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Early Learning

This page focuses on families who have children from Birth to 5 years of age and includes resources on physical, mental and emotional development.
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Showing Results 101 - 150 of 232
Description: Young Audiences – Arts for Learning – Virginia is the leading provider of quality arts-in-education programming in Virginia. We offer an array of arts performances and workshops grounded in the core curriculum, residencies for children of all ages, and professional development in arts-integration techniques that improve students’ literacy skills, motivation to read, and ability to learn. We are dedicated to bringing innovation and imagination to education through the arts. We...
Description: Easterseals offers Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition™ (ASQ-3) (Free Confidential Online Developmental Screening) to help guide and keep track of your child’s growth and development during these first five years. Children develop skills and reach milestones at their own pace. How is your child doing? We encourage you to take 10–20 minutes to check with the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition™ (ASQ-3). You can start at any time....
Description: Vroom - Research shows there is no better time to create a strong foundation for lifelong learning than the first five years of life. It’s during this period that the brain develops most rapidly. And the things that matter most for healthy brain development, like talking and playing, don’t require more time, money, or stuff. Vroom believes all parents want what’s best for their children. So we joined with scientists, researchers, and parents to take the science out of the lab...
Description: We are pleased to provide English speakers with quick access to the wealth of information in Spanish on this website. For those of you who don’t speak Spanish, use this page to easily find and share important information with the Spanish speakers you serve in their own language. Use the alphabetical jumps below to search the list for topics in English. Each item starts with the topic/title in English and a link to information in English on that topic. This is followed by the...
Description: Información en español en este sitio, Nos complacemos en facilitar su acceso rápido a nuestra información en español a través de esta lista alfabética organizada por Tema de Discapacidad.
Description: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching, learning, curriculum development and assessment that uses new technologies to respond to a variety of individual learner differences. IDEA 2004 defines Universal design using the same definition as the Assistive Technology Act of 1998.
Description: The Virginians with Disabilities Act § 51.5-33 directs the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (VBPD), beginning July 1, 2017, to submit an annual report to the Governor, through the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, that provides an in-depth assessment of at least two major service areas for people with disabilities in the Commonwealth. In June 2017, the Board determined that the 2018 focus would be on the housing and transportation of individuals with disabilities as...
Description: Early Childhood Mental Health Virginia (ECMHVA) is a statewide initiative focused on the development, implementation and sustainability of a comprehensive early childhood system of care for infant and early childhood mental health. The Early Childhood Mental initiative collaborates with early childhood agencies and representation across the Commonwealth to identify opportunities to increase access to resources and services by researching and securing funding for a continuum of quality in...
Description: How long a list of “who’s who” would you like? There are quite a few experts in the early intervention field! In the interests of efficiency, we will give you the semi-short but to-the-point list to get you started (we apologize to all those organizations we haven’t listed here). This starter list will definitely lead you into the wider network and keep you informed in the ongoing work in early intervention.
Description: If you’re concerned about the development of an infant or toddler, or you suspect that a little one has a disability, this page will summarize one terrific source of help—the early intervention system in your state. Early intervention services can help infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays to learn many key skills and catch up in their development.
Description: Are you looking for information on a health condition or perhaps trying to find health services? There are lots of medical sites out there that explain conditions in terms you don’t need to be a doctor to understand. And there are sites that can help you locate healthcare services in your community.
Description: If you’re looking for information about disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities, you’ve come to the right place! The Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) offers information and connections to the full spectrum of disabilities in children, including developmental delays and rare disorders. Use the links below to learn about typical developmental milestones in childhood, specific disabilities and disorders, and the...
Description: If you have a child with a disability, the need to plan for your future, as well as your child’s, is important and the time to plan is now! The reality is that something could happen at any moment to leave you or your child at risk. It could be your death, or a chronic or debilitating illness or catastrophic injury that impairs your ability to care for yourself and your child. These events cause emotional and often financial hardship, so why not create a plan now while you can be...
Description: Young children don't need highly specialized or expensive equipment to learn how to explore the natural world scientifically. They do need, as Rachel Carson mused in The Sense of Wonder, “the companionship of at least one adult who can share it.” Simple toys and tools can engage children as they explore natural phenomena in ways that will support their later science learning. Adults who allow children to play and work through small difficulties by themselves support children as they...
Description: 1. Value your child's questions. 2. Explore and find the answers together. 3. Give children time and space to explore. 4. Acceot that explorations are often messy. And more...
Description: A National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) article focused on early science inquiry learning.
