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Recommended new video link Childhood Development: Early Learning, the Brain and Society

Brain expert Dr. Patricia Kuhl, co-director of the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, talks about the innate learning ability of infants and children. Internationally recognized for her research on early language and brain development, Dr. Kuhl focuses on language and social interaction in the learning process. Introduced by Bill Gates.

Recognizing Child Development Problems / Educational Video. Public domain video courtesy of CDC

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrUNBfyjlBk&eurl=http://5.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?pid=dell&url=http://www.google.com/ig/modules/youtube_igoogle/v2/youtube.xml&nocacheiurl=http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/KrUNBfyjlBk/hqdefault.jpg

It's time to change how we view a child's growth. Do you know all the ways you should measure your child’s growth? We naturally think of height and weight, but from birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks and acts. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem, even autism. The good news is, the earlier its recognized the more you can do to help your child reach her full potential. Early recognition of developmental disabilities such as autism is key for parents and providers. CDC realized the impact on families and invested in a campaign to help parents measure their children's progress by monitoring how they play, learn, speak and act. What is child development? A child's growth is more than just physical. Children grow, develop, and learn throughout their lives, starting at birth. A child's development can be followed by how they play, learn, speak, and behave. What is a developmental delay? Will my child just grow out of it? Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving "bye bye" are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in playing, learning, speaking, behaving, and moving (crawling, walking, etc.). A developmental delay is when your child does not reach these milestones at the same time as other children the same age. If your child is not developing properly, there are things you can do that may help. Most of the time, a developmental problem is not something your child will "grow out of" on his or her own. But with help, your child could reach his or her full potential! What is developmental screening? Doctors and nurses use developmental screening to tell if children are learning basic skills when they should, or if they might have problems. Your child's doctor may ask you questions or talk and play with your child during an exam to see how he or she learns, speaks, behaves, and moves. Since there is no lab or blood test to tell if your child may have a delay, the developmental screening will help tell if your child needs to see a specialist. Why is developmental screening important? When a developmental delay is not recognized early, children must wait to get the help they need. This can make it hard for them to learn when they start school. In the United States, 17 percent of children have a developmental or behavioral disability such as autism, intellectual disability (also known as mental retardation), or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, many children have delays in language or other areas. In addition, many children have delays in language or other areas. But, less than half of children with problems are identified before starting school. During this time, the child could have received help for these problems and may even have entered school more ready to learn. Talk to your child's doctor or nurse if you have concerns about how your child is developing. If you or your doctor think there could be a problem, you can take your child to see a developmental pediatrician or other specialist, and you can contact your local early intervention agency (for children under 3) or public school (for children 3 and older) for help. To find out who to speak to in your area, you can contact the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities by logging on to http://www.nichcy.org/ or calling 1-800-695-0285. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has links to information for families at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/resources/familyresou rces.htm. If there is a problem, it is very important to get your child help as soon as possible.

Childhood Milestones

Babies develop at their own pace, so it's impossible to tell exactly when your child will learn a given skill. The developmental milestones listed below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect, but don't be alarmed if your own baby's development takes a slightly different course.

By the end of 3 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_3months.html

By the end of 7 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_7months.html

By the end of 12 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_1year.html

By the end of 24 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_2years.html

By the end of 36 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_3years.html

By the end of 48 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_4years.html

By the end of 60 months http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/milestones_5years.html

All of the milestones http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/MilestonesChecklists.pdf

Positive Parenting Tips

The early years of a child's life are crucial for cognitive, social and emotional development. Therefore, it is important that we take every step necessary to ensure that children grow up in environments where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. Cost to society of less than optimal development are enormous and far-reaching. Children who grow up in environments where their developmental needs are not met are at an increased risk for compromised health and safety, and learning and developmental delays. Failure to invest time and resources during children’s early years may have long term effects on the foster care, health care, and education systems. Therefore, it is in the public's interest to ensure that children develop in safe, loving, and secure environments. (CDC, Act Early, http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/default.htm)

