Resources for Linking with Community Partners to Better Serve Children and Families
NACCRRA (National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies) works with state and local child care resource and referral agencies across the country to connect families with high-quality, affordable child care. NACCRRA also works toward increasing the quality and availability of child care, offering training to child care professionals and child care-related advocacy work. www.naccrra.net.
The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) links families, providers, policy makers, researchers, and the public with early care and education information. To find information about and links to community partnerships, click on Popular Topics, and next on Partnerships. www.nccic.org.
NAEYC’s Online Communities and Interest Forums are groups of NAEYC members who share a common interest related to the NAEYC mission. These groups provide members with networking opportunities and the chance to learn and grow together. Go to the Member’s Only Account Login and click on Online Communities.
www.naeyc.org/members.
Young Children articles and NAEYC books
AFT and CCW/AFTEF (American Federation of Teachers and its affiliate, Center for the Child Care Workforce/American Federation of Teachers Educational Foundation), CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers), ECS (Education Commission of the States), NAESP (National Association of Elementary School Principals), NEA (National Education Association), & NAEYC. 2005. Why we care about the K in K–12. Young Children 60 (2): 54–56.
Baker, A.C., & L.A. Manfredi/Petitt. 2004. Relationships, the heart of quality care: Creating community among adults in early care settings. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
Bakerlis, J. 2007. Children’s art show: An educational family experience. Young Children 62 (1): 88–91.
Birckmayer, J., J. Cohen, I.D. Jensen, & D.A. Variano. 2005. Supporting grandparents who raise grandchildren. Young Children 60 (3): 100–04
Buell, M.J., R.A. Hallam, & H.L. Beck. 2001. Early Head Start and child care partnerships: Working together to serve infants, toddlers, and their families. Young Children 56 (3): 7–12.
Cruz, J., Jr. 2006. Building bridges from pre-K to primary: Anchorage and full support / El fomento de conexiones entre programas pre-kindergarten y la escuela primaria. Anclaje y apoyo pleno. Young Children 61 (4): 10; 74 (Spanish).
Friedman, S. 2007. First grade writers and eighth grade techies. Beyond the Journal online: www.journal.naeyc.org/btj/200701/pdf/BTJFriedman.pdf.
Hurd, T.L., R.M. Lerner, & C.E. Barton. 1999. Research in Review. Integrated services: Expanding partnerships to meet the needs of today’s children and families. Young Children 54 (2): 74–80.
Keyser, J. 2006. From parents to partners: Building a family-centered early childhood program. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf. Available from NAEYC.
Koralek, D., ed. 2007. Spotlight on young children and families. Washington, DC: NAEYC.
McMullen, M.B., & S. Dixon. 2006. Research in Review. Building on common ground: Unifying practice with infant/toddler specialists through a mindful, relationship-based approach. Young Children 61 (4): 46–52.
Mulroy, M.T, J. Bothell, & M-M. Gaudio. 2004. First steps in preventing childhood lead poisoning: The role of child care practitioners. Young Children 59 (2): 20–25.
NAEYC. 2003. Early childhood educators and child abuse prevention: NAEYC’s perspective, research findings, and future actions. Washington, DC: Author.
NAEYC. 2004. Building circles, breaking cycles: Preventing child abuse and neglect—The early childhood educator’s role. Brochure in English or Spanish. Washington, DC: Author.
Robinson, A., & D.R. Stark. 2005. Advocates in action: Making a difference for young children. Rev. ed. Washington DC: NAEYC.
Other articles and books
Academy for Educational Development (AED). 2005. Five steps to community assessment for migrant and seasonal Head Start programs and other special populations. Washington, DC: Author.
Adger, C.T. 2001. School–community-based organization partnerships for language minority students’ school success. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 6 (1&2): 7–25.
Bronfenbrenner, U. 1979. The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Cardwell, D. 2007. New York tries to think outside the sandbox. New York Times, January 10.
Chen, J.Q., P. Horsch, K. DeMoss, & S.L. Wagner. 2003. Effective partnering for school change. New York: Teachers College Press.
Couchenour, D., & K. Chrisman. 2007. Families, schools, and communities: Together for young children. 3rd ed., with professional enhancement booklet, Home, school, and community relations. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Cowhey, M. 2006. Black ants and Buddhists: Thinking critically and teaching differently in the primary grades. Portland, ME: Stenhouse.
Education Trust. 2005. The funding gap 2005: Low-income and minority students shortchanged by most states. Washington, DC: Author.
Graham J. 2005. Stick your neck out—A street-smart guide to creating change in our community and beyond. Giraffe Heroes Project. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Henderson, A.T., & K. Mapp. 2002. New wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Austin, TX: National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools.
Kraft-Sayre, M.E., & R.C. Pianta. 2000. Enhancing the transition to kindergarten. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, National Center for Early Development and Learning.
National School Boards Association. 2006. Education vital signs. Supplement to American School Board Journal. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Roberts, P. 2002. Kids taking action—Community service learning projects, K–8. Turners Falls, MA: Northeast Foundation for Children. Distributed by Stenhouse.