Description: Parenting is hard work! But it can also be fun and rewarding. There are many things you can do to help build a safe, stable, and nurturing relationship with your child. This website will help you handle some common parenting challenges, so you can be a more confident parent and enjoy helping your child grow. Topics covered include: Overview of Essentials Communicating with Your Child, Creating Structure and Rules, Giving Directions, Using Consequences, Using Time-Out, Videos, Practice Skills...
Description: It’s important to know what to expect as your baby grows, because hearing problems can delay the development of voice, speech, and language skills. The checklist below presents the average age by which most babies accomplish a variety of early speech and language skills. Typically, a child may not accomplish all the items in an age category until he or she reaches the upper age in the age range. 
Description: Speech, language, or hearing problems can lead to trouble making friends and doing well in school. Give your child success—get help early. Find your child's age below and learn about her speech, language, and hearing development. Birth to One Year One to Two Years Two to Three Years Three to Four Years Four to Five Years Children develop at their own rate. These charts tell you when most children who speak only one language will reach each milestone. Your child should master the skills...
Description: Vision loss means that a person’s eyesight is not corrected to a “normal” level. Vision loss can vary greatly among children and can be caused by many things.
Description: Spina bifida is one of the most common birth defects in the United States, affecting some 1,500 babies each year. Spina bifida happens during the first month or so of pregnancy and means that the baby’s spine did not close completely. Damage to the nerves and the spinal cord may result. In general, there are three types of spina bifida. These are: Spina bifida occulta: In this mildest form of spina bifida, there’s a small defect or gap in one or more of the vertebrae (bones) of the...
Description: The first 3 years of life, when the brain is developing and maturing, is the most intensive period for acquiring speech and language skills. These skills develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the speech and language of others. There appear to be critical periods for speech and language development in infants and young children when the brain is best able to absorb language. If these critical periods are allowed to pass without exposure to language,...
Description: Helps parents understand the process that guides their child's transition from infant and toddler intervention services to other early childhood services at age three and includes strategies to use for a successful transition. 2010. (See translations for Somali and Spanish.)
Description: Latinx Resources - El programa de Alcance Latinx de PEATC se enfoca en brindar educación y recursos a nuestra población Hispana/Latinx en el estado de Virginia, completamente en español. El objetivo de este programa es difundir información en el idioma con el que las familias se sientan más cómodas, pero al mismo tiempo teniendo en cuenta su cultura y creencias. Al brindar nuestros servicios en español, PEATC asegura la inclusión...
Description: As a parent, there are many ways that you can help your child succeed every single day! These bilingual parent resources offer tips on helping your child learn to read, succeed in school, and learn a new language. They also provide information about the U.S. school system and share ideas on how to build a relationship with your child’s teacher and school. In addition, you can find fun reading tips and games, bilingual booklists, ideas for using the public library, and videos of...
Description: If you have recently learned that your child has a developmental delay or a disability (which may or may not be completely defined), this message may be for you. It is written from the personal perspective of a parent who has shared this experience and all that goes with it. When parents learn about any difficulty or problem in their child’s development, this information comes as a tremendous blow. The day my child was diagnosed as having a disability, I was devastated—and so...
Description: All the materials found on the CPIR Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve. The CPIR employs a user-centered process, gathering the perspectives of our experienced audience—Parent Center staff members and other experts—every step of the way, to create products and services that increase Parent Centers’ knowledge and capacity in specific domains.
Description: Looking for information, resources, and technical assistance (TA) to help you and others support children with disabilities in their least restrictive environment in school? Here’s a starter list of places to look online. These will surely lead you to more.
Description: Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss began in 2011 with the goal of creating an ‘umbrella website’ for teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing. Supporting Success was built on the concept of making practical information readily available, resulting in the current resource-packed website. This site includes: Information & Resources Topical Bi-Monthly Updates Online Professional Development Products to Improve Student Outcomes And more..
Description: From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. Track your child’s development and act early if you have a concern. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) updated developmental milestone checklists for infants & young children. These new milestones show skills 75% of children that age typically meet; previously, benchmarks were what 50% of children were doing. Check out the updated PEATC developmental milestone snapshot...
Description: The central “Hub” of information and products created for the network of Parent Centers serving families of children with disabilities All the materials found on the CPIR Hub have been created and archived for Parent Centers around the country to help them provide support and services to the families they serve. The CPIR employs a user-centered process, gathering the perspectives of our experienced audience—Parent Center staff members and other...
Description: This page lists 10 facts about ASD. (Office of Early Childhood Development, An Office of the Administration for Children & Families, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services)
Description: Your child is advancing from infancy toward and into the preschool years. During this time, his physical growth and motor development will slow, but you can expect to see some tremendous intellectual, social, and emotional changes.
