For years, this doctor (a recent VCU medical school graduate!) has showed up after strangers’ weddings and — with permission — brought flowers back to her patients...WELL WORTH THE READ, click HERE to learn more!

Smart Beginnings is HIRING! Our beloved leader is retiring. Want to be our new Chief in Charge? Learn more HERE!

COST OF CHILDCARE: VIRGINIA:  

Last week, the Center for American Progress’ Early Childhood Policy team released an updated interactive calculator, CostOfChildCare.Org. 

We encourage you to use this tool in your education and advocacy efforts, as it is designed to help parents, advocates, and policymakers assess the true cost of center- and home-based child care and understand how different program characteristics impact cost. Check it out today! 

Kindergarten teachers want incoming students to focus on life skills, not academic ones. 

The important of mourning losses -even when they seem small. Grief is a reaction to loss, not just a reaction to death. 

Virginia Mercury - How the new, expanded federal child tax credit will work

How to talk to your kids this summer

Teaching kids about boundaries - why empathy and self-awareness play a major role 

When everything is a bit much, writing in a journal can help 

How to get rid of stink bugs in the garden. 

Dragonflies - facts, symbolic meaning, and habitat. How to attract them. 

Summer daylily care - what to do with your daylilies after they bloom.

14 tomato growing mistakes new gardeners make.

How to get rid of chiggers in your yard and garden. 

10 reasons why you’ll love gardening with grow bags 

5 confidence boosting books to add to your summer reading list! 

First time camping tips - all you need to know & how to identify poison ivy and poison oak!

 Think outside the hotdog bun - 41 camping recipes to make on your next trip outdoors