Money Matters - Extended Car Warranties

Buying a car is a process that’s full of decisions, many of which can drastically alter your out-the-door price. Deciding whether to purchase add-ons simply adds to the stress of it all. Most car buyers are offered an “extended warranty,” but it’s a term that is too often used in a misleading way. What are extended car warranties, and when do you need one? Automotive retail analysts and car consumer advocates Ray and Zach Shefska are available to detail what extended warranty coverage entails, whether you need one, and how to choose the best option for your vehicle without breaking the bank.

What Is an Extended Warranty?

An extended warranty is a service contract that covers certain repairs or services after the original manufacturer’s warranty expires. However, the term is frequently used incorrectly to refer to vehicle service contracts (VSCs) sold by third parties. A true extended warranty can only be provided by the vehicle’s manufacturer or dealer. Vehicle service contracts, on the other hand, are often sold by third-party companies and cover repairs in addition to the original warranty.  Both extended warranties and vehicle service contracts protect you from unforeseen repair expenses; the key difference is who sells you the plan – the car’s manufacturer or a third party.

Whether you need an extended warranty depends on your personal risk tolerance and the reliability of the vehicle you are purchasing. Here are some factors to consider:

• New Cars: New vehicles come with a manufacturer’s warranty that typically lasts for 3 to 5 years, with mileage limitations as well. Here’s an example from Toyota.  It’s important to check the warranty term for the vehicle you’re considering buying. If you plan to keep the car beyond this period and want extra peace of mind, an extended warranty or VSC might be a good option.
• Used Cars: For used cars, especially those without any remaining manufacturer’s warranty, an extended warranty can provide valuable protection against unexpected repair costs. However, it’s important to consider the vehicle’s reliability and your willingness to pay for potential repairs out of pocket. For used cars, you can often get a much lower rate for a vehicle service contract from a third party.

What Coverage Should an Extended Warranty provide?

When evaluating an extended car warranty, consider the following coverage details. The same rings true for vehicle service contracts:

• Duration and Mileage: Ensure the warranty covers an adequate period and mileage that suits your needs and driving habits.
• Covered Components: Look for comprehensive coverage that includes major systems like the engine, transmission, electrical systems, and more. See an example of extended warranty coverage here.
• Exclusions: Understand what is not covered, such as wear-and-tear items and regular maintenance.
• Deductibles: Check the deductible amount and whether it applies per visit or per repair. A high deductible may change your mind about the value of the coverage.
• Additional Benefits: Some warranties include extras like roadside assistance and rental car reimbursement.

It’s always a good idea to view a sample contract before signing on the dotted line.

Should I Buy an Extended Warranty at the Car Dealership, or Somewhere Else?

While car dealerships often offer extended warranties, they typically come with significant markups. Here are your options:

• Dealership: Convenient but usually more expensive. Be sure to ask if the warranty is from the manufacturer or a third party, and get other quotes to compare rates and terms, no matter what!
• Manufacturer: You can often buy an extended car warranty directly from the manufacturer, sometimes even after the original purchase. But is it a better deal? Compare terms, coverage, and exclusions, along with the price. 
• Third-Party providers: Many third-party companies sell vehicle service contracts. While these can be cheaper, it’s crucial to research the provider’s reputation and read the contract carefully to understand what is covered and what is not. These extended warranty and VSC providers are A+ rated from the BBB.

The Takeaway: Consider Coverage Details and Risk tolerance

Understanding what an extended warranty is and whether you need one can help you make an informed decision when purchasing a vehicle. Remember to consider your risk tolerance, the reliability of the car, and the coverage details of the warranty (or vehicle service contract). By doing your due diligence, you can find the best option that provides peace of mind.

CarEdge is a leading car consumer advocacy platform dedicated to empowering car shoppers to make confident, informed and financially savvy decisions. With trusted resources that includes AI agent shoppers, a Car Dealer Transparency Index, and hundreds of guides and videos on YouTube, CarEdge is redefining transparency, fairness and value in the automotive industry. Connect with him at www.CarEdge.com or on social media on  YouTube, TikTok,  X, Facebook, and Instagram.

Money Matters - Back-to-School Shopping Data

As we're back to back-to-school shopping once again, a recent survey finds that Americans report spending $189 on school supplies!

