Wheelhouze
@wheelhouze.bsky.social
15 years analyzing data in law enforcement taught me: question everything. Now I apply that to early education. Former daycare owner + substitute teacher for people who want truth, not trends. The Parenting Revolution on Substack. ☕
Tomorrow’s piece is the practical one: specific ways parents can support immigrant educators, push for stability, and protect kids’ routines even when the national conversation is chaos.
February 14, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Tomorrow’s piece is the practical one: specific ways parents can support immigrant educators, push for stability, and protect kids’ routines even when the national conversation is chaos.
Question to ask your program: “How are recent immigration policies affecting your staff and families, if at all?” The answer tells you a lot about who is quietly holding up your child’s day.
February 13, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Question to ask your program: “How are recent immigration policies affecting your staff and families, if at all?” The answer tells you a lot about who is quietly holding up your child’s day.
Immigration policy whiplash doesn’t just stress out adults. When caregivers are scared or leave jobs suddenly, kids lose stable routines, familiar faces, and sometimes whole classrooms. That’s a nervous‑system issue for them too.
February 13, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Immigration policy whiplash doesn’t just stress out adults. When caregivers are scared or leave jobs suddenly, kids lose stable routines, familiar faces, and sometimes whole classrooms. That’s a nervous‑system issue for them too.
Studies link immigration enforcement and family separation to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and toxic stress in kids. The symptoms look like “behavior problems” in classrooms. They are survival strategies.
February 12, 2026 at 7:04 PM
Studies link immigration enforcement and family separation to higher rates of depression, anxiety, and toxic stress in kids. The symptoms look like “behavior problems” in classrooms. They are survival strategies.
Immigration raids are not just “politics.” When kids live with the fear a parent could disappear, their brains adapt to survive. Today’s piece walks through what research actually shows about enforcement and child development. 🔗
open.substack.com/pub/theparen...
open.substack.com/pub/theparen...
What Immigration Enforcement Does to Kids
The case for treating it as an adverse childhood experience
open.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Immigration raids are not just “politics.” When kids live with the fear a parent could disappear, their brains adapt to survive. Today’s piece walks through what research actually shows about enforcement and child development. 🔗
open.substack.com/pub/theparen...
open.substack.com/pub/theparen...
Tomorrow I’m sharing a piece that treats immigration enforcement as what it is for children: a nervous‑system issue, a brain‑development issue, a school‑functioning issue. Not a “side topic."
February 12, 2026 at 12:59 AM
Tomorrow I’m sharing a piece that treats immigration enforcement as what it is for children: a nervous‑system issue, a brain‑development issue, a school‑functioning issue. Not a “side topic."
Health and advocacy groups are already warning: increased immigration raids are showing up as toxic stress symptoms in kids. The nervous system is the front line, whether we acknowledge it or not.
February 11, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Health and advocacy groups are already warning: increased immigration raids are showing up as toxic stress symptoms in kids. The nervous system is the front line, whether we acknowledge it or not.
Kids don’t read policy briefs. They read faces, tones, absences. A crackdown that looks “tough” on TV often lands in a child’s body as stomachaches, sleeplessness, and “I don’t want to go to school."
February 11, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Kids don’t read policy briefs. They read faces, tones, absences. A crackdown that looks “tough” on TV often lands in a child’s body as stomachaches, sleeplessness, and “I don’t want to go to school."
We talk about “the childcare crisis” like it’s abstract. Look at who is changing diapers, teaching letters, and soothing kids at nap time. Immigration is not a side issue. It’s a structural beam.
February 11, 2026 at 12:41 AM
We talk about “the childcare crisis” like it’s abstract. Look at who is changing diapers, teaching letters, and soothing kids at nap time. Immigration is not a side issue. It’s a structural beam.
In some metro areas, immigrants are nearly 40% of the childcare workforce. Lose them, and you don’t just lose “extra help.” You lose classrooms, routines, and trusted adults.
February 10, 2026 at 8:13 PM
In some metro areas, immigrants are nearly 40% of the childcare workforce. Lose them, and you don’t just lose “extra help.” You lose classrooms, routines, and trusted adults.
