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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Description: This Microlearning Training provides small bites of learning on hot topics focused around foundational knowledge and easy-to-implement skills and strategies. Microlearning is always available and take just 10-15 minutes to review. You can view this whole microlearning series by clicking the links that discuss different topics.
Description: Video- Play in Early Childhood: The Role of Play in Any Setting - When children play, they can reduce sources of stress, strengthen core life skills, and build responsive relationships with caring adults—all of which are core principles of early childhood development. This video highlights the importance of play.
Description: The Brain Architects Podcast: Building Resilience Through Play - These days, resilience is needed more than ever, and one simple, underrecognized way of supporting healthy and resilient child development is as old as humanity itself: play. Far from frivolous, play contributes to sturdy brain architecture, the foundations of lifelong health, and the building blocks of resilience, yet its importance is often overlooked. In this podcast, Dr. Jack Shonkoff explains the role of play in supporting...
Description: Brain-Building Through Play: Activities for Infants, Toddlers, and Children - From infancy on, play is an important part of a child’s life. This handout series, developed with support from the LEGO Foundation, provides suggestions games and play-based activities based on a child’s age. The activities for younger children are designed for adults to engage in with children. Activities for later ages allow the adults to step back, enabling children’s independence to blossom...
Description: What are the Diffferent Kinds of Learning Disorders? This article talks discusses: What kinds of learning disorders can kids be diagnosed with? and What are some common signs of learning disorders? Early Signs of Learning Challenges - This article answers the following questions: What are the earliest signs that a child might have learning challenges?, How old do kids have to be to be diagnosed with a learning disability? and What can parents do to help?
Description: The Virginia Department of Education has launched a new online tool, the VQB5 Portal, to help families learn about early childhood programs across the state. With information on over 3,000 publicly funded early childhood sites, the portal makes it easy to check the quality, curriculum, and safety of programs for children from birth to age five. Families can search by location and review important details to choose the best option for their children. This tool is designed to help families make...
Description: Factsheet for Virginia’s Parents Supporting Positive Behavior in Young Children - Addressing challenging behavior in a positive manner brings results. Strategies for young children will be different than those for older children, but families and schools, including preschool, benefit from using the nationally recognized approach called Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS). PBIS is an approach to resolving challenging or disruptive behaviors that recognizes that behavior is...
Description: Factsheet for Virginia’s Parents Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) in Early Childhood Programs - Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), refers to the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requirement that “children with disabilities not be placed in special classes or separate schools unless the nature and severity of their disability is such that education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.”...
Description: Connecting the Dots - Planning Your Child's Move from Early Intervention (EI) to Preschool - PEATC's new resource document will help you "Connect the Dots" and plan your child's move from Early Intervention (EI) to Preschool (Early Childhood Special Education, or ECSE).
Description: Call PEATC (703-923-0010) for free and confidential help with your special education & disability questions. PEATC's help is now available in over 300 languages!
Description: The Healthy Minds, Thriving Kids Pre-K Project is a video series, based on mental health research, created to make important mental health skills available to preschool children (age 3 to 5). These videos introduce important ideas, taught the way young children learn best: through entertaining, relatable stories set in a vivid, imaginary world. Each video features a memorable song that reinforces the key messages. We invite you to watch the complete series with your children or students. You can...
Description: The focus of the March 2024 Natural Resources listserv is play for each and every child and family.
Description: Challenging Behavior Tips for Families - Young children need help from adults to learn how they are expected to behave in social situations. Check out these helpful tips for how families can promote their child’s positive behavior during common routines that can sometimes be challenging. Disabilities coordinators can download and share the handouts with educators to use during home visits and family nights, or directly with families. Coordinators and education staff may consider creating a...
Description: New Resources for Supporting Quality Inclusion (Resources Within Reason, DEC) Every quarter a concise set of free resources on a key early childhood/early childhood special education topic is posted. Whether the topic is family engagement (May 2018) or the evidence for inclusion (January 2017), this one-page summary highlights great materials to use or share. Resources to Support Practice Resources Within Reason From Article to Action DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Resources
Description: The Virginia Family’s Guide to Special Education is a revision of the former A Parent’s Guide to Special Education that was originally published in 2010. This new state guide was developed by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to help those involved in special education, whether as families, teachers or school administrators, advocates, or students. Meeting the needs of children with disabilities requires an understanding of rights and responsibilities which include the...
Description: Behavior Problems - Behavior issues are a common problem for many families. Understanding what’s behind a child’s behavior is often the first step to helping. Additional information is provided on the following topics: Behavior Basics Toddlers and Young Children, Managing Big Emotions, Common Behavior Issues, Behavior and School, Strategies for Managing Behavior, Mental Health and Problem Behavior and Treatment for Problem Behavior.
Description: Before they start school, most children develop an understanding of addition and subtraction through everyday interactions. Learn what informal activities give children a head start on early math skills when they start school.