Researchers at the American College of Education sought to understand what parents know about out-of-pocket teacher spending and their thoughts on ways to support teachers in the future, so they surveyed more than 3,300 Americans. Here’s what they found:

Parents’ Views on Teacher Spending & Support

• When parents were asked to estimate teacher out-of-pocket spending, their guesses averaged at $382, which is $100 short of what teachers actually spend (on average, according to the NCES).

• When parents were asked how much they spend, the national average came out to $189 per child, on average. 

• Even so, the average American wants teachers to have $975 a year to support their classroom — more than double what teachers actually spend!

You can find the full survey results here 

Parenting Pointers - Principles of Reggio Emilia: Parents as Partners in Learning

By Stephanie Rino, Director of Curriculum and Learning (original post here)

Think about the last real conversation you had with your child’s teacher.

Not the quick hello at drop-off. Not the end-of-year report card. A genuine conversation in which a teacher shared not just what your child did that day, but how they think. What questions they asked. What they are working to understand. A conversation that made you feel like the people caring for your child truly know them.

If that kind of conversation is rare in your experience, you are not alone. In most early childhood settings, there is a clear line between home and school. The parent’s job is to deliver the child. The teacher’s job is to educate them. The two worlds run in parallel, but separate. Information flows mostly in one direction: from school to home, at scheduled intervals, in standardized formats.

The Reggio Emilia philosophy sees this differently.

In the Reggio Emilia approach, parents are not the audience for their child’s education. They are active participants in it. They are the child’s first teachers, their most constant observers, and an irreplaceable source of knowledge that no classroom educator can replicate. Parent partnership is not a nice addition to a quality early childhood program. It is a foundational principle, and it is one of the things that sets genuine Reggio Emilia approach preschools apart from programs that treat families as bystanders.

As Director of Curriculum and Learning at Little Sunshine’s Playhouse, this is a principle I return to again and again. It is the one that perhaps most requires us to challenge assumptions about what school is for, and who it belongs to.

 

What “Parents as Partners” Actually Means

The phrase “parent involvement” gets used a lot in early childhood education. But involvement can mean many things, and many of them are relatively passive, like returning a signed permission form.

Partnership in the Reggio Emilia sense is something different. It asks more. And it offers more.

In the Reggio Emilia philosophy, partnership with parents begins with a belief: that parents possess knowledge about their children that is not just useful, but essential, and it doesn’t require a formal education in early childhood education. They have watched their child move through the world from the very beginning. They know how their child responds to frustration, what lights them up, what they talk about at the dinner table, what fears they carry quietly, what questions they keep coming back to.

A Reggio Emilia educator does not assume that their months with a child give them a fuller picture than a parent’s years. Instead, they actively seek out what parents know. They invite parents into the documentation of their child’s learning. They share questions as well as answers. They treat the parent as a collaborator in understanding who this child is and what they need to thrive in the classroom.

 

What Parents Bring to the Classroom

One of the things that distinguishes a genuine Reggio Emilia partnership from more conventional models of family engagement is the recognition that parents bring real intellectual contributions to a child’s education, not just logistical support.

When a parent shares that their child has become obsessed with how bridges stay up, or that they cried on the way home because a caterpillar in the garden had died, that information shapes what a skilled educator does next. It ensures that what happens at school is connected to the child’s actual inner life, rather than a parallel track running alongside it.

Parents also bring cultural knowledge, family history, and community connection that can enrich classroom learning in ways no curriculum can manufacture. In a true Reggio Emilia environment, they are woven into the fabric of what learning looks like. This is one of the quiet markers that distinguish Reggio Emilia approach preschools from programs where family contributions stop at the classroom door.

At Little Sunshine’s Playhouse, we work to create genuine channels for this kind of contribution, because we know that the richest learning environments are the ones that draw on the knowledge of everyone in a child’s world.

 

How Partnership Benefits Children

It would be easy to frame parent partnership as primarily a benefit to adults, a way to keep families informed and engaged. But the deeper truth is that children are the ones who benefit most.

