Nurturing Cubs- Tiny Steps to Mighty Leaps! Supporting Families
Bilingual, evidence-based resources built by clinicians for families and caregivers.
Welcome to Nurturing Cubs
Who Benefits?
Who can benefit? Parents, clinicians, and families seeking practical, evidence-based ideas to support early bonding and engagement, including culturally adapted resources for diverse families.
Support the Work
Nurturing Cubs is a one-clinician project funded by support from people who believe these resources should exist and be free where they can be.
Your support during medical leave directly funds: bilingual video production, free resource hosting, the upcoming clinician web tool, and basic income coverage so this work continues instead of getting shelved during recovery. facebook.com/nurturingcubs
Any amount matters, sharing matters <3.
Our Mission
Michelle Mauricci-Karns, M.S., Clinical Lead, Adjunct Faculty, BCBA and Clinical Psychology candidate
I am a clinician, a researcher, single mother, and faculty member at Truckee Meadows Community College. My clinical work is grounded in psychology and applied behavior analysis, with a particular focus on how psychological factors interact with socio-cultural conditions — both adverse and protective — to shape health and behavioral outcomes. This line of inquiry is informed, in part, by my own lived experience, which has shaped both the questions I ask and the rigor I bring to answering them.
Over the past seven years, I have worked across psychology, ABA, pediatric healthcare, and neuroscience education, with an emphasis on diversity-informed practice. In my faculty role, I develop college-level course materials with an emphasis on accessibility, discussion-based engagement, and interactive learning — work that reflects the same commitment to clear, structured communication that runs through my clinical and research practice. My broader contributions include peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and speaking engagements, and leadership roles within professional and academic communities.
Support Our Mission
Nurturing Cubs is a one-clinician project funded by support from people who believe these resources should exist and be free where they can be.
Your support during medical leave directly funds: bilingual video production, free resource hosting, the upcoming clinician web tool, and basic income coverage so this work continues instead of getting shelved during recovery. facebook.com/nurturingcubs
Any amount matters, sharing matters <3.
More About me:
I'm a clinician-researcher and faculty member with 15+ years of experience working with pediatric and marginalized populations. I am also a single mother of a 5 year old neuropsicy child which continues to build my lived experience knowledge. My clinical and research work focuses on Resilience, trauma and culturally relevant adaptations of interventions. I developed the Spanish cultural adaptation of PCIT-Toddler and PCIT-PRIDE for Oregon Community Programs. I'm also the creator of Golden Science and I've published in child/adolescent psychiatry and presented at the National Prevention Science Society Conference.
I care about evidence-based practice, cultural responsiveness, and access. Most of all, I care about giving families and clinicians tools that actually work in real homes and real sessions.
Resources & Tools
IN APP--- nurturingcubsapp.org
Available now (free):
- Calming corner setup guide for ages 0–12
- Bilingual video resources for families and clinicians YT: @Nurturingcubs TikTok: @Nurturing.cubs
- Naturalistic teaching activities you can do at home
- Clinical handouts and parent-friendly explanation
- Clinician web tool for prescribing naturalistic activities to families
- bilingual activity library searchable by skill target, age, and developmental level
- Parent-facing app version
Coming during recovery (Summer 2026):
SEL stories
Parent University
Clinician focused Nurturing Cubs Academy for BIPOC responsive TIC care
General Child's development guides vs atypical
Environmental Modifications & Cultural Adaptations for families
Explore Our Free Tools
Our web tool and KO-FI shop offers a variety of free, evidence-based intervention tools you can use at home today to support your child's growth and learning. Our app hasis built for parent engagement with micro evidence informed interventions. Not all of us can afford therapy or access, and not everything needs to be pathologized. These tools were developed to make your life easier if you are a parent, RBT, SLP, ECE professional, etc.