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We talk to Dr. Ross Greene about the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model of care, which focuses on solving a child's unsolved problems instead of just reacting to behavior, a model that can be used by parents, teachers, or caregivers. Dr. Greene is a clinical psychologist who spent 20 years on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and is now founding director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance, which provides information and support for the CPS model of care. He’s also the author of several books, including his latest - Raising Human Beings: Creating a collaborative partnership with Your Child. We were lucky to have him in the studio thanks to Forty Carrots Family Center. This podcast comes from Aspirations Journalism, an initiative of The Patterson Foundation and Sarasota Herald-Tribune to inform, inspire and engage the community to take action on issues related to Age-Friendly Sarasota, Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, National Council on Aging’s 100 Million Healthier Lives and the Suncoast Nursing Action Coalition.

"Brain Matters" is a new documentary that travels the globe to identify the key elements in helping young children thrive. We speak to director Carlota Nelson about what scientists agree on when it comes to early childhood development. Read more at heraldtribune.com/aspirationsjournalism.

We talk about Zero to Three's State of Babies Yearbook and how it takes powerful data paired with personal stories to impact policymakers. Find more at heraldtribune.com/fightforglr.

Ginger Young talks about Book Harvest's pioneering home visitation literacy program, the importance of parent engagement, and the things she's learned after giving away more than a million books in over the eight years since she started Book Harvest.

Joy Thomas Moore is the author of “The Power of Presence: Be A Voice in Your Child’s Ear Even When You’re Not With Them," which she describes as a love letter to single parents, but is great reading for everyone who has, or works with, children.

We talke to Lt. Gen. (Ret.) George TRautman of Mission Readiness about how early childhood education can impact America's military. Plus, Brian gives a quick guide to getting the media to cover your story.

Abriendo Puertas - Spanish for Opening Doors - is a great example of organizations embracing the communities they serve. Find more at heraldtribune.com/fightforglr.

You might know Michael Bonner as the rapping teacher who was on the Ellen Degeneris show a couple years back. He doesn’t have a program or initiative that people can adopt, but he has a clear understanding of what makes a successful teacher, with advice that applies to anyone who works on helping children be successful in academics, and in life. "We need to realize that with every child we come into contact with we have the ability to steer them into greatness." - Michael Bonner, in the interview.

We talk to Dr. Michele Borba, a former teacher and author of several books, including "Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in our All-About-Me World," about the importance of empathy and why it is a learned trait.

We talk to Elisabeth Burak, Senior Fellow at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy's Center for Children and Families, about the impact that Medicaid and CHIP can have on early childhood development and academic success.

We speak to Dr. Dipesh Navsaria about a program that shows doctors and clinics how to bring early childhood literacy into the examining room. Reach Out and Read has seen amazing growth and now impacts almost five million families, including around a quarter of all low-income families in the U.S.

We kick things off by talking to Ron Fairchild, director of the GLR Support Center at the national Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. Plus, a reminder about the importance of play. We want to hear about your experiences in the fight for grade-level reading! Connect with us at fightforglr@heraldtribune.com, facebook.com/fightforglr or leave us a message at 941-361-4820.