When a child sees the adults in their life communicating with genuine respect and warmth, when their teacher knows the things their parent has shared, and their parent understands what their teacher is working on with them, it creates a coherence in a child’s experience that matters enormously. The child does not have to hold two separate worlds.

Research on early childhood development consistently shows that children whose families are meaningfully engaged in their education demonstrate stronger social-emotional outcomes, greater confidence, and deeper engagement with learning.

 

What This Looks Like in Practice

For families who are new to Reggio Emilia environments, it can be helpful to understand what authentic parent partnership actually looks like in practice. It is not one gesture or one program. It is an orientation that shapes how educators communicate, how classrooms are designed, and how learning is documented and shared.

Some of the ways parent partnership comes to life in a Reggio Emilia preschool include:

• Regular, substantive communication about children’s learning, not just behavior reports or developmental checklists, but genuine sharing of what children are exploring, wondering, and discovering
• Invitations for parents to share observations from home that might inform classroom inquiry, and to see how those observations shape what educators do next
• Documentation displayed in ways that open conversation between families and teachers, rather than simply broadcasting information
• Family evenings or learning gatherings where parents can engage directly with the philosophy, the environment, and the educators who care for their children
• Opportunities for parents to contribute their own expertise or cultural traditions to ongoing classroom investigations
• Platforms like our LuvNotes app, which give families real-time glimpses into their child’s day and create openings for meaningful exchange

What all of these share is an underlying message: families, not just children, are welcome here. Parents are genuine members of the learning community. This is the kind of detail worth asking about when you are touring Reggio Emilia approach preschools and trying to understand what daily life actually looks like for families, not just children.

 

Why This Principle Matters, Especially Now

We live in a time when early childhood education is often discussed in terms of outcomes, benchmarks, and preparation. Parents are understandably anxious about whether their child is on track, and schools can fall into the habit of communicating through those metrics alone.

The Reggio Emilia commitment to parent partnership is a quiet but powerful pushback against that. It insists that a child’s education is not something that happens to them while their parents wait outside. It is something that unfolds within a web of relationships, and that web is strongest when parents are genuinely part of it.

It also insists on something that is easy to lose sight of in a culture that moves quickly: that parents are the experts on their own children. No standardized assessment, no developmental screening, no educator (however gifted) has access to the full, living knowledge that a parent carries. When a preschool program honors that knowledge and actively seeks it out, it is doing something more than good practice. It is doing something that is deeply respectful of families. This kind of genuine partnership is, in many ways, the clearest sign that you have found the best preschool for your child, not because of what is on a brochure, but because of how a program treats the people who know your child best.

At Little Sunshine’s Playhouse, we believe that the most meaningful thing we can offer a child is an environment in which every adult who cares about them is genuinely in conversation with one another. Where teachers know what parents know. Where parents understand what teachers are working toward. Where the child moves between home and school not as two separate worlds, but as one coherent, loving community. It is part of what makes us proud to be counted among the best preschool options families consider in our community.

That is what this principle means to us. And it is what we work toward every single day.

 

If this article sparked your interest, there’s so much more to explore. Our About page dives deeper into how exceptional early education can nurture a child’s natural curiosity, confidence, and love of learning. You can even experience this approach for yourself at one of our Reggio Emilia preschools and daycares near you. We’re glad you’re here. Let’s keep learning together.

 

Keep reading about the seven principles of Reggio Emilia!

(1) Children Are Active Participants in Their Learning 

(2) Learning Thrives Through Collaboration 

(3) Children are Natural Communicators

(4) The Classroom is the Third Teacher

(5) Teachers are Partners and Guides

(6) Documentation as Communication

(7) Parents as Partners in Learning

Money Matters - Is College Worth It? Survey

The math on college used to be simple: borrow now, earn more later. Not anymore. A new report from Credible finds that 48% of Americans don't think college is worth it in 2026.

 

• Nearly 2 in 3 (63%) wouldn’t take on student loan debt for a college degree today
• 58% consider college degrees a luxury
• 87% say alternatives to college are becoming more attractive (39% say trade schools are most attractive)

 

Despite these new insights, college degrees are still important to many: 55% still say their college degree provided a good ROI and 42% still view college as a necessity. But 60% believe you must earn a salary of $60k+ to justify the investment.

