Helping Your Child Learn to Read -
Put Reading First: A Parent Guide
www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first2.html
"Put Reading First: A Parent Guide" is a great resource providing a quick overview of the findings of the National Reading Panel for parents.  This brochure suggests ways parents can reinforce reading instruction at home with everyday activities and interactions. The partnership is a collaborative effort of the National Institute for Literacy and its federal partners, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Family Initiative
www.aecf.org/initiatives/familytofamily/
Mini University encourages families to become active members of the Family Initiative whose goal is 'to educate, engage and mobilize families from all walks of life to support major public investment in quality child care, preschool and after school programs.'

CIVITAS: Tools for Shaping Children’s Lives
www.civitas.org
Civitas is a national, not-for-profit communication group benefiting children. The mission of CIVITAS is to transform essential child development information into understandable language and useful tools for parents, professionals, and grandparents working with young children.

Reading is Fundamental
www.rif.org
RIF programs make a difference in children’s lives every day through enriching activities that spark children’s interest in reading. Motivating children to read throughout the year is essential to building lifelong readers – and reading is the doorway to all other learning.

National Child Care Information Center
www.nccic.org
NCCIC, a project of the Child Care Bureau, 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.

I Am Your Child Foundation
www.iamyourchild.org
A national non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of early childhood development and school readiness. Outstanding and inexpensive resource materials for parents and professionals are available through this foundation.

National Parent Information Network
www.npin.org
The mission of NPIN is to provide access to research-based information about the process of parenting, family involvement in education. NPIN believes that well-informed families are likely to make good decisions about raising and educating their children.

United Services for Effective Parenting
www.usepohio.com
USEP-OHIO serves parents, grandparents, teachers, and others concerned with nurturing children. They promote the well being of families and help parents in the job of nurturing their children and keeping them connected with the resources they need to be the best parents they can be.

Children's Defense Fund
www.childrensdefense.org/
The Movement to Leave No Child Behind® is a national grassroots advocacy campaign with the goal of ensuring every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities
www.charityadvantage.com/aacld
This group seeks to improve the quality of education for African American children by raising the level of awareness in our communities about learning differences and cultural issues facing minority children with learning disabilities.

Facilitating and Encouraging Healthy Emotional Development
pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/102/5/SE1/1330
A discussion directed toward professionals and parents, and a foundational document supporting the mission of BabyEQ!! From the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): PEDIATRICS Vol. 102 No. 5 Supplement November 1998, pp. 1330-1331

The ABC's of child development.
www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/index.html
Developmental milestones for the first five years.

The Talaris Research Institute
www.talaris.org/
Talaris Research Institute is dedicated to discovering how children think, feel and learn. A research-based developmental timeline is organized by the child's age and available on this site. It serves as a general guide to the amazing ways a child grows from birth to 5. Highly Recommended!

Milestones in Social & Emotional Development
www.uic.edu/classes/sped/sped506/milestones.html
An easy to read chart of milestones in social and emotional development.

Parenting Tips Archive
www.parentingpress.com/tip_archive.html
A wonderful archive of parenting tips on feelings, temperament, and other topics.

BrainWonders
www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/sitemap.html
From the Zero to Three Program: developmental guidance for parents and professionals.

Call today to see how Mini University's BACKUP CARE can meet your needs! >  More Information about Backup Care (PDF)

		Parent's Night Out Parents Night Out is evening care for children so parents may enjoy an adult evening out while their children are provided quality care. The hours are generally 6:00 p.m. to midnight on a Friday or Saturday evening each month, and an additional fee is charged for this program. Children are divided according to age and have an opportunity to play in a safe environment with teachers they often see during the day. A typical schedule includes: outdoor play during daylight, a light meal, activities, computers and games, and a 'G' rated movie for the older children.

As a Parent, Regular Opportunities to Participate Include:

>		Field trips
>		Parent, Career or Special Interest Visits: Many of the topics we explore are enriched by the unique cultural and career diversity of our parents.
>		Please let the teacher know if you would like to share your talents with a group of our children.
>		Family Programs such as Fall Harvest, Holiday Celebrations, End of the Year Programs and Mini Olympics.
>		Family Participation Days coordinated every few months, including Water Play Days, Snack with Mom or Dad, Spend the Morning with Your Child, and Monthly CCAMPIS Visits (required 1 hour visits between student parents and their children at WSU.)
>		Mini University encourages families to share special celebrations, traditions, or holidays.