Resources

LINKS TO WEBSITES for everyone interested in children. Most websites listed here offer downloadable materials.

"Zero to Three" in English and Spanish. This well-known journal, published by The National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families, includes on its site an archive of articles useful both to parents and to professionals. Downloads available in English and Spanish.

Interested in political action to improve the lives of children? Go to Parents' Action, a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization that was founded in 1997 by actor/director Rob Reiner to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood development and school readiness. It offers a variety of resources for parents, early childhood professionals, child advocates, health care providers, policymakers and the media.

Articles and links from around the world are in The Signal, the quarterly newsletter of The World Association for Infant Mental Health. The current featured article is "Early Intervention: An Overview of Evidence-based Practice."

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Wide-ranging and philosophical, Paper Boat, the site of John Franz, a leading consultant on wraparound and strength-based services, is "a forum dedicated to changing the metaphor of help, a gathering place for folks who are interested in having a bigger conversation about the way we design and deliver community-based support and assistance."

Innovative approaches to funding early intervention services are the gist of “Making Dollars Follow Sense: Financing Early Childhood Mental Health Services to Promote Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Young Children” by Kay Johnson, Jane Knitzer, and Roxane Kaufmann (National Center For Children In Poverty, Mailman School Of Public Health, Columbia University). Also includes financing strategies for more traditional mental health treatment services for young children.

A national legal advocate for people with mental disabilities, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has authoritative publications on early childhood mental health for purchase or download. A reliable source.

Short slide show. "The case for intervening early on with very young children and their families" was presented to the California Institute of Mental Health last year by the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinic. It uses some professional jargon, but is mostly clear and compelling. (S.E.D. = "seriously emotionally disturbed.") It includes an excellent brief bibliography.

Stanford announces a significant new publication How to Build a Better Brain. Check this link for publication data. A quote from one of the authors, Jack P. Shonkoff, MD, chair of the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child: "...there are many different ways of implementing good policy... but anything that takes into account the need for kids to have strong, stable relationships with their parents or other caretakers passes muster. The key issue is the nature of kids' relationships with the important people in their lives. It's not about the toys, it's about the human connection...."