 

Take a look at the full report for additional insights into changing attitudes towards college. 

Parenting Pointers - Best & Worst States to Have a Baby

With the average conventional birth costing over $15,700 and insured families paying nearly $2,600 out of pocket on average, the personal-finance company WalletHub today released its report on 2026’s Best & Worst States to Have a Baby, as well as expert commentary, to identify where prospective parents will experience the highest quality care at the best cost.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 31 key measures of cost, health care accessibility and baby-friendliness. The data set ranges from conventional-delivery charges at hospitals to average annual infant-care costs to the number of pediatricians per capita. 
 

Best States to Have a Baby	Worst States to Have a Baby
1. Massachusetts	42. West Virginia
2. Minnesota	43. Arkansas
3. North Dakota	44. Georgia
4. Rhode Island	45. Texas
5. New Hampshire	46. South Carolina
6. Maine	47. Nevada
7. Connecticut	48. New Mexico
8. Vermont	49. Florida
9. Washington	50. Alabama
10. District of Columbia	51. Mississippi

 
Best vs. Worst

• Mississippi has the lowest average annual cost for early child care, which is 3.5 times lower than in the District of Columbia, the highest.
   
• New Hampshire has the lowest share of childbirths with low birth weight, which is 1.9 times lower than in Mississippi, the highest.
   
• Delaware has the most obstetricians and gynecologists (per 100,000 residents), which is 12.5 times more than in Oklahoma, the fewest.
   
• Massachusetts has the highest parental leave policy score, 160, while 9 states, such as Alabama, Michigan and South Dakota, tie for the lowest at 0.

 
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit: 
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-states-to-have-a-baby/6513

 

“The best states for having a baby minimize costs while providing top-notch care for both newborns and their mothers. They also continue to be good environments for parents even long after the birth, with high-quality pediatric care, affordable and accessible child care, and a strong economic environment that makes providing for a child easier.”
–
“Massachusetts is the best state to have a baby, in large part because it has the third-lowest infant mortality rate in the country and the third-lowest maternal mortality rate. Massachusetts also has the sixth-lowest food-insecurity rate for children and the sixth-highest share of children under three years old with all seven recommended vaccines. In addition, after giving birth in Massachusetts, you can benefit from the best parental leave policies in the nation.”

- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst 
 

Expert Commentary
 
When planning to have a child, what financial considerations should parents take into account?

“Prospective parents should consider the full financial impact of raising a child rather than focusing only on the immediate costs of pregnancy and baby supplies. Important considerations include health insurance and medical expenses, parental leave, childcare, housing, transportation, emergency savings, and potential changes in household income. Childcare deserves particular attention because its cost and availability can influence whether a parent returns to work, reduces working hours, or temporarily leaves the workforce. Families should also continue protecting long-term priorities, including retirement savings and adequate insurances. A realistic plan will not eliminate every surprise, but it can reduce financial stress and give parents greater flexibility when circumstances change.”
Kristal A. Gerdes, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout / Wisconsin's Polytechnic University
 

What is the biggest financial mistake that new parents make?

“One of the biggest mistakes is believing they must purchase every product or service marketed as essential for a new baby. This can lead families to overspend on short lived items while overlooking more important priorities, such as an emergency fund, childcare expenses, insurance coverage, and the possibility of reduced income. New parents should distinguish between what is truly necessary and what is simply convenient or emotionally appealing. Accepting secondhand items when appropriate, borrowing equipment, and delaying nonessential purchases can preserve valuable financial flexibility. The goal should not be to create a perfect nursery, but to build a stable financial foundation for the family.”
Kristal A. Gerdes, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout / Wisconsin's Polytechnic University
 

What can local authorities do to make their cities more baby friendly?

“Local authorities can make their communities more supportive of families by addressing the practical challenges parents face every day. Expanding access to affordable and reliable childcare is especially important, but family friendly communities also need safe sidewalks, accessible public transportation, well maintained parks, family restrooms, changing stations, lactation spaces, and affordable housing near schools and services. Cities can also support parenting programs, family resource centers, and free or low-cost recreational activities that reduce isolation and help families build social connections. These investments benefit more than parents and babies; they improve accessibility, safety, workforce participation, and quality of life throughout the community.”
Kristal A. Gerdes, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout / Wisconsin's Polytechnic University
 

What is driving the downward trend in the U.S. birth rate?

