|
|
Links
Advocating
For Child Care: Learn to Advocate for Children Online:
- Our child care
industry contributes $1.1 billion to the economy through wages
and infrastructure outlay alone.
- 12,500 child
care businesses operate in Massachusetts, employing 44,000 people.
- Child care businesses
allow approximately 253,000 parents to work. These parents contribute
about $7 Billion to our economy.
- Quality child
care helps children succeed in school and later in life. These
children will become the highly skilled workforce Massachusetts
will need to compete in the economy of the future.
Here are websites
for our busy parents and providers to stay active in advocating
for their children. We recognize it is hard to be on the forefront,
but your voice can still be heard. Here are some terrific
national websites to keep you informed on local, state and
federal child care issues. Some of these websites offer you
the opportunity to take action or create dialog with other
advocates. We encourage you to forward this information to
others.
- The Center
for the Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/
Improving the quality of child care services by upgrading the
wages, benefits, training opportunities and working conditions
for child care teachers and family child care providers.
- Child
Care Organizer's Kit - “Leave No Child Behind”
http://www.cdfactioncouncil.org/childcare_toolkit_2003.pdf
The Mission of the movement is to “Leave No Child Behind.”
- Children’s
Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/
“The mission of the Children’s Defense Fund is to
Leave No Child Behind®. CDF provides a strong, effective
voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby,
or speak for themselves. Parents are child advocates are encouraged
to visit this website to learn about new initiatives and add
your support to letters that are reviewed by local, state and
our federal government.
- Early
Childhood Focus
http://earlychildhoodfocus.org/
This site is intended to provide the latest news items to Early
Childhood Education professionals throughout the country. We
encourage all users of this site to post information about news
items they feel might be important to Early Childhood Education
professionals. You can post a news items by clicking on the
Submit News link.
- Kids
and Politics
http://www.kidsandpolitics.org/
Connect for Kids will help you find questions to ask candidates,
learn what’s at stake for kids nationally and in your
state.
- Legislative
Action Center (LAC)
http://capwiz.com/cdf/home/
If you want to get involved in online/phone advocacy for important
issues that could change legislation please keep informed by
visiting the LAC website. You could advocate for local, state
of federal legislation.
- National
Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (NACCRRA)
http://www.naccrra.org/
NACCRRA, the Nation’s Network of Child Care Resource and
Referral, provides a website with links to information about
the status of legislative initiatives on the national level
related to child care policy. This website also provides links
to information on current events, including initiatives in other
states and localities through a news clipping service called
Early Childhood Focus.
- Strategies
for Children
http://www.strategiesforchildren.org/
Working to improve the well-being of children and families by
moving their issues to the top of the agendas of communities,
states and the nation
Education
& Learning
- Ask Jeeves
- For Kids
http://www.ajkids.com/
Ask Jeeves for Kids is a fast, easy and kid-friendly way for
kids to find answers to their questions online.
- Clearinghouse
on Early Elementary and Early Childhood Education
http://www.ericeece.org/
35 years of service to educators, parents and families, and
all of us interested in the development, education, and care
of children from birth through early adolescence.
- Color
In Colorado - (In Spanish)
http://www.colorincolorado.org/
Información, actividades y asesoria para padres de familia
que hablan expañol.
- Crayola
Activities
http://www.crayola.com/
Welcome to Crayola Creativity Central! Crayola.com offers arts
and crafts projects and ideas for everyday or rainy day fun.
We have coloring books and activity pages for any occasion.
- Early Learning
Services
http://www.doe.mass.edu/els/
Part of the Massachusetts Department of
Education with new information to support providers:
1. Current Grant Programs
2. Standards, Policies and Technical Assistance
3. Fiscal and Programmatic Accountability
4. Research, Data and Evaluation
5. Resources/Technical Assistance
6. Publications/Reports
- Family
Fun
http://familyfun.go.com/
Since 1996, FamilyFun.com (formerly Family.com) has been providing
families with creative ideas and real-life solutions. It's vibrant,
user-friendly, and full of what parents need to make family
life everything it can be.
