Continuing
Professional
Development
and
Resources
Parent Leadership
Staff and parents can expand their skills by networking with other parent training programs, joining local and national organizations, and researching current information on parent involvement in transition.
The following programs train parents to work with other parents. Contact these organizations to find out more about developing parent leadership skills.
HIPPY USA (Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters)
HIPPY is a home-based early intervention program that uses parents to help their peers work at home with their preschool children. HIPPY USA is the national network that provides information, training, and technical assistance to existing programs and communities interested in starting new programs.
HIPPY USA
220 E. 23rd Street, Suite 300
New York, NY 10010
Phone: 1-212-532-7730
Fax: 1-212-532-7899
Web site: http://www.c3pg.com/hippy.htm
National Head Start Association (NHSA)
In December each year, the National Head Start Association offers a Parent Leadership conference designed especially for Head Start parents. Contact NHSA for more information:
National Head Start Association
1651 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 1-703-739-0875
Fax: 1-703-739-0878
Web site: http://www.nhsa.org/
Family Involvement
Parents Anonymous promotes parent leadership and mutual support to build and sustain strong, safe families. Weekly parent groups are led jointly by parents and professionally trained facilitators. Parents participate in program planning, implementation, and evaluation, and they also help with outreach, presenting the organization and its principles at local and national meetings. Parents Anonymous
675 West Foothill Boulevard, Suite 220
Claremont, CA 91711
Phone: 1-909-621-6184
Fax: 1-909-621-6304
Web site: http://www.parentsanonymous-natl.org/
Many organizations offer resources and networking opportunities. You can learn more about supporting children, building partnerships, and developing advocacy skills by joining these and other organizations:
Center for Law and Education (CLE) Community Action for Public Schools
This program helps families, schools, and communities work together to improve the quality of public education for low-income students. Membership benefits include newsletters, policy updates, and other resources.
Center for Law and Education
1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 510
Washington DC 20009
Phone: 1-202-986-3000
Fax: 1-202-986-6648
Child Care Action Campaign Child Care Action Campaign is dedicated to providing parents and others with information on a wide array of child care issues. Parents can order a variety of materials to help them select good child care. Family Support Watch, one of the Campaign's programs, focuses on monitoring and strengthening the child care provisions of welfare reform.
Child Care Action Campaign
17th Floor
330 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 1-212-239-0138
Fax: 1-212-268-6515
Family Resource Coalition of America
This national membership organization promotes family sup port principles, policies, and practices. The Coalition provides public education services, maintains an information clearing house, publishes materials, and sponsors conferences.
Family Resource Coalition of America
20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 1100
Chicago IL 60606
Phone: 1-312-338-0900
Fax: 1-312-338-1522
E-mail: FRCA@FRCA.org
MegaSkills
MegaSkills are qualities like confidence, initiative, and team work that help children succeed in school and beyond. The Home and School Institute emphasizes the educational role of the family in teaching these skills. It offers parent involvement workshops, home learning activities, and other resources.
Home and School Institute
1500 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 42
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 1-202-;466-3633
Fax: 1-;202-833-1400
Web site: http://www.megaskillshsi.org
National Coalition of Title V Chapter 1 Parents
The Coalition helps parents develop the skills and abilities needed to make sound decisions that will improve the quality of their children's education. The center offers parent resources and a quarterly newsletter and holds an annual conference.National Parent Center
1541 14th Street, NW
Washington DC 20005
Phone: 1-202-547-9288
Fax: 1-202-544-2813
Parents as Teachers (PAT)
This program serves parents with children from birth through age five. The heart of the PAT program is the home visit. PAT and Head Start work together to benefit and empower families.Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc.
