Being a parent is rewarding and challenging. There are no easy answers, but this website can help you with tips on raising your child and working within your community to increase support for parents and parenting.
We hope you will explore the following pages and find information that makes your job as a parent more enjoyable and rewarding.
Creating Parenting-Rich Communities
Interested in building supports for parents of children from birth to age 20? The Creating Parenting-Rich Communities Initiative has tools and resources online to guide you in every step of this process.
Parenting Resources for the 21st Century
Parenting Resources for the 21st Century is one of the most comprehensive sites for information on issues relevant to many different kinds of parents and communities raising children and youth of all ages. Sponsored by the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, this website's resources cover many topics, including Child and Youth Development, Child Care and Education, Out-of-School Activities, Family Concerns, and Family Dynamics.
Parents Action for Children
Parents Action for Children has helpful information for parents regarding eight major areas: Parenting, Child Care and Preschool, Health and Safety, Nutrition and Wellness, Media, Discipline, Special Needs, and Work and Family.
KidsHealth
KidsHealth offers practical parenting information and news relevant to children of all ages. All content is reviewed regularly (about every one to three years, or more frequently if needed) by physicians and other health experts.
National Parenting Education Network
National Parenting Education Network advances the field of parenting education by providing networking opportunities, research, professional development, and leadership for parenting educators.
Baby Center
Baby Center has several resources, links, and informative articles addressing the joys and challenges of parenting, from preconception to age 8.
Zero to Three
Zero to Three provides parents with information on child development, brain development, and parenting. Many reproducible materials available online.
Parents As Teachers
Parents As Teachers is an international early childhood parent education and family support program serving families throughout pregnancy until their children enter kindergarten, usually age 5. The program is designed to enhance child development and school achievement through parent education accessible to all families.
Get Ready to Read!
CWLA and the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) are partners in Get Ready to Read! (GRTR!), NCLD's national initiative to build the early literacy skills of preschool-age children. GRTR! provides an easy-to-administer, research-based screening tool to early childhood educators, child care providers, and parents to help them prepare all children to learn to read and write.
Kids in Danger
Kids in Danger is dedicated to protecting children by improving children's product safety. Includes information on how to protect your child from dangerous products, information about recalled products, and ways to find out if certain products meet voluntary standards.
U.S. Surgeon General's Tips to Keep Toddlers Safe and Healthy
U.S. Surgeon General's Tips to Keep Toddlers Safe and Healthy is a list of 12 ways parents can keep little ones safe and healthy; each tip links to online resources for further information.
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities "Learn the Signs, Act Early" Campaign
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities "Learn the Signs, Act Early" Campaign contains an interactive way for parents to receive information on normal developmental milestones and assess their children's developmental progress from ages 3 months to 5 years. In English and Spanish. Additional information and fact sheets are available on developmental screening and areas of delays and disabilities in children.
A Family Guide to Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug-Free
A Family Guide to Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug-Free provides parents of teens with the latest information in six major areas: Talk with Your Teen, Get Involved, Set Rules, Be a Role Model, Teach Kids to Choose Friends Wisely, Monitor Your Child's Activities.
MVParents Parenting Matters
MVParents Parenting Matters gives you practical, positive ideas for dealing with the big stuff through your daily actions as a parent. It shows how the conversations, boundaries, guidance, and modeling you do as a parent add up to make a big difference. Most useful for parents of school-age children and teens. More Parenting Resources from Search Institute are available online at http://mvparents.com/ABT_eCommerce.php.
Shoulder to Shoulder: Raising Teens Together
Shoulder to Shoulder: Raising Teens Together aids parents in dealing with violence, tobacco, alcohol, drug use, sexuality, eating disorders, and other topics their children may be dealing with. Resources and tips are available.
4Parents.gov
4Parents.gov is a guide to help parents and their pre- or mid-teen children discuss important, yet difficult, issues about healthy choices, abstinence, sex, and relationships. A parent guide is available for download.
For Parents of Girls and Young Women
GirlsHealth.gov
The parent/caregiver section on this website provides a range of resources and links to helpful information that will help parents in dealing with issues their adolescent females may encounter.
Girls Incorporated
Girls Incorporated is a national nonprofit youth organization dedicated to inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Available on the website are resources and downloadable publications for parents. Fact sheets and tips in dealing with adolescent female topics are also provided.
Girl Scouts of America
Girl Scouts of America is the world's largest organization dedicated to helping all girls everywhere build character and gain skills for success in the real world. Available on the website are articles for parents addressing the complex and ever-changing needs of girls. Included are useful tips and critical information for parents, caretakers, and anyone who works with girls.
