Mount Sinai Parenting Center

Mount Sinai Parenting Center We’re enhancing pediatric care by promoting early (0-5) childhood development and parent-child relationships in routine primary care.

Our free, evidence-based resources empower providers and families—because every interaction can support a child’s growth. At The Mount Sinai Parenting Center, we recognize the vital role healthcare providers play in supporting families—and the many challenges that come with it. While the science is clear on the importance of the early parenting environment from birth to age five, routine pediatric

care often lacks the guidance and information parents need to foster their child's social, emotional, and cognitive development. That’s why, in 2014, we created Keystones of Development to address a gap we, as providers, experienced firsthand. We built the tools we wished we had and made them available to providers—for free. Developed by our unique interdisciplinary team of physicians, developmental psychologists, educators, and social workers, our comprehensive library equips providers with practical, effective, and evidence-based resources – empowering them to strengthen parent-child relationships and guide parents through their child’s early development at every stage.

Join Dr. Anna Johnson, Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University and editor of a new special section of the journ...
08/14/2026

Join Dr. Anna Johnson, Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University and editor of a new special section of the journal Child Development on the sustained effects of COVID, for a webinar on what the pandemic did – and did not do – to children.

Drawing on 17 longitudinal studies across six countries tracking children from pre-pandemic baselines through today, this session tells a story far less catastrophic than predicted. Participants will explore findings that impacts were real but rarely disastrous, often fading over time – evidence that challenges dominant narratives of universal "learning loss." The session will equip providers with research-backed framing for counseling families, highlighting resilience and the role of context in children's development.

Register: https://bit.ly/4wrXODw

Every primary care visit is an opportunity to support not only a child's health, but also the relationships that shape l...
08/03/2026

Every primary care visit is an opportunity to support not only a child's health, but also the relationships that shape lifelong well-being.

Join us for a free webinar on practical, evidence-informed resources that family medicine residency programs can use to promote early childhood development and positive parenting.

During this webinar, we'll discuss:
*Strategies to promote healthy early childhood development during routine primary care visits
*Free educational resources from the Mount Sinai Parenting Center
*How these tools have been successfully implemented in family medicine residency programs across the country
*Practical ways to integrate these resources into residency education and clinical practice

Impact at a glance
✔ More than 300 family medicine residency programs nationwide are using these free resources
✔ Nearly 80 participating programs are located within the FMEC region

📅 Wednesday, August 5, 2026
🕧 12:30–1:15 PM ET
💻 Zoom — registration is free
🔗 Register: https://bit.ly/4yX5z6U

Offered through the FMEC Residency Learning Network.

07/24/2026

Crying at bedtime doesn't mean a parent is doing something wrong. 🌙

But it often feels that way — and that's the moment parents start to second-guess themselves. "Maybe I'm being too strict. Maybe she really does need one more book. Maybe holding this limit is making it worse."

The reframe worth offering families: enforcing bedtime isn't a punishment. It's a gift. Children are allowed to be upset about it — and parents are allowed to hold the line anyway. It's how kids' nervous systems learn that limits are stable, predictable, and safe to settle into.

📌 Save this for the next time a parent asks about bedtime battles!

07/16/2026

"How do I advise a family whose toddler isn't listening?"
"What do I say to a parent struggling with sunscreen battles?"

These questions are exactly what our new Healthcare Provider Texting Channel (created with Lantern Families) was built for. One short text a week with the how of answering common parent questions — reframes, scripts, and language you can actually use in the room. 📲

Hear Dr. Blair Hammond, practicing pediatrician and our Co-Founding Director, share why this is the tool she's been waiting for. 👆

📱 Text HCP to 274-448 to join. Free. Reply STOP anytime.

Sunscreen battles aren't really about sunscreen. They're about autonomy. ☀️A 2-year-old refusing sunscreen is doing what...
06/30/2026

Sunscreen battles aren't really about sunscreen. They're about autonomy. ☀️

A 2-year-old refusing sunscreen is doing what their brain is built to do: seek independence. The fix isn't to win the moment — it's to invite them into it. When toddlers feel like they have a piece of the decision, the resistance softens. The question isn't whether sunscreen happens. It's how.

You can model this in the exam room. Before checking an ear, demonstrate how you might say: "Do you want me to start with the left or the right?"

Then connect the dots for parents: "It helps when your child feels part of the choice. Next time you put on sunscreen, try: 'should we do your arms or your legs first? Or make it silly — should I draw a sunscreen smiley face or a rainbow?'"

