Parent's Tool Kit

Web Sites:

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools (CHHCS) -- Parents' Resource Center.
http://www.healthinschools.org/parents/

Center for the Improvement of Child Caring
http://www.ciccparenting.org

The Children's Partnership
http://www.childrenspartnership.org

Network Neighborhoods Initiative (U.S Dept. of Housing and Urban Development)
http://www.hud.gov/nnw/nnwindex.html

CTC NET Community Technology Centers
http://www.ctcnet.org

Community Technology Centers
(U.S. Dept. of Education)
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE/AdultEd/CTC/

Head Start Bureau
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb

Q-Net Site
http://www.regionvqnet.org

Bright Futures
http://www.brightfutures.org

Safe Surfing Sites:

Blue Ridge Thunder Safe Surfin Site
http://www.blueridgethunder.com

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
http://www.missingkids.com

Search Engines:

HotBot
http://www.hotbot.com/Default.asp

Google
http://www.google.com

Resource Guides

Parent Involvement Resource Guide
http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/guides/pr_intro.htm
     Parent Involvement provides information on resources that support families and build confidence in their knowledge, interest, and skills. Included in this guide are selected recent journal articles, book titles, video titles, and lists of associations and organizations that specialize in Parent Involvement.

Parent Resources: An Internet Pathfinder
http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/guides/pi_intro.htm
     Parent Resources was developed to assist Head Start programs, their partners, and the larger Head Start community in locating useful electronic resources for parents and those who work with them.

Fatherhood Initiative Resource Guide
http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/guides/father_intro.htm
     Changes in the lives of fathers must be supported by the communities in which they live, and communities must know what resources and support are available to help in this effort. This guide was developed to assist the Head Start community in its effort to support the Fatherhood Initiative.

Bulletins

Family Involvement (March 1999)
http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/hsbulletin65/cont_65.htm
     This issue of the Bulletin focuses on some of the many ways parents participate in Head Start - from the shared decision-making opportunities in Parent Committees and the Policy Council/Committee, to receiving training, and to providing support to children in the learning process. Find practical information on Program Governance, the Family Wellness Approach, Parents as Paraprofessional Staff, the Fatherhood Initiative and Father Involvement, and the results of the FACES Study (Family and Child Experiences Survey) and Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project.

Publications:

Give Your Child a Head Start ( in English ) ( in Spanish )
http://www.headstartinfo.org/recruitment/child_hs.htm
     Find out Head Start's purpose and how it can benefit children as well as parents.

Easing the Transition from Preschool to Kindergarten: A Guide for Early Childhood Teachers and Administrators
http://www.headstartinfo.org/recruitment/trans_hs.htm
     Discover how early childhood teachers and administrators can make moving from preschool to elementary school easier for parents and children.

Fun and Learning
http://www.headstartinfo.org/cgibin/pubcatstore.cfm?CatID=41&do=detail
     This handbook contains entertaining educational activities for parents and children. It is a collection of everyday things to do that can easily be done in a family's home, backyard or even away from home. The book also includes a list of questions to inspire parents to create additional activities.This publication is also appropriate for other families, childcare providers and classroom teams. (Reproduce as needed)

Our Stories Keep Us Connected
http://www.headstartinfo.org/cgi-bin/pubcatstore.cfm

Other Head Start Information and Publication Center Resources:

Websites for the Head Start Community
http://www.headstartinfo.org/infocenter/web.htm

Head Start Information and Publication Center Information Sheets
http://www.headstartinfo.org/recruitment/inf_con2.htm

Ask Us

Growth Charts

Growth Chart - birth to age three - girls

Growth Chart - birth to age three - boys

Head Start Program Performance Standards

Sections applying to Head Start Families
The Head Start Program Performance Standards are the mandatory regulations that grantees and delegate agencies must implement in order to operate a Head Start program. The standards define the objectives and features of a quality Head Start program in concrete terms; they articulate a vision of service delivery to young children ad families; and they provide a regulatory structure for the monitoring and enforcement of quality standards. (The following links are to the Head Start Bureau web site.)

• 45 CFR 1304.20- Family Partnerships
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1304c1.htm
  Introduction, Guidance and links to Regulations
  
  
• 45 CFR 1304.50 - Program Governance
  http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/hsb/performance/1304/1304_d1.htm
  Introduction, Guidance and links to Regulations