As a translator of ideas and facilitator of dialogue, Dr. Laura Jana is on a mission to change the parenting paradigm and the public conversation about the skills needed for success in the 21st Century. She has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, NPR, Good Morning America, ABC News, NBC News and Fox News and has been quoted extensively in outlets such as Time, People, WebMD, Parents magazine, The New York Times and USA Today. Dr. Jana serves as a media spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and has served on the national Executive Committee for Early Education and Child Care.

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A Closer Look at Tired Teens

The Daily Doze, July 26, 2017

Regardless of whether you look to your own parenting experiences or to the science of age-specific sleep patterns, it is clear that, when left to their own biorhythms, young kids routinely go to bed and wake up earlier than teenagers do, yet get to start school later. Read more

Like Chocolate and Peanut Butter: Examining Child Care and the Workforce

July 12, 2017

“I am well aware that the mixing of business with early childhood, at least at first glance, often strikes people as unusual, unlikely, and for some, downright unsettling. Yet with more than two decades spent as a pediatrician committed to making sure all children have the support, skills and tools they need to succeed in school, work and life, I am both intrigued and excited to find myself sharing a vision with the Chamber Foundation that includes using compelling evidence and real-world outcomes to convince the country that early childhood really is everbody’s business.” Read more 

Playing well with others with Dr. Laura Jana

Kinderling, June 15, 2017

In this second episode of a three-part series with Kinderling, Laura explores how to teach your children to play well with others. Listen here

Sleep Takeaways from Experts at TED Conference

The Daily Doze, May 30, 2017

At this year’s annual TED Conference recently held in Vancouver, there were more than 90 thought-provoking TED talks covering topics important and relevant to our culture. TED is so-named because of its original focus on technology, entertainment and design. But despite it’s clear and longstanding focus on cutting edge technologies, globally complex issues, and future-oriented innovations, sleep was not overlooked. In fact, the importance of sleep was touched on by many speakers. What they had to say on the subject of sleep – whether head-on or tucked in to the context of a broader discussion – was eye-opening. Read more

Is Chewing Gum Good for Toddlers? Or Anyone?

Rachel Rabkin Peachman, April 5, 2017

Wrigley was far from unique in promoting child care protocols that have since fallen out of favor. “There are many examples of significant shifts in parenting norms: Toddlers used to sit on parents’ laps in the front seat of cars before car seats were invented; children’s hands were strapped to the side of the crib to prevent thumb sucking; babies slept on their bellies; and a bit of brandy for teething was a thing,” Dr. Jana said. “In all instances, we now know much better.” Read more

UNMC professor/pediatrician poses parenting paradigm shift in her new book

Cheril Lee, April 3, 2017

Dr. Laura Jana, a pediatrician and director of innovation at UNMC’s College of Public Health, has a new book out called “The Toddler Brain: Nurture the Skills Today That Will Shape Your Child’s Tomorrow.”

Jana says her book offers a parenting paradigm shift and focuses on seven QI skills children need to develop in their first five years. Read more

What is wrong with being a helicopter parent?

KETV: Omaha’s ABC affiliate, April 2, 2017

“If we function like helicopter parents where we’re hovering and preventing any failure for our children, taking away all the pain of failure, we’re actually doing them a great disservice in a world that demands of us to be agile and move with rapidly changing times.” Watch now

How to Make the Most of Your Child’s Critical Growth Period

All parents want to prep their children for a success-filled future. But, according to renowned pediatrician and parenting educator Dr. Laura Jana, many go about it in the wrong way. They ready their kids for, say, the grade school hurdles-to-come instead of the fine art of being a human down the road. And by doing this, she says they’re missing out on a critical developmental window that happens during the toddler years. Read more