Child Care Resource and Referral

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Helpful Links for Parents and Providers

Activities for Language and Early Literacy
http://www.walearning.com
Free reproducible activities in English and Spanish. These materials include forty-six home and community activities for adults and preschool children that encourage early language and literacy development in young children. They are appropriate for children with disabilities as well as children who are developing typically. The materials are specifically designed to address the three key skills of 1) language development, 2) phonological awareness, and 3) general print awareness.

American Academy of Pediatrics
http://www.aap.org
An organization of pediatricians offering health information for parents and a section for professional and educational resources.

American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/gwstemplate.cfm?section=greatwebsites&template=/cfapps/gws/displaysection.cfm&sec=24
This section, or index, of the larger ALA site has great resources for both parents, providers, teachers and children. For children and teens, there are pages that highlight good websites to visit, and recommended reading and software. For caregivers, there is information on adult reference and media materials, a link to Booklist magazine, and much more.

Beansprout Networks
http://www.beansprout.net
Beansprout is the first online community connecting parents with their pediatricians and child care providers. Visit this website to find up-to-date information, resources, and tools for families and child care professionals.

Born Learning
http://www.esd189.org/nwel/bornlearning.html (local website)
http://www.bornlearning.org (national website)
Born Learning is a public engagement campaign that provides important information about what young children need every day to ensure quality early learning.  Designed to support you in your critical role as a child’s first teacher, Born Learning materials are made available.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov
A program of the US Department of Health and Human Services, focusing its efforts on research and investigations related to public health. A program of the CDC is The National Immunization Program.

Child Care Check
http://www.del.wa.gov/check
This website provides basic information about licensed child care facilities, including information about licensing complaints that are found to be valid (proven) by the Department of Early Learning. It does not report CPS information. If you do not find the provider that you are looking for, the business could be unlicensed.

Child Care Aware
http://www.childcareaware.org
Assists parents in finding the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community. Also has parent education information.

Council for Professional Recognition
http://www.cdacouncil.org
An accredidation program for child care providers.

Department of Early Learning
http://www.del.wa.gov/
The Department of Early Learning (DEL) places a high value on families and the relationship between parent and child. To ensure our children are safe, DEL partners with parents, early child care providers and early childhood specialists to help protect and nuture our children.

Early Learning and Development Benchmarks
http://www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/Benchmarks.aspx
A guide to young children's learning and development, from birth to kindergarten entry. This guide is designed as a resource document for everyone who cares for and supports young children, including parents, family members, child care providers, and teachers.

Elizabeth Pantley
http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth/advice/index.html
Acquire advice, solutions, links, and books about parenting. Elizabeth Pantley's solutions stem from her belief that children need to be raised with love, compassion, respect, and consistency.

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, places of worship, options for recreation and leisure, and a guide to the Internet.

Minimum Child Care Licensing Requirements
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=170-295 (Child Care Centers)
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=170-296 (Family Child Care)
It is essential that providers and parents are aware of Washington State’s minimum licensing requirements for child care. These websites list the minimum licensing requirements for both Child Care Centers and Family Child Care.

National After School Association
http://www.naaweb.org
Offers accreditation standards for the after school and out-of-school child care programs.

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 Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org
Come here to check out the latest information on NAEYC's conferences and publications, plus information on accreditation, advocacy, policy issues, and NAEYC membership.

National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
http://www.nafcc.org
The mission of NAFCC is to support the profession of family child care and to encourage high-quality care for children. NAFCC promotes high-quality family child care through accreditation, leadership training, technical assistance, public education, and policy initiatives. Visit the website to find out more about this organization.

National Center for Family Literacy
http://www.famlit.org
An organization focusing on development of quality literacy programs for parents and children.

National Child Care Information Center
http://www.nccic.org
Visit this site to find information on research and initiatives going on in the child care field. This page is also an excellent source for information on each state's ratios, teacher qualifications, demographics, and more.

National Head Start Association
http://www.nhsa.org
Offers support and resources to local Head Start programs.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
http://www.nichd.nih.gov
Conducts and supports medical research. NIH has 27 institutes and centers including The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and The National Library of Medicines’ MEDLINEplus.