One in five childcare workers in the U.S. is an immigrant. About one in four young children has at least one immigrant parent. When immigration policy shakes, early childhood shakes. Today’s piece puts hard numbers to that story. 🔗
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-immig...
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-immig...
When Immigration Policy Becomes Childcare Policy
What crackdowns really mean for the adults caring for kids and the kids in their care
theparentingrevolution.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 2:21 PM
One in five childcare workers in the U.S. is an immigrant. About one in four young children has at least one immigrant parent. When immigration policy shakes, early childhood shakes. Today’s piece puts hard numbers to that story. 🔗
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-immig...
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-immig...
If you've ever relied on a trusted caregiver who spoke your child's home language, you've felt this: immigrant educators don't just "fill slots." They carry culture, comfort, and continuity.
February 10, 2026 at 12:17 AM
If you've ever relied on a trusted caregiver who spoke your child's home language, you've felt this: immigrant educators don't just "fill slots." They carry culture, comfort, and continuity.
National data: about one in five childcare workers in the U.S. is an immigrant, and in some cities the share is nearly one in two. Take them out of the equation and the whole thing collapses.
February 9, 2026 at 6:09 PM
National data: about one in five childcare workers in the U.S. is an immigrant, and in some cities the share is nearly one in two. Take them out of the equation and the whole thing collapses.
When you picture “the childcare system,” don’t picture a logo. Picture the auntie running a home daycare, the immigrant teacher doing circle time, the assistant who knows every child’s favorite song. Systems are people. |
February 9, 2026 at 2:06 PM
When you picture “the childcare system,” don’t picture a logo. Picture the auntie running a home daycare, the immigrant teacher doing circle time, the assistant who knows every child’s favorite song. Systems are people. |
If you feel like “immigration” is a headline issue and not a childhood issue, sit with this: kids don’t experience policy debates. They experience nervous systems that are scared, exhausted, or suddenly gone. That’s where we’re going this week. 🌙
#ChildDevelopment #MentalHealth
#ChildDevelopment #MentalHealth
February 8, 2026 at 10:21 PM
If you feel like “immigration” is a headline issue and not a childhood issue, sit with this: kids don’t experience policy debates. They experience nervous systems that are scared, exhausted, or suddenly gone. That’s where we’re going this week. 🌙
#ChildDevelopment #MentalHealth
#ChildDevelopment #MentalHealth
Rough numbers: about 1 in 5 childcare workers in the U.S. is an immigrant, and about 1 in 4 young children has at least one immigrant parent. When immigration policy shakes, so does early childhood.
#ChildCareCrisis #Immigration
#ChildCareCrisis #Immigration
February 8, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Rough numbers: about 1 in 5 childcare workers in the U.S. is an immigrant, and about 1 in 4 young children has at least one immigrant parent. When immigration policy shakes, so does early childhood.
#ChildCareCrisis #Immigration
#ChildCareCrisis #Immigration
Self-care isn't selfish. It's evidence-based parenting.
When you're regulated, your kid learns regulation. When you're burned out, they absorb that too. The data doesn't lie.
When you're regulated, your kid learns regulation. When you're burned out, they absorb that too. The data doesn't lie.
February 7, 2026 at 5:56 PM
Self-care isn't selfish. It's evidence-based parenting.
When you're regulated, your kid learns regulation. When you're burned out, they absorb that too. The data doesn't lie.
When you're regulated, your kid learns regulation. When you're burned out, they absorb that too. The data doesn't lie.
NEW: Your body is having conversations with your kid that your mouth isn't. The uncomfortable science of how stress transfers and what actually helps. 🔗
#ParentWellness #StressScience
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/your-nervo...
#ParentWellness #StressScience
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/your-nervo...
Your Nervous System Is Their Childhood
The Science of Parental Stress, Child Anxiety, and the Kind of Self-Care That Really Matters
theparentingrevolution.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:17 PM
NEW: Your body is having conversations with your kid that your mouth isn't. The uncomfortable science of how stress transfers and what actually helps. 🔗
#ParentWellness #StressScience
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/your-nervo...
#ParentWellness #StressScience
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/your-nervo...