“The decline in the U.S. birth rate reflects a combination of economic pressures, changing life patterns, and greater individual choice. Many adults are postponing parenthood while pursuing education, establishing careers, seeking financial stability, or waiting for affordable housing and dependable childcare. The high cost of raising children, limited paid leave, work life balance concerns, and uncertainty about long-term financial security can make parenthood feel increasingly difficult to manage. At the same time, people have greater freedom to decide whether, when, and under what circumstances they want to have children. Although annual birth totals sometimes fluctuate, provisional CDC data for 2025 showed both births and the general fertility rate declining from 2024, continuing the broader long-term pattern of fewer births among younger adults and later entry into parenthood.”
Kristal A. Gerdes, Ph.D. – Professor, University of Wisconsin-Stout / Wisconsin's Polytechnic University


More From WalletHub

• Best & Worst States to Raise a Family
• Best & Worst States for Children’s Health Care
• Best & Worst States for Working Moms
• Best & Worst States for Working Dads

Music Minute - Christopher Wyze & The Tellers: I’m Going Back To Tennessee

Big Radio Records artist Christopher Wyze & The Tellers returns with his new single, “I’m Going Back To Tennessee,” available now. The first release from their forthcoming album, Naptown Blues, “I’m Going Back to Tennessee” was originally released in 1929 by Indianapolis blues artists Leroy Carr and Scrapper Blackwell. This release sets the stage for a powerful 11-song project that pays tribute to the rich blues history of Indianapolis, Indiana, and the songs of the city’s once-famed blues recording stars Carr and Blackwell. The duo’s groundbreaking work helped establish Indianapolis as an influential force in the blues genre. And now, with their forthcoming album, Wyze looks to honor their legacy while bringing his band’s voice and perspective to their music, a sound that shaped the city’s musical and cultural history.  "I'm Going Back To Tennessee" was premiered by The UK Americana Bar Show's "Sam's Pick of the Week."

To purchase/stream: CWyze.lnk.to/ImGoingBackToTennesseePR

“We recorded "I’m Going Back to Tennessee," and all the songs on this album without drums or percussion. That’s the way Leroy and Scrapper recorded. You’ll also hear lots of acoustic instruments: acoustic guitar, acoustic bass, acoustic harmonicas, plus just a single vocal. Again, that’s how Carr and Blackwell recorded things.”

For more information, visit christopherwyzeandthetellers.com.

About Christopher Wyze & The Tellers:
Christopher Wyze & The Tellers blend the grit of traditional blues with the storytelling spirit of Americana, creating a sound that’s raw, soulful, and unmistakably their own. Led by frontman and songwriter Christopher Wyze, the band’s music captures life’s highs, heartbreaks, and hard-earned lessons with honesty and fire. Their debut album, Stuck in the Mud, earned international acclaim and won the 2025 Blues Blast Music Award for Best New Artist Debut Album, landing on blues charts around the world. With authentic lyricism, powerhouse musicianship, and an energy that connects across generations, Christopher Wyze & The Tellers are redefining what modern blues can be—real, rootsy, and relentlessly human.

Book Nook - The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

 The Boy with the Butterfly Mind (August 11, She Writes Press) by Lorelei Brush is an illuminating new novel that explores the realities many families face but rarely talk about: raising a neurodivergent child while navigating rigid school systems, depression, and the stigma surrounding mental health labels.

Julie Crawford is a high school math teacher who excels at solving problems—until her four-year-old son is suspected of having ADHD and gets kicked out of preschool. With no safe childcare options available, a husband struggling to cope with depression, and a supervisor losing patience with her absences, Julie is forced to confront a problem that logic alone can’t fix.

At its heart, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind is about a mother pushed to her breaking point. As Julie struggles to navigate systems that aren’t built to support neurodivergent children or their families, she must face her own blind spots, family dynamics, and learn how to trust her instincts when it comes to deciding on the best next steps for her son.

I had a chance to learn more in this author interview.

What inspired you to write this book?