- Parent
Soup
http://www.parentsoup.com/preschool/
Locate answers to all your family questions and learn about
new activities for your preschool children.
- PBS Television
– For Kids
http://www.pbskids.org/
Learn about children’s programming on PBS along with new
games, stories, pets, music and coloring.
- Preschool
Education
http://www.preschooleducation.com/
Preschool Education has many ideas to help with your theme planning.
Whether it is for your kids at home or for your classroom, we
can help.
- Red Leaf
Press
http://www.redleafpress.org/
Resource guide of activities that support music,
art and imagination.
- Scholastic
Books
http://www.scholastic.com/
Scholastic Inc., the global children’s publishing and
media company, has a corporate mission supported through all
of its divisions of instilling the love of reading and learning
for lifelong pleasure in all children.
- Teaching
Strategies
http://www.teachingstrategies.com/
Enhance the quality of early childhood programs by offering
practical, innovative, and developmentally appropriate curriculum
materials, training services, training materials, and parenting
resources.
Family
Resources
- The American
Library Association
http://www.ala.org/parents/index.html
This section, or index, of the larger ALA site has great resources
for both children and parents. For children and teens, there
are pages that highlight good websites to visit, and recommended
reading and software. For parents, there is information on adult
reference and media materials, a link to Booklist magazine,
and much more.
- Family
Fun
http://familyfun.go.com/
Since 1996, FamilyFun.com (formerly Family.com) has been providing
families with creative ideas and real-life solutions. It's vibrant,
user-friendly, and full of what parents need to make family
life everything it can be.
- Massachusetts
Department of Early Education & Care
http://www.eec.state.ma.us/
Parents who need more information about child care, residential
programs and adoption agencies.
- National
Parent Information Network
http://www.npin.org/
You will find a lot of great resources, including a magazine,
discussion list, conference events, state networks, and much
more.
- State
and National Organizations Family Services of Central Massachusetts
http://www.fscm.org/
Family Services of Central Massachusetts is a private nonprofit
organization that has provided support, guidance and counseling
to families since 1889. In response to the needs of today's
families, current services also include child care information
and referral, family counseling, employee assistance, family
life education and home care services.
- Zero
to Three
http://www.zerotothree.org/
Zero to Three is a national non-profit charitable organization
whose aim is to strengthen and support families, practitioners
and communities to promote the healthy development of babies
and toddlers. Visit this website to find information and resources
for both parents and professionals.
Government
Agencies
- Boston
Centers for Youth and Families
http://www.cityofboston.gov/bcyf/
BCYF is one-stop shopping for families looking for programs
and services for children and youth and infants to elders. The
goal: to provide education and recreation programs that are
both enriching and fun at quality facilities in every neighborhood
of Boston.
- Boston
Public Schools
http://boston.k12.ma.us/
dedicated to effective teaching and learning to prepare all
of Boston's students to achieve at high levels, and where the
entire community works together to focus on children
- Early
Learning Services
http://www.doe.mass.edu/els/
Part of the Massachusetts Department of
Education with new information to support providers:
1. Current Grant Programs
2. Standards, Policies and Technical Assistance
3. Fiscal and Programmatic Accountability
4. Research, Data and Evaluation
5. Resources/Technical Assistance
6. Publications/Reports
- Massachusetts
Department of Education
http://www.doe.mass.edu/
funding source for Community Partnerships for Children, and
responsible for ensuring improved teaching and learning in all
of the Commonwealth's public schools
- Massachusetts
Department of Early Education & Care
http://www.eec.state.ma.us/
oversees a quality system of child care and early education
programs for young children, and residential programs for youth.
- Places
to Visit in Massachusetts
http://www.mass.gov/
Select a variety of activity places to visit with your school
program or family.
Health
& Nutrition
- Family
Village
http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/
This website contains a library of specific diagnoses and a
wide range of topics related to special needs.
There is information about connecting with other people, health
care and product information, message boards, community and
educational resources, options for recreation and leisure, and
a guide to the Internet.
