Blog

Every year during Women’s History Month we reflect on the many accomplishments of women and their contributions to society. Now that the month is over, it’s time to face a glaring omission so that it’s not repeated next March. This year, I was particularly concerned that the month’s overfocus on the secular and professional accomplishments of women brought an unintended consequence to undermine mothering as valuable work equally worthy of high-fives, GIFs, reposting, and tweeting. Women’s...

An infographic for parents and parent groups from the Children's Trust Fund Alliance highlights the importance of protective factors in strengthening families. It provides a colorful and engaging look at how parents and families can thrive by building protective factors through everyday actions. It also introduces two of the parent groups with whom the Alliance works and outlines some of the available resources focused on building protective factors and developing effective parent...

Original article can be found on Children's Bureau Express here . Family Voices United published a report featuring a summary of responses from youth with lived foster care experience to the question "What supports should be provided to maintain stable foster care placements for expectant and parenting youth, or to support them in achieving safe reunification with relatives/loved ones?" Policymakers can use this report to better understand constituents and tailor programs and systems to...

The Perspectives on Early Relational Health Series from the Center for the Study of Social Policy brings together a diverse group of parents, pediatricians, researchers, and providers to share their perspectives on why Early Relational Health matters, and what they are doing to support and promote foundational early relationships. We hope these conversations inspire new insights and motivate you to join us in our collective movement to support healthy early relationships, so every child and...

Please join us on June 28 from 1:30-3:00 p.m. ET for a virtual conversation with best-selling author Bruce Perry. Ingrid Cockhren , CEO of PACEs Connection; Mathew Portell , PACEs Connections’ director of communities, and Perry, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, will engage in a conversation concerning historical trauma and Perry’s best-selling book " What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing, " which he co-authored with Oprah Winfrey. Please share this blog...

Discussing what to expect when an emergency occurs with your child beforehand can positively impact their ability to react appropriately during an event. Doing so supports their overall resilience, which can improve their ability to recover after a stressful situation. Explore the American Red Cross library of fun and engaging animated videos that help children learn how to help stay safe during a variety of emergencies and cope with any thoughts or feelings that might come up along the way.

By Charley Locke, Photo: Djeneba Aduayom/The New York Times, The New York Times, April 22, 2022 One day last spring, Jett Hawkins, 5, asked his mom to braid his hair for him. He loved the way it looked: “I was so proud and happy,” says Jett, who lives in Chicago. But when he got to school, his mother says, an administrator called her and told her that his hairstyle had broken a school policy that banned students from wearing braids, locs and twists. Jett is not the only kid who has been...

If your child is a perfectionist, or you're worried they might be, you might find these resources helpful: Is your child a perfectionist? Here’s how to help. By Jennifer Breheny Wallace, The Washington Post, March 8, 2022 Perfectionism in Children Can Be Moderated by Parents By Marilyn Price-Mitchell, Roots of Action, February 24, 2021 Letting Go of Perfect: Overcoming Perfectionism in Kids (book) by Jill L. Adelson and Hope E. Wilson 7 Great Children’s Books About Perfectionism From...

This resource from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network defines key terms, including consent and coercion, and offers guidance to parents related to dating violence and sexual assault. This fact sheet describes how common teen sexual assault is, how it relates to dating relationships, the roles drugs and the Internet can play in increasing risk, as well as provides tips for staying safe and what to do if your teen has experienced sexual assault. Please click here to access the resource.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, on May 5, ZERO TO THREE is launching a new podcast focused on mental health and well-being in the earliest years of life. Join to hear from early childhood experts on what’s working, what’s not, and where we go from here. We’ve all seen the news headlines, and many of us are experiencing the impact firsthand of the unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages and walks of life. During Mental Health Awareness Month, we invite you to a safe...

If you are a parent or caregiver, check out Caregiver Handouts: Games and Activities from the Harvard Center on the Developing Child Pediatrics . Here you’ll find handouts with suggestions for games and activities to do with children of different ages. These activities can promote child-caregiver bonding and build children’s brains through play! Another resource from the same source for caregivers is The Value of Routines , which provides some simple things you can do to make everyone's day...

Positive parenting leads to positive futures for generations to come. American Society for the Positive Care of Children (SPCC) provides parenting education and support as the most effective way to support families and nurture children. The following resources are made possible through contributions by child and family advocates like you. Visit the Parenting Resource Center from American SPCC to find more information on the following: Positive Parenting Adverse Childhood Experiences Brain...