On this episode, Owala Maima and co-host Dr. Erica Hattery explore pedestrian safety, school vouchers, and early learning quality across Houston and Texas.

Halloween & Pedestrian Safety: Dr. Zoabe Hafeez, pediatrician and Associate Professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, shares practical tips for keeping children safe while walking, trick-or-treating, and navigating neighborhoods on Halloween.

School Vouchers & Public Schools: Elizabeth Sander, Education Reporter at the Houston Chronicle, discusses reporting that Houston-area school districts could lose an estimated $68 million in funding this school year as more than 8,100 students leave public schools through Texas’ school voucher program.

Building Quality Early Learning: Mike Nguyen, Executive Director of VN TeamWork, discusses the Early Learning Quality Network, a Harris County initiative designed to strengthen early learning and child care through community-led planning and input from families, providers, and local organizations.

Tune in every Wednesday from 9–10 a.m. on 90.1 KPFT Houston and kpft.org, and listen to new podcast episodes each Thursday morning!

On this episode, Owala Maima and co-host Brian Greene, President and CEO of the Houston Food Bank, explore immigrant family health, immigration enforcement, and the power of community storytelling.

• Immigrant Mothers & Family Health: Dr. Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba, Executive Director of Children’s HealthWatch and Research Associate Professor at Boston University School of Public Health, discusses her research on immigrant mothers, structural vulnerability, immigration status as a social determinant of health, and how these experiences can affect children and families.
• Immigration Updates: Krystal Gomez, Managing Attorney at the Texas Immigration Law Council, provides an update on recent immigration enforcement in Texas, including the ICE shooting in Austin, community arrests, and what families should know about Texas’ SB 4 law.
• Community Storytelling: Laura Gomez, Communications Manager at Woori Juntos, shares how the organization is amplifying stories from Houston’s immigrant communities and what these personal experiences can teach us about immigration, family, and community.

Tune in every Wednesday from 9–10 a.m. on 90.1 KPFT Houston, and listen to new podcast episodes each Thursday morning!

On this episode, Dr. Bob Sanborn and co-host Mandi Kimball, Vice President & Chief Government Affairs Officer at CHILDREN AT RISK, explore public education, Hispanic heritage, and food insecurity affecting children and families across Houston and Texas.

• Public Education: Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora, Superintendent of Tomball ISD, discusses the district’s seventh consecutive A rating, how schools measure success beyond state accountability, changes to Texas’ education system, and what families expect from public schools.
• Celebrating Hispanic Heritage: Patricia Gaitán, Executive Director of the Institute for Hispanic Culture in Houston, explores what Hispanic Heritage Month means for Houston families and young people, the meaning of Hispanic and Latino identities, and ways communities can celebrate and stay connected to their heritage.
• Food Insecurity in Harris County: Dr. Luz Garcini, Director of the Center for Community and Public Health at the Kinder Institute for Urban Research, discusses new research showing that half of Harris County households with children experienced food insecurity.

Tune in every Wednesday from 9–10 a.m. on 90.1 KPFT Houston, and listen to new podcast episodes each Thursday morning!