The moment I first became a believer in the power of Daniel Tiger happened when my daughter was 3. She was on a playdate at the park when I announced it was time to get ready to go home. Instead of melting into my lap and whimpering as she’d done in the past (goodbyes are so sad!), she paused, took a deep breath and belted out one of Daniel’s catchy jingles: “It’s almost time to stop so choose one more thing to do!” She then went down the slide for the final time, calmly walked over to me and sang, “That was fun but now it’s done.”

For those who haven’t lived with a preschooler recently, Daniel Tiger is the red-sweater-wearing, life-lesson-learning young star of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, an animated series inspired by Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The show, which tackles topics from potty training to picky eating, was created by Angela Santomero, who is also the brains behind popular children’s programs such as Blues Clues, Wishenpoof, Creative Galaxy and Super Why. Her new book, Radical Kindness: The Life Changing Power of Giving and Receiving, explores how acts of kindness—toward ourselves and others—can help us achieve a more fulfilled, happy, healthy and successful life. It’s something she practices at home with her family in New York City. Here, Santomero talks about how she parents.