- National
Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/index.html
Some highlights of this website include a study on cost, quality
and outcomes, state child care regulations, and national safety
standards. An extensive links page with resources on everything
from lead poisoning to playground safety.
- Yours
For Children
http://yoursforchildren.com/
Yours for Children, Inc. (YFCI) helps Massachusetts children
receive nutritious meals and snacks while enrolled
in licensed family child care homes and informal child care
settings. Yours for Children, Inc. supports family child care
professionals with training, materials, and resources to enhance
the quality of family child care and it's free from Yours for
Children.
Massachusetts
Organizations
- Massachusetts
Association for the Education of Young Children (MAEYC)
http://www.massaeyc.com/about.htm
Focusing on leading and consolidating the efforts of individuals
and groups working to achieve healthy development and constructive
education for all young children.
- Massachusetts
Department of Early Education & Care
http://www.eec.state.ma.us/
Oversees a quality system of child care and early education
programs for young children, and residential programs for youth.
Providers and workers in child care can find licensing, qualifications
and training resources.
- Massachusetts
School-Age Coalition
http://www.mass-sac.org/
Dedicated to systematically enhancing the workforce and professional
development of school-age workers at all levels.
- Parents
United for Child Care
http://nccic.org/ccpartnerships/profiles/united.htm
Massachusetts organization who empowers parents to effectively
advocate for improvements in child care and family policy.
National
Professional Organizations
- Childcareexchange.com
http://www.childcareexchange.com/
This online resource guide is available to assist Director’s
on keeping up with current trends and resources to direct a
successful program.
- Family
Involvement Network of Educators (Fine)
http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/fine.html
The Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) is a national
network of over 2,000 people who are interested in promoting
strong partnerships between children's educators, their families,
and their communities. FINE's membership is composed of faculty
in higher education, school professionals, directors and trainers
of community-based and national organizations, parent leaders,
and graduate
- National
Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
Find out the latest information on National Association of the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conferences and publications,
plus information on accreditation, advocacy, policy issues,
and NAEYC membership.
- National
Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
http://www.nafcc.org/
NAFCC promotes high-quality family child care through accreditation,
leadership training, technical assistance, public education,
and policy initiatives.
- National
Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)
http://www.naccrra.org/
NACCRRA is the national network of community-based child care
resource and referral agencies. NACCRRA provides technical consultation
and resources to member child care resource and referral agencies.
Visit this website to find out more information and discover
the benefits of membership.
- National
Child Care Information Center
http://www.nccic.org/
Find information on research and initiatives going on in the
child care field. This is also an excellent source for information
on each state's ratios, teacher qualifications, demographics,
and more.
- National
Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/index.html
Some highlights of this website include a study on cost, quality
and outcomes, state child care regulations, and national safety
standards. An extensive links page with resources on everything
from lead poisoning to playground safety.
Places
to Visit with Children
- The Children’s
Museums and Parks
http://www.bostonkids.org/
helping children understand and enjoy the world in which they
live, as well as a great training resource for early childhood
educators.
- Franklin
Park Zoo
http://www.zoonewengland.com/
Outback Trail; Children's Zoo; Bongo Congo; Bird's World; lions,
African wild dogs, giraffes, and zebras.
- Massachusetts
Audubon Society
http://www.massaudubon.org/
Massachusetts Audubon Society is the largest conservation organization
in New England, concentrating its efforts on protecting the
nature of Massachusetts for people and wildlife. There are some
great places to visit throughout New England.
- Massachusetts
Places to Visit
http://www.mass.gov/
Select a variety of activity places to visit with your school
program or family.
- Museum
of Science
http://www.mos.org/
More than 400 participatory exhibits, from astronomy to zoology,
Planetarium, or visit the Omni Theatre films projected onto
a four-story screen.
- New England
Aquarium
http://www.neaq.org/
Two thousand species of exotic fish, sharks, and sea turtles
in giant ocean tank; penguin colony; hands-on tide-pool exhibit;
seal and sea otter tanks; IMAX Theatre.
- Stone
Zoo
http://www.zoonewengland.com/
South American grasslands; North American plains; indoor aviary.
|
|
Resources
for Families and Child Care Providers