Description: The VATTS: Resource Guide provides instructional strategies, AT solutions, modifications, accommodations, and examples used to address areas of need identified through the AT consideration process to support student success. There are two Resource Guide PDFs: an ADA Compliant version and a printable table version.
Description: A child’s social, emotional, cognitive, and academic development is strengthened when educators and families work together. When a child sees a positive relationship developing between educators and family, the child recognizes that the important people in his or her life are working together and trust each other, and he or she will do the same. This collaboration also provides a strong foundation for communication about children’s learning. To foster family involvement, interactions...
Description: Ready Regions will bring unprecedented levels of coordination, accountability, and family engagement to early education programs in every community in the Commonwealth. Starting in 2022, Ready Regions will help every Virginia community to be: Accountable. Virginia’s early education system must prepare children for success. Parent-centered. Families must be engaged in designing a system that works for them. Responsive. Parents must be able to choose the child care they want and need....
Description: Early Childhood Resources - Early childhood encompasses birth to age 8. It is a critical time for child development. Children are learning a variety of academic and social-emotional skills they will need throughout their life. Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher, and you know your child better than anyone. Finding out your child has a disability or developmental delay can be overwhelming. It can be challenging to navigate a new diagnosis, learning how...
Description: SSA’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program helps children with qualifying disabilities and their families. For this program, a child must meet all of the following requirements to be considered disabled and medically eligible: The child must have a medical condition, or a combination of conditions, that result in “marked and severe functional limitations.” This means that the condition(s) must very seriously limit the child’s activities. The child’s...
Description: In this TedX Talk, Grace Lin, award-winning children’s book author and illustrator, shows how the books that are not on a child’s bookshelf are just as important as those that are. Lin shares how books provide children with a window into the larger world, as well as a mirror for self-reflection, both of which foster our ability to build bridges of tolerance. Use the guiding questions provided to connect the message from this webinar to your classroom.
Description: Presentation Recordings from VDOE Family Literacy Night Family Literacy Night included presentations on the following topics: Early Childhood: Early Literacy Starts at Home Assessment Supports: An Explanation of Your Student's SOL Reports Family Field Trips: Connecting Literacy to the Commonwealth Family Engagement: Supports for the Home Virginia State Literacy Association: Choosing Books for the Children in your Lives Virginia Association for Teachers of English Equity & Community...
Description: Global Family Research Project elevates the benefits of family engagement and the connections across educational organizations, nationally and globally: at school in early childhood education in community spaces like afterschool programs and libraries through digital media
Description: IECMHC is a prevention-based approach that pairs a mental health consultant with adults who work with infants and young children in the different settings where they learn and grow, such as child care, preschool, home visiting, early intervention and their home. Mental health consultation is not about “fixing kids.” Nor is it therapy. Mental health consultation equips caregivers to facilitate children’s healthy social and emotional development.
Description: Bright Horizons has been changing the way the world works for 30 years. Way back in 1986, our founders saw that child care was an enormous obstacle for working parents. Providing on-site centers became just one way we responded to help whole organizations work better. Today we offer child care, elder care, and help for education and careers -- tools used by more than 1,000 of the world’s top employers and that today power many of the world's best brands.
Description: This document is Virginia's new set of comprehensive early learning and development standards for young children, birth to age five. The new standards focus on five Areas of Development: Approaches to Play and Learning; Social and Emotional Development; Communication, Language, and Literacy Development; Health and Physical Development and Cognitive Development. All birth to five programs are expected to implement the new standards by Fall 2021.
Description: When a child endures a traumatic experience, the whole family feels the impact. But adults hold the power to help lessen its effects. Several factors can change the course of kids’ lives: feeling seen and heard by a caring adult, being patiently taught coping strategies and resilience-building techniques, and being with adults who know about the effects of such experiences. The resources provided include printables, videos and more on topics to help families.
Description: This open house provides information on Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC), Computer Access Assistive Technology, Early Childhood/Play Assistive Technology, Literacy Assistive Technology, Low-Tech Assistive Technology, Math Assistive Technology, Organization Assistive Technology, and Sensory Assistive Technology.
Description: Young Athletes is a unique sport and play program for children ages two to seven with and without intellectual disabilities. Our focus is on fun activities that are important to mental and physical growth. Children enjoy activities that develop motor skills like balance, flexibility, strength, and coordination. In fact, in a recent study, children with developmental delays who participated in a structured eight-week Young Athletes program showed...
Description: Self-control enables children to cooperate with others, to cope with frustration, and to resolve conflicts. Learn how you can help your infant and child begin to develop this skill that is necessary for success in school and healthy social development. Self-control means being able to express and cope with strong emotions in appropriate ways—for a toddler, this may mean saying “I’m mad at you” instead of biting. Self-control also involves thinking skills, as we decide...