National Parent Information Network
http://www.npin.org
As part of the ERIC clearinghouse on elementary and early childhood education, this site focuses on information for parents. You will find a lot of great resources, including a magazine, discussion list, conference events, state networks, an “ask-ERIC” section, and much more.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education
http://nrc.uchsc.edu
An organization that promotes safe and healthy out-of-home child care centers.

Parents' Action for Children
http://www.parentsaction.org
Parents will find parent education information, tools to connect with other parents, and support in issues important to families.

Parents as Teachers
http://www.patnc.org
A parent education program offering resources and support for families regarding early childhood education—from birth to age five.

Seeds to Success (Formerly known as the Quality Rating and Improvement System)
http://www.del.wa.gov/partnerships/qris/Default.aspx
Seeds to Success is the Washington State Department of Early Learning’s (DEL) voluntary quality rating and improvement system. There are two main goals of quality rating and improvement systems around the nation:
(1) Improve the quality of child care offered to families by offering support and resources to providers who commit to improving their facilities and the care they provide; and
(2) Offer “consumer report” information to families about child care providers in their communities so they can make the best child care choices for their families.

State Training and Registry System (STARS)
https://apps2.del.wa.gov/stars/
STARS is a career development system designed to improve child care through basic and on-going training for child care providers. Access this website to find out more about local trainings and trainers in your area.

Thrive by Five Washington
http://www.thrivebyfivewa.org/
Thrive by Five Washington champions positive early learning opportunities for every child, from birth to age five, so that they are ready to succeed in school and thrive in life. The board of Thrive by Five Washington is co-chaired by Mr. Bill Gates, Sr.

United Way Success By 6
http://www.liveunited.org/education/Index.cfm
A network working for the improvement of school readiness.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission
http://www.cpsc.gov
Promotes consumer safety in connection to over 15,000 consumer products.

US Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov/parents
Works toward ensuring equal access to education and promoting educational excellence.

Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC)
http://www.waeyc.org/
WAEYC is is the professional association for those working with children ages birth through eight years old in Washington. It has have fourteen (14) local Affiliate Chapters and almost two-thousand (2,000) members throughout the state.

Washington Learns
http://www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov
Washington Learns, created and led by Governor Chris Gregoire, is conducting a top to bottom, 18-month review of Washington's entire education system, its structure and funding.  The Governor has assembled a diverse group of business, community, education, government and minority leaders from all across Washington to create a roadmap for building a world-class education system that prepares all Washington students to succeed in today's global economy.

Washington State Child Care Resources & Referral Network
http://www.childcarenet.org
The WA State Child Care Resource & Referral Network offers information for parents and child care providers. Parents may access a pamphlet "Choosing Child Care" on line, background checks, and much more information on child care issues. Providers may receive information on available grants and loans for development, as well as getting licensed, professional development information, business planning/questions, health and safety links, and information on various other topics about the child care business.

Washington State Early Learning and Development Benchmarks
http://www.k12.wa.us/EarlyLearning/Benchmarks.aspx
A guide to young children's learning and development from Birth to Kindergarten Entry. This guide is designed to provide important child development information for all who care for and support young children - parents, family members, care givers and teachers.

Washington State Legislature
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
In order to learn more about and actively influence public policy pertaining to quality child care and early learning, and to improve the quality of early learning opportunities for children, contact your Washington State legislature. You can find your legislature online using the link above.

Washington State Training and Registry System (STARS)
http://www.stars.dshs.wa.gov
STARS is a career development system designed to improve child care through basic and on-going training for child care providers.  Information about scholarships for professional development, Washington Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC), Department of Early Learning (DEL), and Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network.

Working Connections Child Care
https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/f2ws03esaapps/onlinecso/wccc.asp
The Working Connections Child Care program helps families to pay for child care. Access this website to find out more information about subsidy eligibility and benefits.

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 resources for both parents and professionals.


 

Child Care Resource & Referral of Island, San Juan and Whatcom Counties
1111 Cornwall Ave Suite C
Bellingham, WA  98225
phone: 360-734-5121 • Toll Free 1-800-649-5121
fax: 360-734-0508
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