About
Helping parents understand the science behind their children's minds and behavior.
Growing Minds Science exists so parents can raise strong, happy, healthy, capable children with more clarity and less shame — using developmental research, translated into language that holds up in real family life.
Why this exists
Parents don't need more pressure. They need better explanations.
Most parenting content is either rigid scripts, vague slogans, or a single personal philosophy with very strong opinions. Meanwhile, the actual research on early development is rich, careful, and full of things that would help parents — but it sits inside academic papers most parents never see.
Growing Minds Science is the bridge. It translates developmental science into classes and tools that respect parents as adults, recognize how exhausting early childhood is, and stay calm about uncertainty when uncertainty is honest.
Matthew McArthur
A child development specialist and parent coach.
Growing Minds Science is built by Matthew McArthur. He works as a Child Development Specialist and parent coach, and teaches an Infant and Toddler Socialization class in Los Angeles.
Matthew's research and practice center on cognitive development, language development, environmental influences on skill development, and parenting behaviors. The throughline is the same as everything else here: take what the research actually says, then translate it into something a parent can use on a Tuesday.
That work includes coaching over 100 parents in Los Angeles, two years coaching these principles directly with families, and six years studying the developmental science behind them.
Educational philosophy
How Growing Minds Science teaches.
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01
Translate the research, don't replace it Plain language, with honesty about what the evidence is and isn't. No invented certainty, no oversimplified hooks.
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02
Respect the parent Parents are adults. The work assumes you're already trying hard, already paying attention, and already capable of nuance.
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03
Mental models over scripts The goal is a clear way to understand what's happening, not memorized phrases for every situation. Mental models travel; scripts don't.
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04
Calm by default No urgency manufactured for engagement. No shame. The tone is what a thoughtful friend who happens to know the research would sound like.
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05
Built for ordinary days Every recommendation has to work on a normal weekday — between transitions, meals, work, and the actual capacity of tired adults.
Education
Background.
- UCLA — B.A. in Psychology
- SDSU — M.A. in Developmental Psychology
Educational content only. Not medical or psychological advice. Always consult your child's clinicians for individual concerns.
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