Welcome! This page features resources organized by service type (service coordination, service provision, and family support). Use the tabs below to view a selection of resources under each type of service. To view all resources of a certain service type, use the following Menu:
Service Coordination
Service Provision
Family Support
All Service Types
The Manifesto for Race Equity and Parent Leadership in Early Childhood Systems, published in 2019 by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, invites early childhood systems and programs to commit to "address[ing] inequities and racism by giving parents a voice and opportunity to be engaged and lead at all levels of change."
The Manifesto includes five "Core Commitments" for early childhood systems, with strategies to implement each of the commitments. This resource is also available in Spanish.
To learn more about the Manifesto, visit https://cssp.org/resource/parent-leader-manifesto/.…
Did you know that “research shows . . . having a strong foundation in early math . . . can lead to higher achievement in both math AND reading later in school.” That’s the kind of wisdom you’ll find in this tip sheet from the U.S. Departments of Health & Human Services and Education. The article defines S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in easy-to-understand terms then offers a long list of tips that families can try in their home language. These tips address such concept areas as measurement, counting, shapes, spatial relationships, patterns, and many more . . . all things inquisitive young minds are interested in learning. Give this tip sheet a read and see what S.T.E.M.…
alt="thumbnail of book cover"“Winning the Food Fights,” published on healthychildren.org by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is a light-hearted yet informative review of the book Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insights, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup, by Laura A. Jana, M.D., FAAP, and Jennifer Shu, M.D., FAAP. In the review the author poses such mind-bending questions as “Why do (toddlers) insist they hate something they’ve never even tried?” then proceeds to describe the “practical, reality-based answers” spelled out in the book. The areas addressed include “palatable peace-keeping strategies,” weight and eating habits, practicing patience, and applying the suggestions outside the home (which may not be helpful right…
For nearly four decades, the not-for-profit organization Pathways has been a “positive, trusted, inclusive partner to parents everywhere.” The dedicated staff at Pathways.org provide “free, trusted resources” based on the best available research and the expert opinion of pediatricians and therapists (e.g., OT, PT, SLP). Pathways’ resources include information on milestones; ability descriptions divided by age group; suggested activities to stimulate development; downloadable checklists, in both English and Spanish, that are easy to print and share; and countless video examples of the skills being discussed. Visit Pathways.org and take a few minutes to look around, then leave us a comment about what you found most interesting. We’d love to hear from you!
The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM)…
Our friends at Zero to Three have done it again! In “How to Introduce Toddlers and Babies to Books,” they’ve provided the field with evidence-informed strategies for teaching very young children about the joy of reading.
The first and most important tip shared is to have fun, noting that “when children have positive interactions with books, they are developing good feelings about reading.” What follows is a litany of sage advice—everything from “a few minutes at a time is OK” to “make books a part of…
The National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations describes the Pyramid Model as “a conceptual framework of evidence-based practices for promoting young children’s healthy social and emotional development.” It’s used by both families and professionals and is “based on over a decade of evaluation data.” Modeled after a “tiered public health approach” to providing supports to children and families, the Pyramid Model is built on a foundation of an effective workforce, meaning professionals who are able to “adopt and sustain these evidence-based practices.”
This Pyramid Model poster we’ve provided here describes three tiers of intervention, looking first at the base of the pyramid, then moving…
The Office of Special Education Program’s Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) and the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute bring us this week, “Let Me Tell You What I Want.” The intention behind this practice guide is to capitalize on the gestures infants naturally use to communicate and to help parents find ways to adapt gestures and signs for children with disabilities who may struggle with communication.
The brochure offers step-by-step guidance on how to observe a young child’s attempts at gestures, then reinforce what’s working and what makes sense within their family. It also gives three real-life examples of families putting the practice to use with amazing results. If you work with a family of a child who is learning to communicate, this practice guide might be just what you need. Leave us a comment below to let us know how you used the information and what the family thought.
If you’d like to check…
The Backpack Connection Series features 25 downloadable handouts on how parents and early childhood professionals can “work together to help young children develop social emotional skills and reduce challenging behavior.” The handouts provide a wide variety of tools and strategies for caregivers across four main categories: Addressing Behavior, Emotions, Routines and Schedules, and Social Skills. Examples include “Addressing Behavior – How to Help Your Child Stop Biting,” “How to Help Your Child Transition Smoothly Between Places and Activities,” and How to Help Your Child Learn to Share.” View these handouts online at https://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/Implementation/family.html#collapse2. These resources are also available in Spanish and Chinese at the California Teaching Pyramid…
California Department of Developmental Services, Early Start Section and California Department of Education, Special Education Division. WestEd Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, 2013.
Click here to download this resource directly.
