Early Childhood/Special Education

Children's Resources International
www.childrensresources.org
CRI is a non-profit educational organization that writes curriculum guides, activity books, training materials, and college courses for educators, administrators, caregivers, and parents. The staff and consultants provide training and technical assistance to support quality teaching practices and to restructure education policies affecting early childhood programs, schools, ands communities around the world.

The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities(NICHCY)
www.nichcy.org
NICHCY is a national information center that provides information on disabilities and disability-related issues. Their special focus is on children and youth, birth to 2.

American Academy of Pediatrics
www.aap.org
The AAP is dedicated to the health of all children. Their website has information regarding child safety, public policy, health updates, and much more.


Save Babies Through Screening
www.savebabies.org
The mission of Save Babies Through Screening is to improve the lives of babies by working to prevent disabilities and early death resulting from disorders detectable through newborn screening.

The Beach Center on Families and Disabilities
http://beachcenter.org
The Beach Center is committed to conducting research while listening to the priorities of families, incorporating family priorities into the Center's research agenda, carrying out research in a participatory way, and to ensuring that the research makes a meaningful and sustainable difference in the lives of families who have children with disabilities.

Children's Defense Fund
www.childrensdefense.org
The Children's Defense Fund is an education and advocacy organization that exists to provide a voice for all of America's children who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. CDF pays particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.

CLAS - The Early Childhood Research Institute on Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
clas.uiuc.edu
The CLAS Institute identifies, evaluates, and promotes effective and appropriate early intervention practices that are sensitive and respectful to children and families from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

The Council for Exceptional Children
www.cec.sped.org
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with special needs.

The Division for Early Childhood
www.dec-sped.org
Division for Early Childhood (DEC) is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children advocating for individuals who work with or on behalf of children with special needs, birth through age eight, and their families.

I Am Your Child
www.iamyourchild.org
I Am Your Child is the online center for information about early childhood development and resources for parents and caregivers.

Screening Instrument
http://www.brookespublishing.com/store/books/wetherby-csbsdp/checklist.htm?ec08
This is a free download of a communication screening instrument for infants and toddlers. The site assists in scoring and interpreting the results. Referring to the table of cut-off scores downloaded with the Checklist, you can quickly ascertain if your child is falling in a range of "concern" or "no concern" regarding communication skills.

Kids Together: Information for Children and Adults with Disabilities
www.kidstogether.org
This site is designed to provide information and resources to enhance the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities and the community.

March of Dimes
www.modimes.org
The mission of the March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. The site has questions and answers regarding pregnancy and infants, as well as news and health information.

National Alliance for Parent Centers
www.taalliance.org
The Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers (the Alliance) provides technical assistance for the Parent Training and Information Projects and Community Parent Resource Centers found in each state.

National Association for the Education of Young Children
www.naeyc.org
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade.

National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Inc
www.ideapolicy.org

National Child Care Information Center
www.nccic.org
The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services.

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC)
www.nectac.org
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center supports the implementation of the early childhood provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Their mission is to strengthen service systems to ensure that children with disabilities (birth through five) and their families receive and benefit from high quality, culturally appropriate, and family-centered supports and services.


PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights)
www.pacer.org
The mission of PACER Center is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents

Zero to Three
www.zerotothree.org
For parents and professionals, this site helps answer questions and provides valuable information about health and development for children. The focus of Zero to Three is on the needs of the "whole baby"—in the context of the family and community.

AskERIC
www.ericir.syr.edu
AskERIC is a personalized Internet-based service providing education information to teachers, librarians, counselors, administrators, parents, and anyone interested in education throughout the United States and the world. The site includes a question/answer service, resource collection, question archive, lesson plan collection, and mailing list archive.