I have a son with ADHD, and he serves as my continuing inspiration. In the 1970s, I taught child development courses at Wesleyan University. They barely touched upon the topic of “disabilities,” centering on the development of the children that we now call “neurotypical.” I even had a wonderfully curious student doing a senior thesis on children with disabilities, but rather than immerse myself in the subject, I read what she wrote, discussed issues with her writing, and let her manage the content. It wasn’t until I had a child with neurodivergence that I rued not taking that early opportunity to learn more.

In trying to define my son’s strengths and sort out why and how he was not “typical,” I ran into all sorts of roadblocks. Relatives and friends all had opinions about what was wrong and regularly shared those with me. Sometimes I just got reactions like, “You need to discipline him more,” as though it’s possible to teach a wiggly four-year-old to sit still. Even when he was professionally diagnosed, I learned names for his issues and therapists I could take him to see but little about what else I could do as a parent. When I participated in school meetings to set up Individualized Education Plans, the meetings felt adversarial. And when the school didn’t live up to its commitments, I felt alone and stuck. 

What I wanted was a support team that included my family, therapists, and school staff. Maybe neighbors, relatives, and friends. I needed recognition that we had a family system that had to be fully involved if we were going to make a difference for our son. We had to accept that his neurodivergence was genetic and face our own neurodivergence. Only when the family dealt together with the issues could real progress be made.

So, the book’s inspiration came from my own situation, spurred by wanting so much to feel capable of being the best possible parent for my son. I started the story with a tough family situation facing a childcare crisis—the four-year-old kicked out of preschool—and wrote from my heart what likely happened thereafter, ensuring that the ending was an optimistic one.

Can you share a little bit about the title?

When I picture a butterfly, I see a colorful, graceful being flitting from flower to flower, testing the appeal of each until finally landing on one with plenty of sustenance. Children with ADHD are like that butterfly in having wide areas of interest, flitting perhaps from toy to toy until finally landing on something that may engage their interest to the exclusion of all else. They tend to hear a symphony, to see and test hundreds of interesting plants/toys/movements, and to hyperfocus from time to time on one thing and not even hear a mother’s call to dinner. The butterfly image conjures up the beauty of a child and also the potentially annoying behaviors of impulsivity, inattention to what an adult wants, hyperactivity in movement, and dislike of transitions.

Why will this book resonate with parents of neurodivergent children?

The Boy with the Butterfly Mind paints a recognizable picture of a family with neurodivergence. Parents of children with neurodivergence will see their own struggles to get the child up in the morning and out the door on time, to have just one family activity that doesn’t end in a meltdown, and to deal with relatives telling them how to raise their child properly. These parents know well how hard they are working for the benefit of their children, and the book gives them credit and pushes them to find a team that will listen to and support them in their efforts. In the end, the book shows that their hard work in understanding and guiding their child can lead to inspiring results.

What makes this book a good read for all parents and caregivers?

The statistics show that about a quarter of all children have some form of neurodivergence. What that number says to me is that all of us know and interact with children—and adults—with neurodivergence and can benefit from understanding more thoroughly what it feels like to be in that sort of family. Perhaps also, from this understanding, we’ll all be more interested in and better able to support those families.

I’m especially interested in reaching caregivers, teachers, therapists and those in training for the helping professions. We, too, are caregivers for these families. This book is a potential case study: what got in the way of this family moving forward? Is the diagnosis of the child appropriate and sufficient? What else would you suggest be investigated? What sort of diagnoses might be indicated for other members of the family? Do you approve of the sorts of therapies suggested and tried? What else would be appropriate?

That is, I believe this book can provoke lots of good discussions resulting in creative and effective options for all of us to both recognize the strengths of our children and address the many different needs there are among them.

Lorelei Brush is a college mathematics major, a former assistant professor of child development, and the parent of a neurodivergent child. The story in The Boy with the Butterfly Mind mixes elements of all three life experiences to describe the struggles and triumph of a young family dealing with neurodivergence. Her previous novels include Uncovering, about the trials of a nurse practitioner in northwest Pakistan, and Chasing the American Dream, about the quest of a disappointed WWII spy to be a hero in 1950s Cleveland. Lorelei and her husband live in Falls Church, Virginia, with a bossy gray cat named Marabelle.