, And Sand-Timer (Ages 4+). We got that from a special friend Antonella. Our whole family loves playing charades on Family Fun Night. Here's our affiliate link to pick up a set for your family on Amazon: http://FiveMinutesWithDad.com/Charades. That link won't cost you any more but Pavlos and Angela earn a small commission if you buy something on Amazon after using our link to get there. :) This episode is brought to you by Audible http://www.audibletrial.com/nick where you can get the best audiobooks sent straight to your phone. If you are new to audible and go through that link you can get a free 30-day trial and a free audiobook that you can keep even if you cancel during the trial period. You can Nick's book Confessions of a Terrible Husband: Lessons Learned from a Lumpy Couch there, read by Nick through www.audibletrial.com/nick (free if you're new with this link), or at Amazon at www.aterriblehusband.com/amazon. Here's the link for the free book and trial to audible.com again: http://www.audibletrial.com/nick  Five Minutes With Dad is a kids podcast, family podcast, and parenting podcast that stars nine-year-old Pavlos, six-year-old Angela, and their thirty-nine-year-old dad Nick Pavlidis. This is the podcast where you get to listen in on a little father-son and daddy-daughter time and learn about great resources to connect with your kids. Five Minutes With Dad is a podcast for kids, by kids. We are honored to have been featured on Parents Magazine, Savvy Mom, Geico More, Seattle's Child, Big Life Journal, Grandy Camp, HiMama, Mental Floss / Pod City, American Profile, Say Yes, Time Out New York, and more!

In today’s episode, Kris features Ron Spreeuwenberg. Ron is the co-founder and CEO of HiMama, an app for daycares that allows parents to better connect with their children during the day. Ron is a heart-centered leader serving the early childhood education industry with technology and interconnecting his community. He talks with Kris about what inspired him to get into early childhood and create the HiMama app, the balance between visibility and empowerment, the innovation of his benchmark survey, his own adventures in podcasting, and how he is committed to the vision of helping childhood education get more support and resources.   Key Takeaways: [1:34] Kris just returned from Orlando from a behind-the-scenes experience for child care leaders at a Disney Service Bootcamp. If you missed out, don’t worry, as we are hoping to do another trip in the spring of 2020. [4:04] Child Care Marketing is in the middle of Enrollment Bootcamp. If you did not get to sign up for the Enrollment Bootcamp challenge this time, we are taking a waiting list for the next one. [8:06] Kris welcomes her guest Ron Spreeuwenberg. He is on the software side of early education. He shares his journey from a corporate engineering and business background to consulting and then taking a leap in starting HiMama. [11:33] Ron learned about the gap in investment and challenges within the child care area and it stood out to him that he could make a difference. [12:20] Ron is based in Toronto and is a new father. Fun fact: he comes from a long line of mushroom farmers in both the Netherlands and Canada. [17:05] They are very particular about how they design their HiMama app. The three core ideals that drive their development are the educational component, empowering educators, and a simple and easy to use interface. [19:51] HiMama is supporting the community in many ways, including the weekly podcast, the benchmark survey, the ECE of the year award, driving forward positive core values, or having their 25% of their employees possess a background in the early childcare field. [27:01] HiMama provides a tool to support teachers and ensures they get proper training to make the process as simplistic as possible. Reporting and organizing information should be made easier through the app, not something that adds an extra source of stress. [31:32] Kris highly recommends engaging in the Benchmark Report. The survey comes out in the fall, and they keep it open until February. If you participate in the survey you get first access when it comes out, and data customized to your own needs. [34:07] With over 100 episodes of The Preschool Podcast, Ron is on the leading edge of understanding trends and knowing what qualities of leadership from others can emerge when given the correct resources and support. [38:47] Ron would cite one of his biggest challenges is creating and maintaining an engaged team. [41:20] A true rockstar to Ron is a leader that is authentic, always learning, open minded, action-oriented, compassionate and not afraid to make change happen.   Mentioned in This Episode: Kris Murray Child Care Marketing Solutions Child Care Success Academy Sign Up for Enrollment Bootcamp Waiting List HiMama ChildCare Benchmark Report The Preschool Podcast

Episode 71 - How can we ensure policymakers are informed about child development and brain science? Zero to Three advocates for high-quality childcare, paid family leave, healthy environments and access to early infant mental health programs. We know that 62% of mothers return to the workforce within the first year, and more than 6 million children in the U.S. spend some part of their day in child care. "We are hindering the development of young children by not providing them access to high-quality child care". Myra Jones-Taylor explores why access to quality care is critical, and what policymakers can do today to support child care advocacy now. In some states, infant care costs more than University! Without childcare assistance for low and moderate families, we are already harming families before their children are three years old. Jones-Taylor tells The Preschool Podcast audience why it's so critical that families and educators get involved in advocacy work, and includes some examples of practical language you can send to policymakers so they hear directly from experts like you. Resources: Find out more about Zero to Three and get involved here. -- More about HiMama

