Helpful Links

The American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/

This section of the larger ALA site has great resources for both children and parents. For children and teens, there are pages that highlight good websites to visit, and recommended reading and software. For parents, there is information on adult reference and media materials, a link to Booklist magazine, and much more.

Commission For Women
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cfw

Find out about the Commission for Women and the Counseling and Career Center. Information about programs, services, classes, volunteer opportunities, history of the department, staff listings, Commissioners, Commission priorities, special resource listings and more are all included in this dynamic Web Site.

Family Village
http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/

This website contains a library of specific diagnoses and a wide range of topics related to special needs. There is information about connecting with other people, health care and product information, message boards, community and educational resources, places of worship, options for recreation and leisure, and a guide to the internet.

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Get Ready to Read
http://www.getreadytoread.org

Get Ready to Read! (GRTR!) is a national initiative to build the early literacy skills of preschool-age children. The initiative provides an easy-to-administer, research-based screening tool to early childhood educators, child care providers, and parents in order to help them prepare all children to learn to read and write.

Maryland Committee for Children
http://www.mdchildcare.org

This website provides an online search tool for families looking for child care. It also provides useful tips, reports and additional information for families and providers.                                                        

     Maryland Child Care Demographics
     mdchildcare.org/mdcfc/pdfs/demographics.pdf

     Trends in Child Care
     http://mdchildcare.org/mdcfc/pdfs/Trends.pdf             

     Early Childhood Education 
     http://mdchildcare.org/mdcfc/pdfs/childcareandeducation.pdf

     Montgomery County Child Care Demographics
     http://montgomery.pdf

Maryland State Department of Education/Division of Early Childhood Development
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org

The Division of Early Childhood Development at the Maryland State Department of Education is responsible for early care and education in Maryland. The Division houses the Office of Child Care and the Early Learning Branch.

Montgomery County Public Libraries
http://montgomerycountymd.gov/Apps/Libraries/kidsite/parentsandcaregivers.asp

The Montgomery County Public Libraries offer many free resources and services to child care providers and parents including books, videos and magazines, and workshops.

Montgomery County Public Schools Adult Education
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/

Information on free local parenting classes.

NACCRRA- National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral
Agencies
http://www.naccrra.org

NACCRRA is the national network of community-based child care resource and referral agencies. NACCRRA provides technical assistance and resources to member child care resource and referral agencies. Visit this website to find out more information and discover the benefits of membership.

NAEYC- National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org

Come here to check out the latest information on NAEYC's conferences and publications, plus information on accreditation, advocacy, policy issues, and NAEYC membership.

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NAFCC- National Association for Family Child Care
http://www.nafcc.org

The mission of NAFCC is to support the profession of family child care and to encourage high-quality care for children. NAFCC promotes high-quality family child care through accreditation, leadership training, technical assistance, public education, and policy initiatives.

National Child Care Information Center
http://www.nccic.org

Visit this site to find information on research and initiatives going on in the child care field. This page is also an excellent source for information on each state's ratios, teacher qualifications, demographics, and more.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/

Some highlights of this website include a study on cost, quality and outcomes, state child care regulations, and national safety standards. An extensive links page with resources on everything from lead poisoning to playground safety is useful for both parents and child care providers.

Office of Child Care-Region V, Montgomery County
http://www.marylandpublicschools/MSDE/divisions/child_care/licensing_branch/licensing_office_mont.html

The Office of Child Care (OCC) is responsible for the regulation of child care, facilitating the development of new child care resources, promoting the use of regulated care, monitoring caregiver compliance with child care licensing requirements, encouraging the growth of caregiver professionalism, and providing technical assistance to caregivers and parents. 

Ready at Five
http://www.readyatfive.org

A statewide public-private partnership committed to ensuring all children in Maryland enter school ready to succeed. 

Zero to Three
http://www.zerotothree.org

Zero to Three is a national non-profit charitable organization whose aim is to strengthen and support families, practitioners and communities to promote the healthy development of babies and toddlers. Visit this website to find information and resources for both parents and professionals.

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