A Babysitting Safety Guide for Families and Caregivers provides essential information and practical tips to keep children safe, healthy, and emotionally supported while under temporary care. Using ... Read more
This guide explains how observation, documentation, and reflection help child care providers get to know infants and toddlers better, support learning, share progress with families, and make inform... Read more
This resource explains why observation matters in early childhood and outlines different ways to record children’s growth, including anecdotal notes, running records, checklists, and portfolios. ... Read more
This question-and-answer guide explains safe sleep practices that help reduce the risk of SIDS, including placing babies on their backs to sleep, using a firm sleep surface, and keeping soft items ... Read more
This milestone guide helps caregivers and providers understand how speech and language typically develop from birth to age 5. It also explains when extra support may be needed and when to talk with... Read more
This resource shows how understanding family culture, language, values, and beliefs can strengthen relationships and family engagement. It helps early childhood professionals use a respectful, stre... Read more
This resource explains how thoughtful environments support infants’ and toddlers’ safety, relationships, learning, and individual needs. It helps child care providers create spaces that are hea... Read more
Need help understanding grain requirements in CACFP? This resource breaks down ounce equivalents, serving sizes, and which grain items count so providers can plan meals with more confidence.
#CACF... Read more
Learn the basics of child growth and development, including how children grow across physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional areas. This resource helps early childhood professionals be... Read more
Support healthy sleep habits with this practical early childhood resource on safe sleep and bedtime routines. It explains how sleep supports children’s growth, learning, attention, and emotional ... Read more
Discover playful ways to help young children explore weather through outdoor learning, sensory experiences, and hands-on science. This Head Start resource encourages children to investigate rain, w... Read more
Use this helpful plant safety resource to learn about common non-poisonous and poisonous plants found in and around the home. This guide encourages adults to label plants, supervise children near u... Read more
A helpful resource for families and child care providers who want to support healthy sleep habits for young children. This resource shares guidance on creating consistent sleep routines, promoting ... Read more
A useful resource for helping children and families navigate changes in early learning and care settings. This PDF offers guidance for supporting smoother transitions, strengthening family communic... Read more
A valuable resource for teachers and providers who want to build stronger connections with families. This PDF helps early childhood professionals better understand how to support family partnership... Read more
The CCDF Health and Safety Training Fact Sheet gives child care providers a clear overview of important health and safety training topics. It is a useful resource for learning about training expect... Read more
A helpful guide for understanding important training topics in early childhood education. This resource covers key areas like safe sleep, emergency preparedness, medication administration, infectio... Read more
A practical startup guide for anyone opening a child care program. Covers planning basics, policies, staffing, budgeting, and key steps to move from idea to operating—helpful for both center-base... Read more
A practical guide that helps teachers and child care staff plan safer field trips for children with food allergies. It includes easy planning steps like checking the destination, communicating with... Read more
A practical, easy-to-follow tip sheet for early educators introducing solid foods safely in child care settings. In early care and education settings, introduce solid foods when infants show develo... Read more
Talking with babies and toddlers is a brain building activity! Every time you talk to a baby and have a high-quality back-and-forth interaction, new connections in that baby’s brain are made. The... Read more
Talking, reading, and singing with young children every day helps build their language skills and supports early brain development. These simple shared activities also strengthen caregiver-child bo... Read more
If you have no childcare experience, emphasize transferable skills like patience, communication, reliability, and any informal experience (babysitting, tutoring, volunteering) when applying for ent... Read more
Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in children’s developing brains that helps regulate reward, motivation, attention, and motor control. Proper dopamine signaling supports learning, goal-directed... Read more