06/23/2026

Perspective taking is the skill underneath friendship, empathy, and conflict resolution — and it's not something kids automatically have. It's something they build over time.

One of the best places for that practice? The unstructured, slightly boring stretches of summer. ☀️

When kids invent pretend worlds — being the doctor, the parent, the shopkeeper, the superhero — they're practicing perspective-taking in real time. What would the doctor say? How would the superhero feel? Why is the customer upset? The made-up worlds are where the social brain gets built.

So next time you hear a parent say they are feeling guilty about all the summer downtime, remind them: the boredom isn't a gap to fill. It's the soil pretend play grows in — and the foundation for every relationship that comes after.

Reading aloud isn't just for school nights. Summer is when reading habits can stretch — or stall. 📚4 things worth naming...
06/22/2026

Reading aloud isn't just for school nights. Summer is when reading habits can stretch — or stall. 📚

4 things worth naming with families this summer:
📖 It's never too early. Newborns benefit from being read to — the voice and rhythm matter more than the comprehension.
🪞 Babies look at faces, not pages. Pointing at pictures helps them look back and forth.
🌎 Multiple languages welcome. Reading in the home language strengthens cognitive flexibility — even when school is in English.
🎭 Pretend reading is real reading. Toddlers who ""read"" picture books by narrating their own version are doing literacy work.

To make early literacy access part of pediatric care, your practice can partner with Reach Out and Read to put free books in families' hands at well-child visits, regardless of income!

06/19/2026

POV: you're between patients and your phone buzzes. It's a 30-second, evidence-based tip you can actually use in your next exam. 📲

It's from our new Healthcare Provider Texting Channel, in partnership with Lantern Families — one tip a week, straight to your phone.

Here's real text you'll get from us 👇
"Myth: overtired kids sleep better. Truth: overtired = wired. Earlier bedtimes can mean smoother nights. Sleep myth-busters to share with families → https://bit.ly/4xBktPy"

Some texts come with a landing page — research, resources, and handouts to share with families. Read it, use it, or skip it. The goal is to cut through the noise, not add to it.

📱 Text HCP to 274-448 to join. Free. Under 10 seconds to subscribe. Reply STOP anytime.

Sportscasting = narrating what you're doing, moment by moment. When providers model it in the visit, two things happen a...
06/18/2026

Sportscasting = narrating what you're doing, moment by moment. When providers model it in the visit, two things happen at once: babies hear more language, and parents see a concrete example of what it looks like.

A few moments where it fits naturally:
🩺 The physical: ""I'm going to listen to your heart now. Here comes the cold stethoscope. Big breath in. All done — you did great.""
⚖️ Weighing: ""Up on the scale we go. Hold still for one second. There — you grew!""
👂 Ear/mouth exams: ""I'm going to look in your ear. I see something fun in there. Now the other side.""
💉 Vaccines: ""Quick pinch coming. One, two, three — and it's over. You were so brave.""
🧸 Transitions: ""Now we're going to put the gown on. Then we're going to listen to your tummy. Then you can get back in mom's lap.""

Then, on the way out:
💬 ""You might've noticed I was narrating everything during the exam — that's called sportscasting. Feels a little silly at first, but it's one of the best things you can do for her language. Just talk through whatever you're up to at home - cooking dinner, changing her diaper, etc. She's soaking it all in!""

📌 Save this for your next 0–18 month visit.

When a previously-fine sleeper falls apart in June or July, the cause is usually not behavioral. It's biological. 😴Some ...
06/17/2026

When a previously-fine sleeper falls apart in June or July, the cause is usually not behavioral. It's biological. 😴

Some reminders to share with families about summer sleep:
🌅 The biology hasn't changed. Kids still need lots of sleep, year-round. Summer doesn't grant exemptions — even when the sun is still up.
💡 The biggest variable is light. Evening sun suppresses melatonin regardless of what time bedtime "should" be. A bright room at 8 p.m. tells the brain: not yet.
🧩 Behavior shifts downstream of sleep. The kid who suddenly won't listen, can't transition, or melts down over nothing is often the kid who's been going to bed an hour later for three weeks.

If you see a parent struggling, start by asking: "What time is your child actually falling asleep?"

📬 For a deeper dive, check out this week's Tip of the Week — link in bio to subscribe!

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