Tammy’s takes!

National Association for the Education of Young Children

See what the educators are learning. NAEYC provides the high quality resources on a broad range of important topics in early childhood. Some of these topics include anti-bias education, developmentally appropriate practice, family engagement, and play.

* Tammy’s Take: This one site contains bountiful, quality articles and videos for educators and a section [FOR FAMILIES https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/browse-by-topic] encompasses the following topics: Behavior & Development, Creative Arts & Music, Digital Media, Literacy, Math, Nature & Outdoor Learning, Play, School Readiness, Science, Nutrition & Safety, and At-home Learning.

** Translations [NAEYC Resources in 中文, Español, العربية, فارسی (https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/global/global-blogs-and-articles] include articles in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Farsi

Zero to Three

As a membership-based organization, Zero to Three takes a unique approach to child development by connecting those who can truly make a difference in the life of a child with the research, resources, and tools they need.

* Tammy’s Take: This is a really compelling website. The clear and concise articles about the science of early brain development serve as a base for a wealth of resources on early childhood development, which is then capped by the political advocacy efforts (hooray!) of Zero to Three on behalf of families and educators

** Translations: Spanish (https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/recursos-en-espanol/)

Colorin Colorado

Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). Colorín Colorado is an educational service of WETA, a public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, and receives major funding from the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association

*Tammy’s Take: [FOR FAMILIES section (https://www.colorincolorado.org/families)] begins with articles and videos about Learning Together at Home followed by The Preschool Years and onward. I especially appreciate the emphasis for parents to take advantage of opportunities to share a connection to family history, culture and language while helping their child learn.

**Translations: Almost all content – articles and videos – are presented in English and Spanish with the click of a RED button.

National Association of School Psychologists

NASP supports effective early childhood education and intervention as a means of promoting positive outcomes for all young children and believes that school psychology services should be provided for all young children with and without identified disabilities.

*Tammy’s Take: When you have questions, but you’re not sure how to begin, articles such as “Early Childhood Disabilities and Special Education” help to define what is a disability, when caregivers should make referrals, and why it is important to identify developmental delays and disabilities in early childhood. Topics range from specific, such as selective mutism, to temper tantrums.

**No translations

American Academy of Pediatrics Parenting Website

HealthyChildren.org is a parenting website backed by close to 67,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Whether you’re looking for general information related to child health or for more specific guidance on parenting issues, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll find information regarding the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) many programs and activities, policies and guidelines, publications and other child health resources, as well as much, much more. Information comes from leading child health experts with scientific research supporting their recommendations.

*Tammy’s Take: The above is a very good description of this website, plus I found the site easy to navigate with topics of high interest to families. For example, one section called Ages & Stages breaks down child growth as defined by physical skills, social skills and cognitive thinking for children prenatal through young adult. Family Life spans topics such as Work & Child Care and the Power of Play.

**Translations: SPANISH https://www.healthychildren.org/spanish/ages-stages/preschool/paginas/default.aspx

Centers for Disease Control

CDC is the nation’s science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health. For more than 70 years, they’ve put science into action to help children stay healthy so they can grow and learn; to help families, businesses, and communities fight disease and stay strong; and to protect the public’s health.

*Tammy’s Take: Besides finding up-to-date information on current pandemics, the CDC offers a look at children health topics broken down by ages – 0 to 3, 4-11, (to young adult) covering Diseases and Conditions, Safety in the Home and Community, Raising Healthy Children, Milestones and Schedules, and Engaging Parents in School Health. This site also offers Parenting Videos.

**Translations: CDC information is available in 16 languages.

National Center for Pyramid Model Information

NCPMI provides all its services with the goal of promoting the positive social, emotional and behavioral outcomes of young children (birth through five), reducing the use of inappropriate discipline practices, increasing the inclusion and ongoing participation of young children with disabilities in early childhood settings, and the promotion of family engagement.

*Tammy’s Take: I was drawn to the [FAMILY ENGAGEMENT: https://challengingbehavior.org/implementation/family-engagement/] page. Here you will find Scripted Stories for Social Situations videos. “When children are given information that helps them understand expectations, their problem behavior within that situation is reduced or minimized.” One of the videos, Making a Scripted Story, includes a tip sheet for parents to develop and use scripted stories at home.

**Translations: Some of the videos have been translated into Spanish, Hmong, Ojibwe, and Somali.

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American Psychological Association

Psychology is a diverse discipline grounded in science, but with nearly boundless applications in everyday life. Scientific research conducted by psychologists can inform and guide those seeking help with issues that affect their professional lives, family relationships, and emotional wellness.

*Tammy’s Take: Navigating this site requires you to choose from a myriad of topics. Once a topic is chosen, there may be links to podcasts as well as several articles. But the most thrilling find for me is a list of suggested childrens books from Magination Press that match the topic.

**No translations

PBS Kids for Parents

Help your child learn and grow. Get age by age tips and activities for emotions, self awareness, social skills, character, literacy, math, science, and art.

*Tammy’s Take: A true resource-rich adventure for families. The tips and suggested activities for social emotional, academic and seasonal subjects are presented via articles and videos, and, as an extra bonus, are sometimes related to your child’s favorite PBS show. PLAY explores ideas for crafts and experiments, games, recipes and even do-it-yourself themed birthday parties. THRIVE articles offer stories and advice on raising kind, caring and resilient children.

**Translations: Spanish translations found by clicking button in top right corner.

Common Sense Media

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century.

*Tammy’s Take: With its focus on children and a goal to provide information on suitability of content, Common Sense Media reviews and provides ratings for media (books, movies, tv, and podcasts) and technology (games and apps). I have admired this nonprofit organization because of its advocacy for the digital equity, safety and privacy of all minors using technology.

**No translations

Maryland Family Network

Maryland Family Network has resources on health, safety and nutrition, child development, family education, physical development, and language and literacy development to help you along the way in your journey.

* Tammy’s Take: A Family Resource Specialist can help you locate general and special needs child care and will assist you in applying for a childcare scholarship. Note, there are Family Resource Specialists who speak Spanish and other languages to assist in your process. The Family Support Centers help parents with education and job readiness skills.

**Translations: Select Language offers 132 translation options from Afrikaans to Zulu.

Maryland Dept of Ed, Division of Early Childhood

As a Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) resource, the Maryland Families Engage website was designed to help build a community of support for those who care for and work with children. Our database of resources contains links to child development, family engagement initiatives, mental health, nutrition, literacy and more. You can sort these resources by topics and share your findings with families, friends and colleagues. 

*Tammy’s Take: The MD State Dept of Ed offers a [CHILD CARE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM – https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/child-care-scholarship-program ] If accepted, families will take the child to a child care provider that participates in the Maryland Excels Program. The MD EXCELS Program rates programs that meet high standards. You will be pleased to know that SSDS is a quality rated program!