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
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The…
As part of their Parenting for Social Justice series, Zero to Three has published Celebrating Differences: Antiracist Parenting Right From the Start. The article includes “five facts about how children come to understand differences.” These include:
The author supports the idea that “talking to children about racism is part of our responsibility as parents” but acknowledges that this may not always be easy. She suggests reflecting on one’s own biases and re-thinking one’s views on race. This…
The Harvard University Center on the Developing Child has created an infographic for parents and professionals alike to explain the basics of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACES and Toxic Stress: Frequently Asked Questions describes how ACES work to impact very young children and their families and how the effects of ACES can be mitigated. Wiew and download this graphic on the Center on the Developing Child website: https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/aces-and-toxic-stress-frequently-asked-questions/
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…
This resource from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reviews the research on language development for young children who are dual language learners (DLLs) and offers tips for early childhood professionals to help multilingual babies and toddlers in their care feel safe, learn, and grow.
View this resource in its entirety at the National Association for the Education of Young Children website: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2020/rocking-and-rolling.
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 California Department of Education (CDE) recently distributed a handout entitled “Early Intervention Special Education Resources.” It gives a brief overview of three important programs:
Read the overview here:…
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…
The Clerc Center at Gallaudet University offers 15 Principles for Reading to Deaf Children. The principles are described as “best practices for how to read aloud to Deaf and Hard of Hearing children” in American Sign Language. The principles were derived from research on how Deaf parents read to their Deaf children and are presented here as tips for both parents and educators about the skills and strategies useful in sharing books with young children. The principles are contained in one 15-minute video, which is captioned and voiced for non-signers. The site also provides bookmarks within the video so that a viewer can access a specific strategy without having to scan through the entire video. We think you’ll like it, so take a look. Let us know what you…
The Family Focus Resource & Empowerment Center in L.A. produced this terrific video to share “Five Things You Can Do to Make Your Family Strong.” The content is based on the Five Protective Factors you may have heard about. Watch the video to learn more. It’s also available with Spanish subtitles if you click here.
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 on the Developing Child at Harvard University offers the field a timely infographic entitled “What We Can Do About Toxic Stress.” It explains the concept using a clever analogy of an overburdened truck hauling too much cargo and offers some practical advice about ways to lighten the load. “Just as a truck can only bear so much weight before it . . . stops moving forward, challenging life circumstances can weigh caregivers down (making) it hard to do the things they need and want to do.” The infographic suggests seeking out supports and services that “allow caregivers to focus on caring for themselves and their children,” such as food pantries, free activities for children and families, connecting with other parents, and…
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.
Harvard University's Center on the Developing Child has developed an infographic describing the research findings on the negative impacts of racism on the developing brains and bodies of young children. Download the infographic and learn more at https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/racism-and-ecd/.
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.…
The…
We are happy to announce a new resource for professionals to use and share with their communities!
The Story of Max is an animated video resource designed to provide parents with an introduction to the Early Start program, guiding them through the evaluation, assessment, and IFSP processes to the point where services are received!
We have provided the video in embed form, as well as for download. This video is available in both English and Spanish. If you would like to download either version, click the previous links.
English Version to embed:
<div style="padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;"><iframe…
As part of their Parenting for Social Justice series, Zero to Three has published Celebrating Differences: Antiracist Parenting Right From the Start. The article includes “five facts about how children come to understand differences.” These include:
The author supports the idea that “talking to children about racism is part of our responsibility as parents” but acknowledges that this may not always be easy. She suggests reflecting on one’s own biases and re-thinking one’s views on race. This…
The Clerc Center at Gallaudet University offers 15 Principles for Reading to Deaf Children. The principles are described as “best practices for how to read aloud to Deaf and Hard of Hearing children” in American Sign Language. The principles were derived from research on how Deaf parents read to their Deaf children and are presented here as tips for both parents and educators about the skills and strategies useful in sharing books with young children. The principles are contained in one 15-minute video, which is captioned and voiced for non-signers. The site also provides bookmarks within the video so that a viewer can access a specific strategy without having to scan through the entire video. We think you’ll like it, so take a look. Let us know what you…
Reflection: The First Step for Addressing Bias in Infant and Toddler Programs notes that being aware of our own beliefs and biases is the key first step in an anti-bias approach to working with young children and their families. The article goes on to offer reflective questions and tips for increasing self-awareness of one’s feelings and reactions. Read the full article here: https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/nov2017/rocking-and-rolling
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,…
Zero-to-Three offers a colorful infographic, entitled “The School-Ready Child” (o “Listos para la escuela” en español). In it the authors describe the reasons why getting ready for school begins in early childhood and the need for public policies that “focus on the healthy development of babies and toddlers as an essential part of preparing children for success.” They outline five important features of the school-ready child:
1. It’s all about relationships.
2. Everyday experiences shape early learning.
3. The importance of emotions.
4. The importance of play.
5. What a school-ready child looks like.
It’s a great reminder of the value of early intervention. EI providers support…
This article from Hands & Voices describes some of the unique hearing and language needs of babies with unilateral hearing loss, as well as strategies for supporting an infant to attend to sounds and voices and tips for supporting overall development and keeping an eye out for possible warning signs of developmental delays.
Read the article on the Hands & Voices website here: https://handsandvoices.org/articles/early_intervention/uni_loss_tips.html
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…
Zero to Three offers an excellent video resource entitled, “From Feelings to Friendships: Nurturing Healthy Social-Emotional Development in the Early Years.” It is part of their “Magic of Everyday Moments” series. The video describes the importance of the parent-child bond in building a child’s “ability to form relationships with others, express emotions, and face difficult challenges.” Supportive relationships encourage young children to “explore the world, develop empathy, and understand the difference between right and wrong.” The video offers ways parents can develop strong bonds and nurturing relationships with their young children. There’s also a tip sheet, which we’ve included here for easy access. It might be a great handout for the families you serve. Let us know in the comments below what you think.…
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