Resources for Families

	Physical Health American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) The American Academy of Pediatrics website includes a parenting corner which includes quick links to children’s health topics, featured resources and topics of interest to families with young children. Website: http://www.aap.org/parents.html American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry website includes a parent resource center with “quick tips for busy parents” on ways to keep children’s teeth healthy including information on recommended types of toothbrushes and toothpastes, visiting the dentist and more. In addition, the site includes links to other resources and outside links regarding children’s dental health. Website: http://www.aapd.org/parents/ KidsHealth Kids Health is a website designed to provide information about kids that is free of “doctor speak.” The site includes information on children’s health, behavior and development from birth to the teen years. KidsHealth includes three separate sites, one for parents, one for kids and one for teens. Website: http://kidshealth.org/index.html Healthy Children The Healthy Children's website is sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics and provides information on development, healthy living, safety and prevention, health issues and more. Website: http://www.healthychildren.org Public Health Nutrition Services Oakland County Health Division's Nutrition Services works to establish healthier eating habits by individuals. They offer programs and services for nutrition information, nutrition counseling, and resources to other health related community resources. Visit their website for a Nutrition Services Community Resource Guide. Website: http://www.oakgov.com/health/program_service/nutr_about.html Social and Emotional Health Child Development Institute This website is designed for parents and provides information on child development, parenting, family life, learning, health and safety, child psychology and mental health. Website: http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ Project Challenge Project Challenge works with families, educators, and caregivers to provide support for young children who use challenging behaviors in their early childhood programs. Project Challenge staff offer child and classroom observation; staff and family consultation; intervention planning; and linkages to community resources. Website: http://www.oakland.k12.mi.us/EarlyChildhood Zero to Three Zero to Three believes that parents are the true experts on their children and that there is no one size fits all approach to raising children. The resources and tools available on their website are designed to support parents in developing their own ways to promote their children’s growth and development. Select from many key topics. Website: Zero to Three Parenting Education and Family Support Great Parents Great Start Includes links to additional resources for parents including Guide to Fun for Families, Parent Resource Directory, and Annual Parent Conference. Also includes a link to find out what is happening in Oakland County. Website: www.oakland.k12.mi.us/greatparents HomeLinks--Oakland Livingston Human Services Organization (OLHSA) Updated monthly, HomeLinks provides ideas for educational and fun activities for parents to do at home with their children. To see this month's ideas, simply "click for details" under HomeLinks on the right hand side of the homepage. Website: www.olhsa.org Oakland County Youth Assistance Oakland County Youth Assistance strives to strengthen youth and families. Family focused casework, information and referral services are provided in 26 field offices throughout the county. Youth Assistance services may vary slightly from area to area and year to year. Many offices offer Mentors Plus, parenting programs, camp scholarships, skill building scholarships, and tutoring. Visit their website to find the location nearest you. Website: http://www.oakgov.com/circuit/division_committee/local-ya-offices.html Oakland County Public Libraries Libraries offer a variety of programs for families with young children including story time, parenting classes, and free resources. Find the Oakland County Public Library nearest you. Website: http://www.oakgov.com/reslib/internet_resources/library_oc.html Early Care and Education Oakland County Child Care Council (4C) The Oakland County Child Care Council can provide a free, customized listing of licensed or registered child care providers based upon your family's specific needs. They also have free information about a variety of child care and development topics including how to choose quality child care, healthy and safe environments, nutrition, child abuse and neglect prevention, appropriate discipline and guidance, activities for children and much more. Website: www.oaklandchildcare.org Ages and Stages Questionnaires Ages and Stages Questionnaires are parent completed questionnaires which allow parents to check the development of their child, ages birth to five. By completing the questionnaires, parents can check their child's progress and learn more about what to expect their child to be able to do at each stage of development. Early diagnosis and treatment of developmental delays can help give a child the best opportunity to reach his/her full potential. Website: http://asq.uoregon.edu/ Early On Most parents wonder at times if their child is growing and developing like other children. If you question how your child is developing, "Don't worry. But don't wait." Early On assists families with infants and toddlers, from birth until they turn 36 months or 3 years of age, who may be experiencing delays in their development or if they have a diagnosed disability. Phone: 1-800-Early-On (327-5966) Website: http://www.1800earlyon.org/ National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) NAEYC believes that parents and families are children's first teachers. Their website includes a special section to highlight resources especially for you. Information on the website includes information on quality child care programs, preschools, or schools for children, activities families can do at home to encourage their child's development, and much more. Website: http://naeyc.org/families/ Basic Needs, Economic Security and Child Safety Safe Kids Safe Kids is dedicated to preventing unintentional childhood injury by promoting changes in attitudes, behaviors, laws and the environment to prevent accidental injury to children. Their website includes safety tips and resources on car safety, fire and burn safety, pedestrian safety, poison and toy safety. Website: http://www.usa.safekids.org/ Michigan Assistance and Referral Service Michigan Assistance and Referral Service (MARS) provides information about programs offered by the state of Michigan that may help families in need with assistance for medical, nutritional, food, daycare, temporary cash, or other expenses. MARS will help you determine if your family may be eligible. Information in English and Spanish. Website: http://www.mfia.state.mi.us/mars/ United Way 2-1-1 United Way 2-1-1 is a multilingual, comprehensive information and referral service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Its database contains more than 20,000 programs and services including child care assistance, medical and prescription assistance, credit counseling and foreclosure assistance, housing and utility resources, legal assistance and more Dial 2-1-1!