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Parent Information

First 2000 Days

There are only 2,000 days between the time a baby is born and when that child shows up for the first day of kindergarten. Experiences during these 2,000 days have a lasting impact on later learning, health and success. That is because children’s earliest experiences literally determine how their brains are wired; lay the groundwork for future health; and form the foundation of the social and emotional skills needed for academic and workplace success. With quality early childhood education, children will be school ready; have higher graduation rates and grow into productive citizens and valuable employees. See what people from North Carolina are doing in the First 2000 Days.


Kitchen Kids: Nutrition Resources and Information

Nutrition is an important part of education. Teaching our children about good nutrition from an early age will help them to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid growing health concerns associated with a poor diet. To help teachers and educators capture the attention of their students, the Kitchen Kids website has lesson plans, classroom resources, and kids-friendly activities to jumpstart the conversation about healthy living and proper nutrition.


Raising Readers

Raising Readers is a national literacy campaign and part of the Ready To Learn initiative, focused on building reading skills at home, at school, in child care, and in the community. New York State’s Ready to Learn Statewide Planning Project has Library Corners in many communities. See the attached list for Raising Readers initiatives in your area. Each Library Corner is equipped with an array of multimedia resources including 26 interactive reading activities and a corresponding DVD.


NYS Family Resources Website

The Council on Children and Families has launched the NYS Family Resources website, containing a unique collection of resources focusing on contemporary family issues and is designed for parents, professionals, and community leaders - particularly those who serve children and youth.


Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R)

CCR&Rs are your local experts on child care and provide parents with many services, including referrals to local child care providers. To find your local CCR&R, visit the Early Care & Learning Council's website to view their CCR&R Directory.


Nationwide Listings of Day Care  & Child Care Providers

Care.com's Child Care Center Directory uses a zip code based search tool for child care centers, day care centers, and preschools in your local area. In addition to the Day Care Directory,

Child Care Aware's Child Care Connector also links you to your regional child care options and CCR&R's.



Talking and listening to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers

A Place of Our Own
website has a Child Development / Cognitive Devlopment page presenting tips on talking and listening to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.


Savvy Source for parents

New York City parents: Trying to find the right preschool for your child? The Savvy Source for parents is a new fee-based website that rates preschool programs on everything from storybook reading to kindergarten placement rates. For a $35 membership fee, the site contains search maps, in-depth profiles and parent reviews. Visit Savvy Source at www.savvysource.com


Healthy Steps for Young Children

A national initiative developed by faculty in the department of Pediatrics, Boston University School of Medicine, to improve the quality of preventive health care for infants and chidren.  Healthy Steps provides parent prompt sheets, parent handouts and quick check sheets on a wide range of medical, practical and developmental issues - from baby-proofing the home to coping with toddlers' fears.  These materials are available free of charge at www.healthysteps.org.


StudyDog

StudyDog is a company that believes success in life starts with being able to read.  They offer a complete set of early learning lessons for free to low-income families on their website at www.studydog.com. Three levels of lessons, in a video game format, are available for children from pre-k thru the 2nd grade. 


Thrive by Five: Teaching Your Preschooler About Spending and Saving

On-line activities and tips for teaching preschoolers about money, are available on the Credit Union National Association's website.


Teaching Our Youngest, A Guide for Preschool Teachers and Child Care and Family Providers

A 48 page report prepared in 2002 by the Early Childhood-Head Start Task Force of the U.S. Department of Education, is available in a PDF download.  The report draws from scientifically based research about what can be done to help children to develop their language abilities, increase their knowledge, become familiar with books and other printed materials, learn letters and sounds, recognize numbers, and learn to count.  -download report


Back to School Safety Tips

From the National Safety Council & NHTSA, compiled by the Violence & Injury Prevention Program of Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center, are available in a two-page PDF download.  -download safety tips


Recipes for Play & A Taste For Play

Great suggestions for play activities from the Rochester Association for the Education of Young Children in PDF brochures.

-download Recipes for Play

-download A Taste For Play


Tips for teaching handwriting at home

Handwriting Without Tears, headquartered in Cabin John, MD, is a developmentally based program taught at a child's appropriate age level. Parental tips on how to teach handwriting to young children at home are available in a PDF download here.

 

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