News

March 9, 2026

How to Prepare and Register Children for Summer Camp

With the ongoing snow and frigid temperatures, summer might still seem far away – but those looking to place children in summer camps should begin thinking about where to find spots for them.

Allegheny County Search Tool

Caregivers can find available spots for children at Allegheny County early learning, after school, summer camp, and virtual programs on Allegheny Child Care for Families’ website. The website – a collaboration between Trying Together and APOST – enables caregivers to explore programs based on location or children’s age and also includes virtual programs.

Providers regularly update information regarding available spots and whether they are accepting new families. As summer camp signup season approaches, providers should remember to update their profiles on the website. Caregivers can also create an account to save a list of their favorite child care providers.

How to Prepare Your Child for Summer Camp

While going away to summer camp can be exciting and provide a sense of independence for some children and young adults, it can also create anxiety for others.

The Child Mind Institute put together a list of resources regarding summer camp anxiety to help caregivers in easing children’s minds for when they will spend the night away from home.

In one article, the institute lists a variety of ways that caregivers can help children to overcome pre-camp anxiety – including letting them feel a sense of ownership over the experience, not trivializing their concerns or offering glib reassurances, reflecting on your own formative experiences away from home and sharing positive aspects, and not lingering at the bus stop or drop-off point.

In an article from New York Presbyterian on a similar topic, suggestions to help children get the most out of their summer camp experience include not promising to pick up a child as soon as they get homesick, doing a dry run by visiting the camp ahead of time, sending along a favorite stuffed animal, or suggesting they talk to a camp counselor about any challenges they have.

Allegheny County Summer Camp Options

In February, Kidsburgh released its annual list of local summer camps for children of all ages and interests. This year, among the 75 camps listed were:

August Wilson African American Cultural Center’s Hip Hop Camp
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Pittsburgh Musical Theater Conservatory
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Shady Side Academy
Jewish Community Center
National Aviary
Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History
Pittsburgh Public Theater Summer Camps

In the Kidsburgh article, each summer camp listing is accompanied by information on the program and registration.

Programs listed in Allegheny Child Care for Families’ database include the Homewood-Brushton YMCA, Venture Outdoors, Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania, and the Sarah Heinz House Association, among others.

Summer Camp Options in Other Counties

There are a variety of options for summer camps in other nearby western Pennsylvania counties. These include:

Armstrong County

Beaver County

Butler County

Fayette County

Greene County

Indiana County

Lawrence County

Washington County

Westmoreland County

News

March 3, 2026

Child Mind Institute Releases Survey, Resources for Black Families Seeking Mental Health Care

The decision to place a child on medication to treat a mental health or learning disorder can be a difficult one.

The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources to address the possibility that Black parents in particular might be skeptical because of the history of misuse of psychiatric medication on Black patients.

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In a recent Child Mind Institute survey of Black families and young adults seeking mental health care, about half of the participants said they believed that mental health professionals are too quick to prescribe medication.

The survey identified key barriers of the participants’ experiences in seeking care. It also found that Black adolescent boys are less likely to seek care from mental health professionals than their female counterparts.

The institute’s resources address concerns about medication and how caregivers and clinicians can work together to get the best treatment for a child. They also explore why Black children with autism tend to be diagnosed late and Black teens with mood disorders are often misdiagnosed as well as how these challenges can be overcome.

The resources highlight the importance of having more Black and culturally competent mental health professionals available for Black children.

Below are the Child Mind Institute’s resources:

News

February 16, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Keeping Children Motivated in School

It’s not unusual for children to go through periods when they feel unmotivated in schools, especially during the cold winter months or when the next long break feels like a long time away.

The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources for helping children to remain motivated in school.

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There are a variety of factors that could prevent children from being motivated in school – including everything from ADHD to anxiety or a learning disability. However, children without a diagnosis can also struggle to remain consistent.

The Child Mind Institute’s resources cover what might be behind a child’s behavior, from boredom and frustration to social issues, and how to offer the right support.

