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Child Growth & Development
Family Engagement Resources
Are you looking for ways to engage your young children at home? The University of Virginia’s Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning has developed STREAMin3 Family Activity Cards. The activity cards are simple but meaningful activities that support children’s development across their day at home. Please click the links below to download or print the cards and guide.
- Infant Activity Cards
- Toddler Activity Cards
- Pre-School Activity Cards
- Family Guide for Equity and Acceptance
Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive!
Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive! is a federal effort to encourage healthy development, universal developmental and behavioral screening for children, and support for the families and providers who care for them. Early identification allows for earlier intervention which tends to cost less and be more effective.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFFEL)
CSEFFEL is focused on promoting the social and emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5 and has developed an extensive set of training materials, videos and print resources including family tools for supporting social and emotional development.
Tucker Turtle Takes Time to Tuck and Think at Home
English Version | Spanish Version
Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia
The Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia provides early intervention supports and services to infants and toddlers from birth through age 2 who are not developing as expected or who have a medical condition that can delay normal development. Find out more about early intervention services in Virginia.
Learn the Signs. Act Early
Free tools: Track your child’s development, and photos and videos of developmental milestones. From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. Track your child’s development and act early if you have a concern.
Talk, Read, and Sing Together
Research-based tip sheets for families, caregivers and early learning educators to help make the most of everyday language building experiences. Downloadable resources are in English and Spanish.
Talking is Teaching
Talking is Teaching is a campaign that shares tips and great ideas to make everyday activities teaching moments by talking and/or reading and/or singing with young children.
Health and Safety
Family Readiness Kit
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently developed an updated AAP Family Readiness Kit to help families prepare to get disaster-ready.
First Things First Parent Kit
This digital Parent Kit will help you meet the challenges of being a parent and supporting the healthy development of your baby, toddler or preschooler.
Healthy Futures VA
Healthy Futures VA is your source for up-to-date children’s health information. View videos and text about children’s health topics or explore what happens during a child’s health care visit to a medical professional.
Safe Kids Virginia
Safe Kids Virginia is your go-to source for safety information, where you will find tips from safety experts to keep kids of all ages safe from preventable injuries.
Resource Programs/Organizations
Child Care Aware
Child Care Aware of Virginia is a community-based network of early care and education specialists whose purpose is to deliver services to families, child care professionals, and communities to increase the accessibility, availability, and quality of child care in Virginia. Child Care Aware provides a referral service and information about child care for parents, as well as the opportunity to talk with experts about parenting issues.
Head Start Early Learning & Knowledge Center
The Head Start Early Learning & Knowledge Center has a wealth of resources for families about Head Start, Early Head Start, health & safety, child development, parenting, school readiness and supporting your family’s well-being.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
The National Association for the Education of Young Children promotes high-quality learning for all children birth – age 8. This national organization accredits child care programs based on ten standards of quality that they have developed. They also offer information for families on a variety of topics related to child development and learning.
Virginia Infant & Toddler Specialist Network
The Virginia Infant & Toddler Specialist Network has a resource section on their website that provides information on numerous topics for families including child development, early intervention, early childhood mental health, and exceptional children.
Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time
VPOST is dedicated to developing and expanding academic, social, emotional, and physical supports and services to school-age children throughout Virginia during out-of-school time hours. They offer resources to parents on parenting and raising children, food security, summer activities, STEM, and help finding the right after school program.
Family Assistance Resources
Financial Assistance
Nutrition Assistance
- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
Medical Assistance