Positive Parenting Tips by Age
		Infants (0-1 year old)
		Toddlers (1-2 years old)
		Toddlers (2-3 years old)
		Preschoolers (3-5 years old)
		Middle Childhood (6-8 years old)
		Middle Childhood (9-11 years old)
		Early Adolescence (12-14 years old)
		Middle Adolescence (15-17 years old)

Recommended new monthly e-newsletter for parents

Check out ZERO TO THREE's newest resource for parents—From Baby to Big Kid—a monthly e-newsletter on how children learn and grow each month from birth to 3 years. From Baby to Big Kid translates the science of early childhood to make it meaningful and relevant to parents. It helps parents understand how development unfolds, what makes their own child tick, and offers strategies that parents can tailor to the needs of their unique family and individual child.  Each monthly e-newsletter includes:
·        Age-based information about child development
·        In-depth articles on common child-rearing issues and challenges
·        Research on child development and what it means for parents
·        Parent-child activities that promote bonding and learning
·        Frequently asked questions

To subscribe, go to: www.zerotothree.org/baby2bigkid

A Child Becomes a Reader: Birth through Preschool
National Institute for Literacy -- this 35-page booklet gives parents suggestions, games, and activities for preparing their young child for reading and writing later in life.

BrainWonders: Helping Babies Grow and Develop

BrainWonders: Helping Babies Grow and Develop is a website created by Boston University School of Medicine, Erikson Institute and ZERO TO THREE.

"This site is designed to provide parents, caregivers and pediatric and family clinicians with meaningful information about early brain development and the relationships between babies and their parents and caregivers that support intellectual and social-emotional development. New research in neuroscience has validated the passionate conviction that parents of very young children and professionals have long felt - that the experiences children have in the first three years of life are crucial to their healthy physical, emotional and intellectual development. While it is certainly true that the brain continues to develop well beyond the first years of life, this site focuses on birth to age three as a time when parents, child care providers and pediatric/family clinicians can provide rich input to the developing brain. Rich environments and nurturing relationships between babies and adults support growth in all aspects of the baby's development.Yet this new knowledge has not been readily available to those most able to apply it - parents, caregivers, and pediatric and family clinicians. BrainWonders provides this knowledge in formats that meet the needs of each of these three distinct yet inter-connected audiences so that everyone who relates to babies and toddlers will have information about how to support healthy development."

This site features basic research-based information about early brain development and caregiving implications, by age group -- in versions for parents, child care providers, and pediatricians and family clinicians. Also - brain development FAQs, brain quiz, glossary of brain terms, and early literacy.

Center for for Improvement of Child Caring
Website features parenting information, with helpful sections for parents of children with special needs.

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning is a national center focused on strengthening the capacity of child care and Head Start programs to improve the social and emotional outcomes of young children. The Center will develop and disseminate evidence-based, user-friendly information to help early childhood educators meet the needs of the growing number of children with challenging behaviors and mental health challenges. Training modules; issue briefs.

Child Care Aware - national website, for parents: choosing quality child care.

ChildTrends - "dedicated to improving the lives of children by conducting research and providing science-based information to improve the decisions, programs, and policies that affect children."

Connect for Kids

TOPICS A-Z
Links to pages on the Connect for Kids website:

Adoption
Arts
Child Abuse and Neglect
Child Care and Early Development
Community Building
Crime and Violence Prevention
Development
Diversity and Awareness

Family Income and Poverty
Education
Fathers
Foster Care
Health
Kids &Politics
Learning Disabilities
Media and Television
Parent Involvement in Education
Out of School Time
Parenting
Volunteering and Mentoring

Key Reports and Data from Connect for Kids:
How many children in our country are uninsured? Are U.S. children getting the best education possible? These national reports offer comprehensive information on the status of our nation's children.

Each week, CFK produces a new e-newsletter that provides a run-down for advocates on the latest issues affecting children and families. Check out this week's CFK Weekly and subscribe for this free service. Explore past editions in the Weekly Archives.