Struggling with a particular skill can be especially hard for children who are gifted in other areas. If a child appears to be losing steam in one area, acknowledge their efforts in a different area to help boost their confidence.

Below is the list of the Child Mind Institute’s resources.

News

February 11, 2026

Thriving Kids Episode Covers How to Help Children Manage Stress

Children face a number of situations that can be stressful, from school pressure and social dynamics to the big emotions they might have difficulty controlling.

It’s natural that caregivers would want to help children to make their stress go away. However, it’s important for caregivers to teach children how to manage, rather than avoid, stress.

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In the latest episode of the Thriving Kids podcast, Dave Anderson, the Child Mind Institute’s senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education, joins Dylan Gee, PhD, a professor of psychology at Yale University, to discuss why learning to manage stres is an important emotional skill for children.

The conversation also touches on why avoiding stress can make it worse over time and how children can learn to tolerate discomfort and recover from difficult moments. They also talk about what caregivers can do to support the process as well as how their staying calm and regulated can help a child feel safer, more supported, and better able to cope.

Additionally, the Thriving Kids podcast provided some tips on how to support a child when they’re feeling stressed:

Validate their emotions and let them know it’s normal to feel overwhelmed sometimes; using words like “frustrated,” “worried,” or “scared” can help them to identify and express their feelings.
Show genuine interest in how the child is feeling and make sure you’re actively engaged in the conversation. Listen without judging or rushing to offer solutions.
Your own emotional state can influence your child’s, so take time for self care and learn how to manage your own stress effectively.
Help the child learn that stressful situations can have many interpretations, and challenge negative thoughts by gently guiding them towards more balanced perspectives.
Help the child to learn to tolerate stress instead of trying to eliminate it by teaching them such coping strategies as deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, or creative expression.

For more information, listen to the latest Thriving Kids episode.

News

February 10, 2026

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Children with Multiple Diagnoses

It can be challenging for caregivers during the process of seeking a diagnosis for a child, but even more so if they learn the child is struggling with two – or more – mental health or learning disorders.

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The Child Mind Institute has put together a series of resources on what experts call co-occurring disorders. Having multiple disorders is not unusual: One study found that 40 percent of adolescents diagnosed with a mental health disorder met the criteria for another.

Some of the most common combinations include autism and ADHD, anxiety and depression, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and learning disorders together with anxiety or depression. Additionally, children with Tourette’s often have OCD or ADHD.

The institute’s resources include a piece on co-occurring disorders that examines why they happen frequently and how they affect treatment. In some cases, two disorders are diagnosed together, but one is often identified later when treatment for the first doesn’t resolve some symptoms.

Sometimes, a second disorder is developed as a result of a child’s struggles with the first – especially depression, anxiety, or substance abuse. In any of these cases, the conditions must be treated carefully for the child to thrive, as treatment for one could complicate the other, particularly if multiple medications are being used.

Below is the list of the Child Mind Institute’s resources on co-occurring disorders.

News

February 9, 2026

Thriving Kids Episode Focuses on Teaching Children How to Handle Disappointment

In a culture that emphasizes achievement – and considers mistakes something to avoid at all costs – it is important for caregivers and educators to teach children how to tolerate disappointment.

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Failing at something is a core life skill and not a weakness. When failure feels unacceptable, children can become anxious, overly self-critical, or afraid to try new things and, in the process, become more vulnerable to burnout or emotional distress.

Dave Anderson, the Child Mind Institute’s senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education, joins journalist Jennifer Wallace, author of “Never Enough” and “Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose,” in the latest episode of Thriving Kids to discuss this topic.

They talk about how toxic achievement culture affects caregivers and children alike, and what it means to raise a child who feels like they matter for who they are – and not what they accomplish.

