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 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.
Assessment scores are a snapshot, not a verdict.
Your 3-year-old who scores in the 25th percentile for vocabulary today might be reading chapter books at 7. Development isn't linear. The data point matters less than the trajectory.
Your 3-year-old who scores in the 25th percentile for vocabulary today might be reading chapter books at 7. Development isn't linear. The data point matters less than the trajectory.
February 4, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Assessment scores are a snapshot, not a verdict.
Your 3-year-old who scores in the 25th percentile for vocabulary today might be reading chapter books at 7. Development isn't linear. The data point matters less than the trajectory.
Your 3-year-old who scores in the 25th percentile for vocabulary today might be reading chapter books at 7. Development isn't linear. The data point matters less than the trajectory.
✨5 questions to ask about your child’s assessment:
1. What does this percentile actually mean?
2. How does this compare to the last screening?
3. What specific skills are being measured?
4. What’s the margin of error?
5. What are the next steps?
Save this for your next parent-teacher conference.
1. What does this percentile actually mean?
2. How does this compare to the last screening?
3. What specific skills are being measured?
4. What’s the margin of error?
5. What are the next steps?
Save this for your next parent-teacher conference.
February 3, 2026 at 5:45 PM
✨5 questions to ask about your child’s assessment:
1. What does this percentile actually mean?
2. How does this compare to the last screening?
3. What specific skills are being measured?
4. What’s the margin of error?
5. What are the next steps?
Save this for your next parent-teacher conference.
1. What does this percentile actually mean?
2. How does this compare to the last screening?
3. What specific skills are being measured?
4. What’s the margin of error?
5. What are the next steps?
Save this for your next parent-teacher conference.
NEW ARTICLE: Decode your child's assessment scores like a pro. Your kid gets screened at preschool. They hand you a form with numbers, percentiles, and jargon. Do you actually know what it means? Most parents don't. Let's fix that. 🔗👇
#DataLiteracy
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-your-...
#DataLiteracy
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-your-...
When Your Child’s Scores Don’t Add Up
A parent’s guide to reading developmental screening data without panicking—or missing real red flags
theparentingrevolution.substack.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:06 PM
NEW ARTICLE: Decode your child's assessment scores like a pro. Your kid gets screened at preschool. They hand you a form with numbers, percentiles, and jargon. Do you actually know what it means? Most parents don't. Let's fix that. 🔗👇
#DataLiteracy
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-your-...
#DataLiteracy
theparentingrevolution.substack.com/p/when-your-...
If parents actually understood the data schools collect, decisions about retention, “gifted,” and special ed would feel less mysterious—and less final. All month I’m breaking down early childhood assessment: what’s valid, what’s junk, and how to tell the difference.
February 2, 2026 at 11:32 PM
If parents actually understood the data schools collect, decisions about retention, “gifted,” and special ed would feel less mysterious—and less final. All month I’m breaking down early childhood assessment: what’s valid, what’s junk, and how to tell the difference.
Schools love to say, “Don’t worry, we’re monitoring your child’s progress” — then send home reports written in code. This week I’m decoding the alphabet soup: percentiles, stanines, scaled scores, so you can see what the school sees.
February 2, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Schools love to say, “Don’t worry, we’re monitoring your child’s progress” — then send home reports written in code. This week I’m decoding the alphabet soup: percentiles, stanines, scaled scores, so you can see what the school sees.