Connections is a monthly bulletin highlighting original articles, profiles and interviews from Connect for Kids.

Education Commission of the States - Early Learning Issues
"Information provided by ECS combines the best of the most recent and useful research available." Searchable by topics. Excellent sections on brain research, early learning, readiness, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and more. Each of these sections provide an overview, quick facts, what states are doing, selected research and readings, and links; each covers several sub-issues, and related initiatives.

Families and Work Institute - steps and tips for a successful early childhood engagement campaign (downloadable files): http://www.familiesandwork.org/forums/download/f11.html

FamilyEducation.com -- http://familyeducation.com
Website for families: articles, message boards, e-newsletter.

Healthy People Library Project
An eBook series for having healthy babies. "A Child Becomes A Reader" -- plus car safety tips, colic, Down syndrome, teen pregnancy, and more. Some of the booklets are repeated in Spanish.

I Am Your Child -- now Parents Action for Children; information and resources

KidsCount, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the U.S. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children. Publications

KidSource Online -- http://www.kidsource.com
A parent-run website, with many articles, resources and links.

NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children)
"Promoting excellence in early childhood education" -- includes information and resources for parents as well as early childhood professionals.

The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), a project of the Child Care Bureau, is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services.

National Institute for Literacy
Activities to strengthen literacy across the lifespan; information on scientifically based reading research pertaining to children, youth, and adults as well as information about development and implementation of classroom reading programs based on the research.

The Institute's 35-page booklet, A Child Becomes A Reader, gives parents suggestions, games, and activities for preparing their young child for reading and writing later in life.

National Parenting Center - information from experts, "seal of approval" for products marketed to parents, parents corner, chat, much more

Parenthood.com - articles on many topics, well-indexed; links to many other parenting sites, with ratings.

Parents As Teachers (National) - information and resources for parents and professionals

PBS: The Whole Child - Development from Birth Through Age Five
Extensive information -- ABCs of child development; information for parents and for caregivers. Spanish version too.

PBS Parents
Issues and advice; fun and games; TV shows; community. Spanish version too.

Parents First - A Network of Care for Young Families - from the Yale Child Study Center. Information on child care, and things to do/places to go with children -- for parents and caregivers. Some information is specific to Connecticut and Yale, but there is also some great general information.

Reach Out and Read - national nonprofit organization; website provides information and links to many recommended early literacy websites.

Reading Rockets - www.colorincolorado.org. "A major new resource about reading and supporting children in school, for Spanish-speaking parents. This beautiful new bilingual website provides Spanish-speaking parents with information on how to help children learn to read. Already chosen as a 'hot site' by 'USA Today,' ColorinColorado.org is full of fun tips, advice, and activities."

Smart Start: North Carolina Partnership for Children
Website of North Carolina's award-winning national initiative. Excellent resources for parents, professionals, and the early childhood field; national technical assistance center.

Society for Research in Child Development
"The Society is a multidisciplinary, not-for-profit, professional association with a membership of approximately 5,500 researchers, practitioners, and human development professionals from over 50 countries. The purposes of the Society are to promote multidisciplinary research in the field of human development, to foster the exchange of information among scientists and other professionals of various disciplines, and to encourage applications of research findings. Our goals are pursued through a variety of programs with the cooperation and service of our governing council, standing committees, and members."

See this article: "Emotions Matter: Making the Case for the Role of Young Children's Emotional Development for Early School Readiness."

Success By 6^®
"United Way Success By 6^® is a national community-based movement of public and private partners that work together to deliver proven solutions that ensure all children ages zero to six are healthy, nurtured and ready to succeed. In more than 350 cities throughout the United States and Canada, United Way Success By 6^® is creating effective community-based solutions that contribute to the positive quality of life for young children."

Zero to Three - "the nation's leading resource on the first years of life"
"We focus on the needs of the 'whole baby'—in the context of the family and community. Our job is to support you in the important work you do." Information for parents and professionals.

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