The discussion covers:

Why fear of failure fuels anxiety and burnout
How caregivers can instill counter-culture messages about self-worth
What children need from adults when they fall short

Some tips provided by Thriving Kids on how to help children learn to fail and recover from setbacks include:

Start with empathy; when children fail, resist the urge to immediately reassure them or fix the problem. Instead, acknowledge their feelings and recognize that they are in distress.
Model how to handle mistakes; help the child understand that failure is a normal part of life and happens to everyone.
Turn failure into a teachable moment. A setback can be an opportunity to build acceptance and problem-solving skills.
Step back and allow failure. It can be painful to watch children struggle, but hovering or rescuing can prevent them from developing resilience.
Know when extra support may help. If a child’s fear of failure is so intense that it interferes with their daily life, professional support from a therapist can help them practice tolerating disappointment in a structured way.

News

December 29, 2025

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors in Children

It is not uncommon for some children to take part in such nervous habits as pulling hair, biting nails and picking skin – but plucking hair to the point where there are bald spots or picking at skin until it bleeds can be signs of a disorder. In such cases, children might need treatment because they can’t control their actions.

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The Child Mind Institute has released a new series of resources on body-focused disorders – or what experts call body-focused repetitive behaviors. These can include trichotillomania (hair pulling) and excoriation (skin picking), which are related to obsessive compulsive disorder but don’t usually start until after puberty.

Children often take part in such habits as a way to cope with anxiety or negative emotions. Pulling their hair or picking their skin might give a temporary sense of relief, which is why they continue to do it.

Unlike other habits – such as cutting or self-injury – children who pick skin or pull hair are not deliberately trying to hurt themselves.

Below are several articles from the Child Mind Institute on body-focused repetitive behaviors.

News

December 16, 2025

Podcast Tackles How to Help Children Manage Their Big Emotions

One of the biggest challenges – and most important skills to learn – for children is managing big emotions. If such feelings go unchecked, they can lead to struggles beyond the toddler years and caregivers being overwhelmed.

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A recent Thriving Kids podcast covered the topic of how to help children manage their emotions. Dave Anderson, senior psychologist and vice president of public engagement and education for the Child Mind Institute, joined Marc Brackett, PhD, founding director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of “Dealing with Feeling,” to discuss the topic.

The discussion covers why many children struggle to manage big feelings, how caregivers can shift from knowing to becoming “curious scientists,” and why focusing on positive emotions is just as important as managing difficult ones.

The Child Mind Institute’s Family Resource Center provided some strategies touted by experts on how to help children build emotional self-regulation skills. These include:

Start with labeling feelings – it’s easier for children to manage emotions when they can name them, such as “frustrated,” “sad,” “nervous,” or “excited.
Model calm – children often mimic adults’ behavior; when a caregiver takes a breath and speaks gently in response to a challenging situation, it teaches them what self-regulation looks like
Practice in slow-stakes moments – emotional self-regulation skills are built through repetition; try dry runs, such as practicing new skills during a quick errand if a child often has meltdowns as the store
Coach children through tough situations – when it comes to tasks or situations that children find overwhelming, break them down into small steps, which gives them the framework to tackle challenging scenarios on their own
Revisit challenges together – if a child has an outburst, return to it gently; children can learn to choose better ways to respond to a situation, but they need straightforward feedback. Talk about what went wrong and why – and how they can do better next time.

Listen to the entire Thriving Kids podcast on YouTube.

News

November 17, 2025

Child Mind Institute Resources Focus on Behavioral Issues for Children on Autism Spectrum

Some children on the autism spectrum struggle with behavioral issues that caregivers can find challenging to manage.

The Child Mind Institute has compiled a list of resources on how to address behavioral issues for children with autism.

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Behaviors described by the institute include young children wandering away from adult supervision or older youths going to extremes to avoid simple everyday tasks if they consider them to be demands.

Some behavioral problems can put children in unsafe situations as well as disrupt their ability to function at school or connect with their families. Caregivers face their own challenges by trying to find ways to ensure that children remain safe, happy, and supported.

The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources that focus on behavioral issues that are common in children with autism. Some focus on pathological demand avoidance (PDA) or setting up a behavior intervention plan, while others discuss ways to help children learn to communicate more effectively, rather than acting out.

The institute’s list includes: