under the cupola PODCAST

Episode Nine:
Healthy Smiles, Happy Children

This episode is sponsored by 
William J. Fessler Family Dentistry.

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 after the pandemic. For more information about the University of Connecticut’s School of Dental Medicine, please visit dentalmedicine.uconn.edu.

Episode Eight:
Special Education Advocacy

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. 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.

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.”

Episode Seven:
Choose Love Movement with Scarlett Lewis

In this special episode, Star 99.9‘s Kevin Begley is joined by Robert Townes, Director of Public Affairs at Stepping Stones with guest Scarlett Lewis, whose son Jesse Lewis was one of 20 students and six educators tragically killed during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

In the wake of this tragedy, Scarlett was inspired by Jesse’s heroic actions in the last moments of his life to start the Choose Love Movement. Please join us to hear about the importance of social and emotional health in our society and how you can implement the Choose Love Movement in your own life.

Episode Six:
Inclusivity and Resilience with CPARF

In this episode, special guest host Kevin Begley from STAR 99 interviews experts from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF)! They will share how they support ground-breaking cerebral palsy research, inspirational stories about coping with the pandemic and tips for helping your child have positive, inclusive relationships.

Episode Five:
Youth Enrichment with Dod March and YES²

Podcast host Robert Townes meets with Dod March, Senior Manager of Youth Programs here at Stepping Stones Museum for Children, and several volunteers from the museum’s Youth Enrichment program YES² to talk about how the program helps teens and tweens build real-world skills – and new friendships!

Episode Four:
Water Safety with Kim and Stew Leonard

In this episode, Robert Townes speaks with Kim and Stew Leonard Jr., who turned their own devastating experience with drowning into a family crusade to teach water safety with Stewie the Duck and help kids learn to swim through the Stew Leonard Three Water Safety Foundation.

Episode Three:
Talking about LGBTQ+ With Children

Robert meets with the Triangle Community Center’s Executive Director Edson Rivas and Programs Director Sydney Henck to discuss how to talk about LGBTQ+ with children and how to support identity exploration.

Episode Two:
Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness

Robert sits down with Margie Gillis, President and Founder of Literacy How, and Sarah Sormillion, Director of our ELLI Preschool to discuss registering for preschools and how the pandemic will affect young learners.

Episode One:
Emotional Well-Being During Pandemic

Hear Yale Child Study Center’s Dr. Craig Bailey talk with our Director of Public Relations, Robert Townes, about how we can help our children overcome the social-emotional challenges presented by the pandemic.