…
A project of Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy, Story Blocks is “a collection of 30-60 second videos designed to model (for) parents, caregivers, and library staff . . . songs, rhymes, and finger-plays appropriate for early childhood.” The video clips also provide early literacy tips “to increase caregivers’ understanding of child development and pre-literacy needs.” Songs and rhymes are also offered in nine different languages. It’s a fun site to explore to be reminded of tried and true favorites as well as to learn new songs and rhymes children will enjoy. Check it out here and leave your comments below.
The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core knowledge and role-specific competencies needed for early…
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a wealth of resources on its website. The one we’d like to call your attention to this week is entitled Information on Safety in the Home & Community for Parents with Infants & Toddlers (Ages 0-3). Click on the title to be taken directly to the site. There you’ll find a series of links on topics ranging from burns to medicine safety to water safety and everything in between. These links will take you to topic-specific pages within CDC’s website, many of which include prevention tips. Once you’ve explored, leave us a comment below to let us know which topic you found to be most useful in your day-to-day work with families.
The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core…
In a “From Principles to Practice” Learning Brief, entitled “Building a Family Engagement Culture,” the authors address two questions:
In order to answer these questions, local advocates in L.A. County “developed a shared definition of family engagement” and outlined five guiding principles to “build upon the work of national advocates and stress the need to embed practices across the systems and settings that serve families with young children.”
The five guiding principles are as follows:
The Manifesto for Race Equity and Parent Leadership in Early Childhood Systems, published in 2019 by the Center for the Study of Social Policy, invites early childhood systems and programs to commit to "address[ing] inequities and racism by giving parents a voice and opportunity to be engaged and lead at all levels of change."
The Manifesto includes five "Core Commitments" for early childhood systems, with strategies to implement each of the commitments. This resource is also available in Spanish.
To learn more about the Manifesto, visit https://cssp.org/resource/parent-leader-manifesto/.…
The Family Resource Centers Network of California (FRCNCA) has developed a one-page infographic for families illustrating the variety of community resources to support infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. View the infographic below, or click here to download the PDF directly to your device.
Heather Lanier's daughter Fiona has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a genetic condition that results in developmental delays -- but that doesn't make her tragic, angelic or any of the other stereotypes about kids like her. In this talk about the beautiful, complicated, joyful and hard journey of raising a rare girl, Lanier questions our assumptions about what makes a life "good" or "bad," challenging us to stop fixating on solutions for whatever we deem not normal, and instead to take life as it comes.
This Report from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University describes a set of “design principles” that policymakers and practitioners can use to improve outcomes for children and families. That is, to be maximally effective, policies and services should:
1. Support responsive relationships for children and adults.
2. Strengthen core life skills.
3. Reduce sources of stress in the lives of children and families.
“Getting Ready: Promoting School Readiness through a Relationship-Based Partnership Model” was published by Sheridan et al in 2008. “In the ‘Getting Ready’ model, collaborative partnerships between parents and professionals are encouraged to promote parent’s competence and confidence in maximizing children’s natural learning opportunities and preparing both parents and children for long-term school success.”* A more recent article by Marvin et al (2019), “Getting Ready: Strategies for Promoting Parent-Professional Relationships and Parent-Child Interactions,” expands on the original text and describes a set of “evidence-based ‘Getting Ready’ practices . . . which highlight daily opportunities” in which the practices can be implemented. Waters & Catlett (2020) review the newer article and include suggestions for professionals who work with young children and their families as well as instructors and faculty…
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) offers earthquake resources, focusing on things that can be done to support children before, during, and after an earthquake. For example, the site recommends that parents be encouraged to “give children factual information about earthquakes in simple terms,” appropriate to their developmental level. They also offer an app they created called Help Kids Cope, which provides information on how to talk with children of different developmental levels. Immediately after an earthquake, parents can “model calm behavior; provide simple but accurate information in a quiet, steady voice; encourage comforting or distracting activities; and practice their own self-care.” The NCTSN article concludes with a host of downloadable resources for both parents and teachers. Be sure to check…
alt="thumbnail of book cover"“Winning the Food Fights,” published on healthychildren.org by the American Academy of Pediatrics, is a light-hearted yet informative review of the book Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed with Insights, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup, by Laura A. Jana, M.D., FAAP, and Jennifer Shu, M.D., FAAP. In the review the author poses such mind-bending questions as “Why do (toddlers) insist they hate something they’ve never even tried?” then proceeds to describe the “practical, reality-based answers” spelled out in the book. The areas addressed include “palatable peace-keeping strategies,” weight and eating habits, practicing patience, and applying the suggestions outside the home (which may not be helpful right…
Researchers at Zero to Three have developed a guide for early childhood professionals to support parents and caregivers in fostering their child's resilience to adversity. From ZerotoThree.org:
"In this brief, the authors explain how resilience can be recognized and fostered at four levels: the individual, the family, the school and caregiving systems, and the larger community. They also suggest ways that parents can build their child’s resilience on a daily basis by teaching self-care, emphasizing the positive, building a strong parent-child bond, reading together, encouraging social skills, maintaining a daily routine, nurturing self-esteem, and practicing reflection."