Dads and Daughters
Dads and Daughters provides men with tools to be better fathers and advocates for daughters. The newsletter Daughters for parents of girls is available by subscription.
For Parents of Boys and Young Men
Boy Scouts of America
provides an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, train them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develop personal fitness. As part of its Youth Protection strategy, the Boy Scouts of America has developed several age-appropriate resources that Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts incorporate fully into their activities. Parent handouts and resources have also been created.
National Center for Fathering
National Center for Fathering is an online resource for everyday dads. Provided are fathering tips, articles, and links for dads of sons.
Resources for Divorced/Single Parents
Children's Right Council, Info 4 Parents
The Children's Right Council is an international, nonprofit, child advocacy organization. This website contains resources on access, visitation, parenting time; parenting education; prevention of child abuse and neglect; marriage; shared parenting; single parents; job sources; parentage establishment; and mediation. There are tips and information on subjects that can help never-married, separated, and divorced parents.
Single Parent Central
A website created for single parents to access needed resources. Included are government resources available to both single parents and divorced parents.
Advocacy Resources
Parents Action for Children
Parents Action for Children (formerly I Am Your Child) is a national public awareness and engagement campaign to make early childhood development a top priority for our nation. The website provides families with young children the information and resources they need to promote healthy development and school readiness.
The Children's Campaign
The Children's Campaign, though focused on issues in Florida, is exemplary in its ability to connect people with issues that effect the well-being of children. One of its most outstanding projects is the Candidate Connection, a process for communities looking to form relationships with elected officials to be able to inform their decisions regarding the best policies and practices for children and youth.
Education Resources
Awesome Library--K-12 Education Directory for Parents
Awesome Library--K-12 Education Directory for Parents offers information for parents, kids, teens, college students, teachers, and librarians in up to 14 different languages. In addition to links in nine or more school subject areas, parents will find information ranging from where to find an online dictionary to news on current events and resources to aid in educating a child with special needs. The Evaluation and Development Institute reviews this site's contents to offer more than 24,000 resources in a user-friendly format.
Reading is Fundamental
Reading is Fundamental provides parents and others with ways to help children learn to love reading. The Parents page is available in English and Spanish.
Media and Technology Resources
The Digital Living Project
Three leading youth organizations--National PTA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Girls Scouts of the USA--have aligned with Harmony Digital Media Consortium and its first corporate partner Yahoo! to launch the Digital Living Project. The project's first product is a downloadable guide for parents addressing digital safety and ethics for children. (This is a PDF file; requires Acrobat Reader from Adobe.)
Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council is a project of the Media Research Center, working to bring America's demand for positive, family-oriented television programming to the entertainment industry. PTC also helps parents in exercising responsibility for their children's viewing habits with the Family Guide to Prime Time Television, available for download on the website, which offers a traffic-light rating system with red, yellow, and green ratings indicating the amount of sex, foul language, and violence in each series.
National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children
The Parents Trauma Resource Page provides information in English, Spanish, and Arabic. The resources are easy-to-access and address the needs and responses of children and teens.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides parents and caregivers with online information about what traumatic stress looks like in children and youth and what adults can do to help. In English and Spanish.
Sexuality and Teen Pregnancy Resources
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy connects parents with the latest information in English and Spanish. Its Parent Power program is a communication guide to help parents talk about sexuality with their teens.
NYU Child Study Center(PDF file; requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)
NYU Child Study Center newsletter provides clarification about the developmental and social issues the confront gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, and questioning adolescents. Myths and misconceptions are discussed, along with ways parents can be supportive. Specific resources and websites are listed.
Children's National Medical Center
Children's National Medical Center offers parents and others information on gender variance and effective parenting of gender variant children and youth. Available in English and Spanish.
Alan Guttmacher Institute
Alan Guttmacher Institute makes available to parents of adolescents a variety of fact sheets, articles, research, and briefs relating to sexuality education and teenage pregnancy.
Substance Abuse Prevention Resources
SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Prevention has many online prevention resources for parents of children and youth.
Building Blocks for a Healthy Future
Building Blocks for a Healthy Future is designed for parents and caregivers of children ages 3-6 to help open lines of communication with young children and make it easier to keep those lines of communication open as they grow older.
Too Smart to Start
Too Smart to Start is an underage alcohol use prevention initiative for parents, caregivers, and their 9- to13-year-old children.
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