Episode 69 - This week we speak to popular education blogger Vicki A Davis of the Cool Cat Teacher blog about the nuance of language, our shared understanding of these terms, and how a current trend in early education - social-emotional learning - can be directly connected to STEM. Vicki asks those of us in preschools and K-12 to define how they will implement an SEL program and not just use these popular taglines without deploying it effectively. Resources Check out Vicki's Cool Cat Teacher Blog Find out more about HiMama's early childhood educator app

HiMama, an app for parents to see what their little ones are up to at daycare all day longBluewave Get, a small device that turns wired headphones into Bluetooth ones (ideal for new phones without a headphone jack)OLED TV 101: I explain what these new OLED TVs are all about. (Hint: thin is in)Livi is a medication dispenser for seniors that’s smarter than any other. We find out why

Episode 67 - FamTech “helps us remember that families are at the heart of learning. We have to recognize where today's families are - more connected than ever but also awash with almost too much information. How can we use new tools to help parents connect together?" Lisa Guernsey, Director of Education Policy at New America, joins the Preschool Podcast to discuss the impact of technology use in family environments. Episode Notes New America's survey Integrating Technology in Early Literacy.  Resources Find out more about HiMama's Childcare App.  

Episode 66: Chanie Wilschanski returns to discuss her work with 'The School Culture Model'. Chanie presents concrete ideas for how to effectively motivate early childhood professionals in team meetings and in the classroom. "Teachers WANT to contribute - give them the opportunity to have a voice". Recognizing culture problems and actively involving your team in pursuing change will prove far more effective than "leadership talk" with no action. Don't just ASK teachers for their opinion, INCLUDE that opinion! Is there a secret to motivating staff? Listen and find out. Resources Find out more about HiMama's parent communication app here.  

Episode 65 Marilyn Ballard, Owner of ECE Solutions joins us this week to talk solutions to challenging behaviour. Ballard discusses the pyramid model for developing strong relationships and working culture in the classroom. If we master our dynamic environments, 80-85% of challenging behaviours can be addressed. What does this mean for Educators? When you develop a strong relationship with a child, you understand their triggers, their stresses, and their family conditions that help you resolve a challenging behavior. Teachers need to consider; "what is it about this child that is bothering me in this moment? What is truly going on here"? As Educators, we often alter our teaching approach to suit the needs of children - but what we're really doing is adapting our pedological style to create an environment that helps a child thrive. It's all about relationships. Resources Find out more about HiMama here.

Episode 64 Frank Spillers wants you to create a classroom environment where people (children, administrators, educators) can be engaged. "Be WUCA to yourself and the people you work with". Spillers works with different childcare providers to help them identify engagement techniques and helps them to be happy in the work they do. He often asks "Are you passionate about kids?" - if the answer is no, then Spillers says they're doing more damage to the sector than you are helping. When we have engaged people working with children, their impact is far-reaching. "People will stay where they are appreciated and where they feel welcome". Resources Find out more about HiMama here.

Episode 63 - This week Ron chats with Jack Wright about scaffolding and discipline without punishment in early education. Jack Wright was previously a Mental Health Consultant who worked with a HeadStart program on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Jack describes the impact of punishment on children long term and why scaffolding and discipline can be trained without punishment. A relaxed, nonpunitive approach is more effective than a punishing approach for behaviour-changing in children. Resources Find out more about HiMama here.

Episode 62: Ron chats with Jarred Geller about his organization Punk Rock Preschool.  Punk Rock Preschool is all about unleashing the incredible potential in your students. It's about exposing your classroom to the magnificent world we live in so your students can find their own interests and set off on their own paths! Punk Rock Preschool is the start of a life-long, never-ending adventure to learn and grow. Jarred has seen incredible results in his classroom and it all stems from believing in your students. "And as teachers, we know we must show them we believe in them, not just tell them. So how do you show your students you believe they can accomplish anything? By challenging them and pushing them and supporting them to accomplish anything! When you do, they will surpass even your most ambitious dreams and expectations." Find out more about HiMama here.

Episode 61: Ron chats with Chip Donohue, Director, Technology in Early Childhood Center about intentionality and digital media use. Specifically, Donohue explores why while there can be systemic challenges to technology use in education and in our own families, ultimately we can have a positive relationship with our children, devices, and apps. Resources Find out more about HiMama here.

In this week's episode we have a conversation with a panel of Early Childhood Educators with experience inside the classroom, as well as outside the classroom as Community Advisors with HiMama. We discuss the importance of taking the initiative to stay involved in the early childhood education community and taking ownership of improvements and innovations in your preschool or child care programs, no matter what your role. Steven Bonnay has a Bachelor of Arts from Brock University as well as an Early Childhood Education Diploma from Seneca College where he later worked as a Registered Early Childhood Educator. Kali Kan has a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education and Teaching from George Brown College where she later worked as a Registered Early Childhood Educator, in addition to working as a Research Intern at the National Association for the Education of Young Children. And Katelyn Vickers holds a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Studies from Ryerson University, as well as a diploma in Early Childhood Education from George Brown College; she has worked as a Registered Early Childhood Educator at a number of child care and early learning programs, including the YWCA. To learn more about how you can flex your leadership muscle as a Preschool Teacher or Early Childhood Educator, tune into this episode of The Preschool Podcast!