Description: HealthyChildren.org is the only parenting website backed by 67?,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Whether you're looking for general information related to child health or for more specific guidance on parenting issues, you've come to the right place. Here, you'll find information regarding the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) many programs and...
Description: VCPD members collaborate to provide diverse leadership to prepare early childhood personnel to support all children (prenatal to age five) and their families in home, school, and community settings. Our vision is for Virginia to have a high-quality, coordinated, cross-sector early childhood professional development system.
Description: The VCU Autism Center for Education is committed to providing resources for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Resources consists of items which may be checked out from our extensive Lending Library as well as electronic materials you can download directly from our website. The electronic materials include fact sheets, peer reviewed journal articles, manuals, website links as well as other materials and information that expand the knowledge of ASD and facilitate implementation of...
Description: You can find research-based resources, tips and ideas for families - from child development to reading, writing, music, math, and more! National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Description: The early years of a child's life are very important for his or her health and development. Parents, health professionals, educators, and others can work together as partners to help children grow up to reach their full potential. The site includes: Child Development Basics, Specific Conditions, Developmental Screening, Scientific Articles, Free Materials, Research, Positive Parenting Tips
Description: Toddlers have a reputation for being unreasonable. This is because they have strong feelings and are not yet able to stop their impulses. Their big emotions lead them to behave in aggressive ways: screaming, hitting, throwing things, and more. This article provides some ways to manage these tough behaviors and some things that won't help.
Description: Some researchers estimate that over half of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have some sort of issue with food. These feeding issues can be of significant concern to parents because they might impact their child’s health and wellbeing. The Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN) created Exploring Feeding Behavior in Autism: A Guide for Parents to help parents and professionals better understand the “nuts and bolts” of feeding issues.
Description: This practice guide provides five recommendations for teaching math to children in preschool, prekindergarten, and kindergarten. Each recommendation includes implementation steps and solutions for common roadblocks. The recommendations also summarize and rate supporting evidence. This guide is geared toward teachers, administrators, and other educators who want to build a strong foundation for later math learning.
Description: The Best Evidence Encyclopedia (BEE) is a free website created by the Johns Hopkins University School of Education’s Center for Research and Reform in Education (CRRE). It is intended to give educators and researchers fair and useful information about the strength of the evidence supporting a variety of programs available for students in grades K-12. The BEE mostly consists of systematic meta-analyses of research on effective programs in reading, mathematics, writing, science, early...
Description: The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviews the existing research on different programs, products, practices, and policies in education. Our goal is to provide educators with the information they need to make evidence-based decisions. We focus on the results from high-quality research to answer the question “What works in education?” Topics include: Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Behavior, Children and Youth with Disabilities, English Learners, Teacher...
Description: CLASP is a national, nonpartisan, anti-poverty nonprofit advancing policy solutions for low-income people. We develop practical yet visionary strategies for reducing poverty, promoting economic opportunity, and addressing barriers faced by people of color. With over 50 years' experience at the federal, state, and local levels, we're fighting back in today's threatening political climate while advancing our vision for the future.
Description: The Waisman Center is dedicated to advancing knowledge about human development, developmental disabilities, and neurodegenerative diseases through: Research spanning the biological, behavioral and social sciences Training for students and post-doctoral fellows, providers and the community Services for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families Outreach to the community.
Description: This is a tool for creating visual supports. The Different Uses section includes tips sheets on Choice Boards, Circle Time Boards, Labels, Rules, Schedules, Mini Schedules, First/Then Boards, I Want Board, Personal Stories and Token Economy.
Description: Generations United, with the support of the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, developed Grand Resources: A Grandparent’s and Other Relative’s Guide to Raising Children with Disabilities to equip the caregivers, including those that provide full and part time care to relative children, with the national resources they need to help their children thrive, now and in the future. In addition to the guide, Generations United has developed a resource directory that serves as a companion piece...
Description: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities offers information, research-based instructional approaches, and effective instructional and learning strategies to support school leaders, teachers, and other specialists working to better meet the literacy and communication needs of students with significant disabilities, including students with: moderate to severe cognitive disabilities complex communication needs multiple disabilities including deaf/blindness and/or...
Description: More than four hundred Virginia PIP alumni, and thousands who have graduated from PIP programs across the country, have learned how to make a difference every day for themselves, their families, and their communities. Individuals participating in PIP attend advocacy training, resource development, and skill building workshops led by state and national experts. Topics covered include the history of the disability rights movement, self-advocacy, independent living, employment, building inclusive...
Description: CDC has FREE brochures, posters, fact sheets, and more for parents, health care providers, and public health professionals. These include: EHDI Program Update: CDC’s Progress in Detecting Infant Hearing Loss Decision Guide to Communication Choices Making a Plan for Your Child And more..