Every moment you show steadiness reminds your child the world can be gentle. Healing your patterns shapes theirs. 🌙 #GentleParenting #TraumaInformed
February 7, 2026 at 12:33 AM
Every moment you show steadiness reminds your child the world can be gentle. Healing your patterns shapes theirs. 🌙 #GentleParenting #TraumaInformed
A child’s sense of safety begins inside your nervous system. Calm isn’t taught—it’s transferred. ✨
#Parenting #NervousSystem
#Parenting #NervousSystem
February 6, 2026 at 6:58 PM
A child’s sense of safety begins inside your nervous system. Calm isn’t taught—it’s transferred. ✨
#Parenting #NervousSystem
#Parenting #NervousSystem
The way you breathe, pause, or rush becomes the background noise of your child’s world. Regulating yourself is one of the deepest acts of nurture. 🌱 #Parenting #ChildDevelopment
February 6, 2026 at 2:25 PM
The way you breathe, pause, or rush becomes the background noise of your child’s world. Regulating yourself is one of the deepest acts of nurture. 🌱 #Parenting #ChildDevelopment
Decision-making framework for data-literate parents:
1. Gather quality data
2. Check your biases
3. Trust your gut for context
4. Make the call
Neither data nor instinct alone is enough. You need both.
1. Gather quality data
2. Check your biases
3. Trust your gut for context
4. Make the call
Neither data nor instinct alone is enough. You need both.
February 5, 2026 at 11:20 PM
Decision-making framework for data-literate parents:
1. Gather quality data
2. Check your biases
3. Trust your gut for context
4. Make the call
Neither data nor instinct alone is enough. You need both.
1. Gather quality data
2. Check your biases
3. Trust your gut for context
4. Make the call
Neither data nor instinct alone is enough. You need both.
Parent wellness check: Are you pouring from an empty cup?
You can't analyze the data clearly when you're running on fumes. Self-care isn't optional—it's how you stay sharp enough to advocate effectively.
You can't analyze the data clearly when you're running on fumes. Self-care isn't optional—it's how you stay sharp enough to advocate effectively.
February 5, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Parent wellness check: Are you pouring from an empty cup?
You can't analyze the data clearly when you're running on fumes. Self-care isn't optional—it's how you stay sharp enough to advocate effectively.
You can't analyze the data clearly when you're running on fumes. Self-care isn't optional—it's how you stay sharp enough to advocate effectively.
Today’s reminder for tired parents:
The system loves tidy labels and fixed scores. Your child is a work in progress.
Look at their growth, not their ranking.
What’s one change you’ve seen in your child this year that no test could capture?
The system loves tidy labels and fixed scores. Your child is a work in progress.
Look at their growth, not their ranking.
What’s one change you’ve seen in your child this year that no test could capture?
February 4, 2026 at 11:13 PM
Today’s reminder for tired parents:
The system loves tidy labels and fixed scores. Your child is a work in progress.
Look at their growth, not their ranking.
What’s one change you’ve seen in your child this year that no test could capture?
The system loves tidy labels and fixed scores. Your child is a work in progress.
Look at their growth, not their ranking.
What’s one change you’ve seen in your child this year that no test could capture?
The difference between screening, assessment, and evaluation:
💠Screening = quick check (10-15 min)
💠Assessment = deeper look (30-60 min)
💠Evaluation = comprehensive diagnosis (multiple sessions)
Your child's teacher can screen. Not evaluate. Know the difference.
💠Screening = quick check (10-15 min)
💠Assessment = deeper look (30-60 min)
💠Evaluation = comprehensive diagnosis (multiple sessions)
Your child's teacher can screen. Not evaluate. Know the difference.
February 4, 2026 at 6:07 PM
The difference between screening, assessment, and evaluation:
💠Screening = quick check (10-15 min)
💠Assessment = deeper look (30-60 min)
💠Evaluation = comprehensive diagnosis (multiple sessions)
Your child's teacher can screen. Not evaluate. Know the difference.
💠Screening = quick check (10-15 min)
💠Assessment = deeper look (30-60 min)
💠Evaluation = comprehensive diagnosis (multiple sessions)
Your child's teacher can screen. Not evaluate. Know the difference.