WELCOME TO
POSITIVELY PARENTING
Parenting. Better. Together.
WELCOME!
We are so glad you're here!
Positively Parenting was created to provide parents and caregivers with foundational information they need to make informed choices for their children. "Babies don't come with a manual" may feel like a common, lighthearted joke – but it is a frighteningly accurate realization for most new parents!
Here you will find information – based in the science and art of psychology; supported by many years of experience – to help you make the best parenting choices for your family. Babies still may not come with a manual, but you don't have to do it alone!
You can also find JoAnna at
One Huddle!
Are you still looking for the village you were promised? Where is all the help, guidance, and advice?
If you're still at home googling and scrolling, One Huddle has your back! You get 24/7 access to Q&A with experts- like our pediatrician, Obgyn, registered dietitian, sleep consultant, lactation consultant- and me! You're parenting & child development bestie! We've got you covered- come join the Huddle!
Coming Soon!
Stop yelling, heal childhood wounds & function better as a family!
This course was designed for the curious caregiver – anyone who wants to know more about the psychology behind your child's actions or what the potential long term effects of your parenting (caregiving) choices may be. Some topics addressed include attachment theory, parenting styles, temperament, developmentally appropriate behaviors (and when to ask for further assessment), various learning theories, and what to do with all of this information! So much protective parenting comes down to empathy and how to create a safe and loving environment. Join JoAnna to examine this parenting psychology and how to use it to make the most effective choices for your family.
Meet JoAnna
JoAnna Wu has a BsEd in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and is currently working on her Masters of Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Trauma Studies and licensure as a clinical mental health counselor (aka psychotherapist, aka counselor, aka therapist etc).
JoAnna spent the first part of her professional life in different administrative roles in schools, working with children ages 6weeks through 5 years & their families. In the role of Educational Director, JoAnna managed staff, oversaw curriculum implementation and worked closely with so many amazing families. Her interactions with families changed as she progressed from Assistant Director of a small Montessori school, to Director of a large franchised preschool, then to Educational Director of The Goddard School (UWS) in Manhattan. JoAnna realized that in each of these administrative roles she had been trying to find a way to work with individual families and children, moving her farther away from the classrooms where she began.
In 2020 JoAnna took advantage of the pandemic-induced isolation to take graduate classes online in an effort to prepare for her eventual return to academia. While enrolled in a graduate developmental psychopathology class at Columbia University, JoAnna realized that time and time again, conversations about longterm mental health outcomes came back to not only early childhood experiences, but "high quality caregiving".
If psychologists have reliable research demonstrating the importance of high quality caregiving/parenting in early childhood, why aren't parents taught how to be "high quality caregivers"? Why isn't there more conversation about how adults can better prepare children for the future, not by increasing academic demands in Kindergarten, but by teaching self-regulation, empathy, and mindfulness?
Positively Parenting evolved from JoAnna's conviction that high quality parenting is a universal right for all children, and our duty to contribute to the health and wellbeing of the next generation.
Though there is no "right way" to be a parent or raise a child, even if it seems like it online, you should feel confident and informed in whatever you choose! Talk things through with JoAnna for the pep talk, cheerleading, research & data, life experience & vent session you didn't know you needed until you did.