Visit the Zero to Three website to…
A study from the Princeton Baby Lab reveals new insights into brain development related to social and communication development. In the study, researchers recorded brain activity (safely!) for both babies and an adult during face-to-face interactions. They found that “during the face-to-face sessions, the babies’ brains were synchronized with the adult’s brain in several areas known to be involved in high-level understanding of the world — perhaps helping the children decode the overall meaning of a story or analyze the motives of the adult reading to them.” Findings also suggested that the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for a wide range of functions like planning and decision-making, may be more active in infancy than previously thought.…
This publication from Zero to Three highlights collaborative practices from four states - Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey and Washington - that have effectively connected and coordinated multiple state systems to serve infants and toddlers and their families.
Click here to download Better Outcomes for Babies: Key Practices of Cross-System Collaboration directly to your computer or device, or click here to visit ZerotoThree.org for more information about this resource.
This is exciting! The folks at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) have published a 25-minute online module on the topic of attachment. Development of Attachment: Learn How Children Form Lasting Bonds with Their Caregivers contains a series of narrated slides as well as a handout and a discussion guide in case an early intervention team would like to view it as a group. The presentation is currently available in English only, but I-LABS has plans to repost it in Spanish, Vietnamese, and Somali. Transcripts of each narrated slide are also available as is an extensive list of the references cited. If attachment is an area of interest, be sure to check this module out. Then leave us a comment below to tell us what you thought.
The…
This resource for parents from ZerotoThree.org offers families strategies for understanding their child's temperament and predicting how their child will react in different situations. Read more at https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/243-tips-on-temperament.
The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core knowledge and role-specific competencies needed for early intervention service provision, incorporating current research and evidence in the field of early intervention. To access the ESPM, CLICK HERE.
This resource is related to the following ESPM knowledge-level…
The National Service Coordination Training Workgroup, with support from the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the Early Childhood Personnel Center, have recently published Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators (KSSC). The KSSC is voluntary to use and describes “the foundational knowledge and skills that are necessary for quality service coordination in early intervention.”
Click here to access the KSSC.
Click here to read the announcement about the KSSC on the DEC website.
We may be a little late for Halloween, but the ideas in No Tricks, Some Treats, All Fun: Top 5 Fall Activities for Toddlers, by Zero-to-Three, can be adapted for use throughout November and into December. “Apple Taste Off” works any time this season. “Ghost Painting” may need a new name, but the “Fall Sensory Bin” is sure to be a hit any time. “Seek a Treat” can become a scavenger hunt for fun and festive fall items, which is especially exciting to do in a dimly lit room with a flashlight. “Ghostbusters!” could become a turkey hunt as you catch your gobbling friends and use them to decorate your space. Check out this resource and let us know in the comments below what adaptations you might make. It’s always good to share ideas with parents that they can…
In an effort to increase public awareness and outreach and Early Start, the Department of Developmental Services created the Early Start Healthcare Provider Brochure, an easy-to-read brochure for pediatricians and other healthcare providers that outlines the screening, referral and intake process.
Click here to download the Healthcare Brochure directly to your computer or device.
In Tips for Video Chatting with Young Children – Staying Connected While Far Apart, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) offers some practical guidance on how to make video chatting a rich and meaningful experience. The author reports that “children as young as 8 months old respond very well to interactions with people via video chat platforms.” It’s all about the real-time interaction capability of today’s video chat platforms (like Skype, Facetime, and Google Hangout). This resource provides tips on supporting children as they use the platforms and adults as they chat with young children as well as ways to make video chats more interactive. The article ends with a link to some exciting research on the topic. Check it out and leave us a comment below to…
A 2019 study led by researchers at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School found that "shared reading between parents and very young children, including infants, is associated with stronger vocabulary skills for nearly all children by age 3," particulary for those children at higher risk for learning and behavioral challenges. Read more about the study online at https://www.rutgers.edu/news/young-children-and-infants-read-parents-have-stronger-vocabulary-skills
The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core knowledge and role-specific competencies needed for early intervention service provision, incorporating current research and evidence in the field of early intervention. To access the ESPM,…
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a wealth of resources on its website. The one we’d like to call your attention to this week is entitled Information on Safety in the Home & Community for Parents with Infants & Toddlers (Ages 0-3). Click on the title to be taken directly to the site. There you’ll find a series of links on topics ranging from burns to medicine safety to water safety and everything in between. These links will take you to topic-specific pages within CDC’s website, many of which include prevention tips. Once you’ve explored, leave us a comment below to let us know which topic you found to be most useful in your day-to-day work with families.
The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core…
Trouble finding what you need? Need to report a broken link? Contact your Neighborhood Admin Team at esonlinehelp@wested.org