10176 Corporate Square Drive, Suite 230
St. Louis, MO 63132
Phone: 1-314-432-;4330
Fax: 1-314-432-8963
Web site: http://www.patnc.org
Parents for Public Schools
Parents for Public Schools supports and strengthens public schools in communities nationwide. The organization is committed to family involvement in public education. By calling the toll-free number listed below, parents can be placed on a newsletter mailing list, receive membership information, and find out how to start a local Parents for Public Schools chapter.Parents for Public Schools
P0 Box 12807
Jackson, MS 39236
Phone: 1-800-880-1222
Community-Based Family Involvement Opportunities
Internet Resources
Parents can also find opportunities for involvement and leader ship in community-based organizations that provide social, educational, and recreational activities. Examples include:
- Girls and Boys Clubs of America and other youth organizations
- Programs sponsored by the Y, community centers, and religious organizations
Early Childhood Development
- PTA, PTO, or site-based management organizations at the local or school district level
On its Web site, the World Bank features information about child development from birth to age eight. Parents can find a chart outlining what children do and what they need at each stage of development, as well as requirements for healthy development, information about the effect of early care on brain development, and more.
Web site: http://www.worldbank.org/children/
Family Education Network
This site offers parents a host of homework help ideas and learning activities in a variety of subject areas, plus information on parenting, learning disabilities, and many other topics. It includes links to a wide range of stimulating, creative sites.
Web site: www.familyeducation.com/
FREE: Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
This Internet site leads to hundreds of interesting, educational Web sites for children, parents, teachers, and others. Topics include Parents Guide to the Internet, ways to help a child learn to read or do math, career information, and much more.
Web site: http://www.ed.gov/free/
All resources on this Web site are designed for parents of young children. The site highlights key characteristics of parenting that shape lifelong development and the impact of early care on brain development. It addresses questions such as "How can I afford child care?" and "How can I raise my child to be honest, caring, and good?" It also lists further resources ranging from books for parents and children, through radio and TV shows, to videos and Internet sites. Web site: http://www.iamyourchild.org/
Kid Source OnLine
Created by a group of parents, this site gives parents lots of brief articles and information about education, health and safety, product recalls, and recreation. Materials are appropriate for children from infancy through grade 12.
Web site: http://www.kidsource.com/
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
The NAEYC Web site offers a list of preschools accredited by the association and other resources. Early learning materials range from ways to explore reading, math, and nutrition to activities for learning about the weather, beginning to garden, imitating super heroes, fostering independence, and coping with violence.
Web site: http://www.naeyc.org/
National Association of Child Care Resources Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)
This association helps families find quality child care. On the Web site, the Child Care Aware page outlines the steps parents can take to locate child care. The site also discusses child care options, the features of quality child care, costs, and the way to use NACCRRA's network for child care referrals.
Web site: http://www.childcarerr.org/
National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) The NCPIE World Wide Web page includes a comprehensive list of links to organizations that help foster family involvement in education. In addition, there are online resources for creating family/school partnerships.
Web site: http://www.ncpie.org/
National Parent Information Network (NPIN)
The purpose of NPIN is to provide information to parents and those who work with parents and to provide a forum for exchanging parenting materials. Information is available on topics including assessment and testing, child care, children's health and nutrition, early childhood learning, helping children learn at home, and parents and schools as partners.
Web site: http://www.npin.org/
National PTA
Visitors to the National PTA Web site can participate in a Children First discussion group online and sign up for a free Children First online newsletter. They can find out about PTA's programs, including parent involvement and leadership training for PTA officers. They can also look up information about local and state PTA groups and many child advocacy organizations.
Web site: http://www.pta.org/
Partnership for Family Involvement in Education
This section of the Department of Education site gives information on home-school partnerships to promote learning and safe schools.
Web site: http://www.ed.gov/PFIE/
Teaching Strategies Parents can help their children learn and grow by using suggestions from this site. It provides home activities to encourage active learning from infancy through grade three. Also included are guidance on what parents should look for in child care classrooms and where they can find other good resources on the Internet.
Web site: http://www.TeachingStrategies.com
Yahoo
This comprehensive resource lists hundreds of Web sites for families. The parenting section runs from ParentSoup to library resources and materials for parents with disabilities. Starting from the Yahoo home page, select Society and Culture, then Families, and finally Parenting.
Web site: http://www.yahoo.com/
ZERO TO THREE
Information for parents on this Web site include tips for fostering a child's growth and guidelines for selecting quality child care. Also available are short articles on infant massage, the experience of grandparents in raising grandchildren, the lessons one father learned in child care, and many other topics.
Web site: http://www.zerotothree.org/