Schools as learning communities. 2004. Themed issue. Educational Leadership 61 (8).
Seibel, N., D. Britt, L.G. Gillespie, & R. Parlakian. 2006. Preventing child abuse and neglect: Parent-provider partnerships in child care. Washington DC: ZERO TO THREE.
Swick, K.J. 2003. Communication concepts for strengthening family-school-community partnerships. Early Childhood Education Journal 30 (4): 275–80.
Warner, M.E., ed. 2006. Articulating the economic importance of child care. Special issue of Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society 37 (2).
Web sites and organizations
Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools promotes civic education in K–12 classrooms including strong community partnership components. www.civicmissionofschools.org
Center for Law and Social Policy’s child care and early education work focuses on promoting policies that support child development and the needs of working parents with low incomes and on expanding the availability of resources for child care and early education initiatives. www.clasp.org
Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships helps families, educators, and members of communities work together to improve schools, strengthen families, and enhance student learning and development. www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/center.htm
Community Approaches to Serving Four-Year-Old Children in Wisconsin presents case studies of community-based approaches toward providing universal pre–K in selected communities in the state of Wisconsin. www.collaboratingpartners.com/docs/FinalCommunityApproach.pdf
Family Communications Neighborhood News offers readers links to information on community involvement, friendship, fund-raising opportunities, and advice from Mister Rogers. www.fci.org/newsletter
The Giraffe Heroes Project is a nonprofit organization about people who go above and beyond and “stick their necks out” for the common good. www.giraffe.org
The Good Scarf Project offers a program where children, families, and educators can raise funds for a school or charity of choice by knitting. www.goodscarfproject.org
Healthy School Communities Program is part of ASCD’s (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) plan to refocus public discussion about education from an academic to a whole-child approach that includes strong collaborations between schools and local community organizations. www.healthyschoolcommunities.org
KaBOOM! works with communities to fund, plan, and create playgrounds. The organization provides resources for communities that wish to plan a new play space on their own; brings together community partners to build a select number of playgrounds each year. www.kaboom.org
Michigan’s Project Great Start is a statewide effort to coordinate public and private efforts to achieve measurable results for Michigan’s youngest children. www.greatstartforkids.org
Project Great Start—Berrien was selected to represent Michigan in the American Association of School Administrators’ annual competition to identify school-community programs that advance learning. Project Great Start—Berrien provides numerous resources to families and partners with community agencies. www.migreatparents.org/community.cfm?county=Berrien
National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools offers research-based information and resources that families and educators can use to effectively connect school, families, and communities to increase student success. www.sedl.org/connections
National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) helps parents and children achieve their potential together through quality literacy programs. NCFL works with educators and community builders to meet the most urgent educational needs of families with fewer advantages. www.famlit.org
Parents as Teachers National Center is an international, early childhood parent education and family support program serving families of children from prenatal through kindergarten. www.parentsasteachers.org
A Place of Our Own (Los Niños en Su Casa in Spanish) is a daily television series, a Web site, and an extensive outreach program devoted to the unique needs of family child care providers and others who care for children.www.aplaceofourown.org and www.losninosensucasa.org/index.php
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) offers a variety of programs and resources focused on assisting children in learning to read and write. Programs on this extensive Web site include community-based and family literacy programs, strategies and advice for educators and parents, and activities for children. www.rif.org
Read to Me is an educational, community-based program focused on encouraging families to read to their babies. www.readtomeprogram.org
Reusable Resources Association focuses on getting usable products, overruns, and rejects that would otherwise go into landfills and incinerators to teachers in need of materials and resources for developmentally appropriate creative education. www.reusableresources.org
Supporting Teachers, Strengthening Families is an NAEYC initiative to help early childhood educators play a key role in the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect and the promotion of children’s healthy social and emotional development. www.naeyc.org/ece/supporting.asp
Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners is a network of state, regional, community, and public and private state departments, agencies, associations, and individuals working together to positively impact the lives of young children and their families. www.collaboratingpartners.com
ZERO TO THREE Policy Center is a research-based program that focuses on promoting good health, strong families, and positive learning experiences for infants and toddlers. Among other activities the Policy Center partners with states and communities and shares promising state and community strategies. www.zerotothree.org/policy
Online communities
Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative at the University of Illinois is home to more than a dozen projects focused on the education, care, and parenting of young children. Visitors will find information, Listservs, and discussion groups on a wide variety of topics of interest to many early childhood educators plus links to active discussion groups. http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu
Early Childhood Education On Line LISTSERV community offers support and opportunities for information exchange to all educators: families, teachers, caregivers, and others interested in providing quality care and learning situations for young children birth through eight years. www.umaine.edu/eceol
Reggio-L is a discussion group, cosponsored by Early Childhood and Parenting Collaborative at the University of Illinois and the Merrill Palmer Institute at Wayne State University, that provides a forum for sharing ideas on the Reggio Emilia approach to early education. http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/listserv/reggio-l.html.
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