Description: Every day, and especially during these very challenging times, it is important to organic ways to keep stress levels low. Stress inarguably challenges immune systems and a challenged immune system leaves adults and children susceptible to myriad physical and mental challenges. The access to organically managing stress is to understand and use the power our minds have over our bodies. In the same way, we take out bodies to the gym for physical strength, Mind Care & Emotion Regulation Expert,...
Description: Self-Management Information Packet - Self-management is used to teach children (typically 4 years of age and older) to pay attention to their own behavior and to complete activities or engage in interactions using appropriate behavior. Self-management can help children use appropriate play and social interaction skills, participate in classroom routines, and engage in instructional activities. For example, self-management can be used to teach children what is expected of them, such as tasks they...
Description: It's been said that "necessity is the mother of invention". When the pandemic struck last year, practitioners in early education and early childhood special education, and parents came together to support young children and their families through remote service delivery. This multi-part video series, developed by Larry Edelman, features preschool staff and families from five states and illustrates their working together to use technology to make the virtual learning experience exciting,...
Description: On-Demand Videos- PEATC has on demand videos on a variety of topics. Connecting the Dots Early Intervention Homework Strategies Tutoring Tips Keeping Students Engaged And much more
Description: A core component of a high-quality early education experience is that children are provided opportunities, experiences and materials that allow them to engage deeply within developmental/early learning domains to build their school readiness skills. Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning articulates the skills and knowledge young children need to demonstrate by the end of preschool in order to be successful in kindergarten. Using effective curricula helps ensure that children are...
Description: VCU-ACE has resources for families about raising and supporting young children with ASD. They also have resources for educators and providers as they learn more about ASD and how to use evidence-based practices. For Parents: Raising a child diagnosed with ASD can be confusing and overwhelming. Many times, parents and family members struggle to understand the diagnosis, how to support their child's success, and how to problem-solve through challenges. Information from our seminars, webcasts, and...
Description: All young children (Birth to 5) with and without disabilities have the right to experience settings, relationships, and interactions that will support and futher their development and learning. This infographic from VCPD helps families to understand the importance and value of inclusion in early childhood.
Description: The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. Developmentally Appropriate Approaches to Literacy: Books Articles Blog Classrooom Favorites: Articles To Share with Families Articles Most Recent Articles
Description: It’s fascinating to watch young children learn about their world and develop new skills. And, it’s natural to find variation in the pace of development of different skills. The information and resources in this section will help parents and educators understand and support preschool-aged children's development. Early Literacy Early Math Early Childhood Resource Locator
Description: Research shows that engaging families in education is critical not only to a child’s success, but to the entire family’s economic and social well-being. The National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) promotes family education solutions across three approaches by engaging families, educators, administrators, and advocates to drive results and ultimately reduce education inequities. Our work supports multigenerational learning for families from early childhood through adult...
Description: The National Early Literacy Panel looked at studies of early literacy and found that there are many things that parents and preschools can do to improve the literacy development of their young children and that different approaches influence the development of a different pattern of essential skills. Identification of the domain of early literacy skills Six early skills predictive of later literacy achievement Five early skills moderately predictive of later literacy achievement Instructional...
Description: VCU-ACE has developed a series of resources over the summer that are designed to support early childhood professionals as they plan remote learning opportunities for young learners. While we know that in-person instruction is optimal for young children, communities face a variety of COVID-19 related challenges in the coming year that may require the use of remote education. The following webcast resources may help early childhood professionals as they design and implement remote learning...
Description: The goals of the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI) are to assist states and programs in their implementation of sustainable systems for the implementation of the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (Pyramid Model) within early intervention and early education programs with a focus on promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes of young children birth to five, reducing the use of inappropriate discipline...
Description: "Helping Your Kid With..." Videos - The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk (MCPER) is dedicated to generating, disseminating, and supporting the implementation of empirically validated, evidence-based practices to significantly affect student outcomes and support educators, researchers, policymakers, families, and other stakeholders who strive to improve academic, behavioral, and social outcomes for all learners. Educational experts at MCPER have created videos to help...
Description: Social Emotional Wellness Considerations for Teachers and School Staff Quick Guide, Social Emotional Wellness Considerations for Early Learners Quick Guide, Social Emotional Wellness Considerations for English Learners Quick Guide, Social Emotional Wellness Considerations for Military-Connected Learners Quick Guide, Social Emotional Wellness Considerations for Parents and Caregivers Quick Guide, Social Emotional Wellness Considerations Students with Disabilities Quick Guide,...
Description: A tremendous amount of social and emotional development takes place during the early years of a child’s life. The emotional well-being of young children is an important consideration for educators and caregivers supporting early learners (pre-K - grade 3) during this critical time.
Description: The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) is focused on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. The Promoting Social and Emotional Competence training modules available on this site provide evidence-based practices for promoting children's social and emotional development and preventing challenging behaviors.
Description: The resources are organized by the following topics: Early Childhood Education Resources Counseling Resources Online Learning Resources Math Education Resources Culturally and Diverse Learner Resources Health and Physical Education Resources