Resource Guide for Childcare : It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the universe of online information and hard to know what to rely on. This guide lists reliable and informative government and nonprofit sites (website names ending in .gov and .org, rather than .com). Most of the sites include articles for parents, guides to further reading, and directories of local groups and professionals; many also have interactive discussion groups and special features for children and teens. Most of the sites have Spanish-language sections as well as English.
Resource Guide for Childcare
To help you find what you need, the list is organized according to the major sections of the book, then alphabetically within each section. You’ll need access to the Internet, which is available through most public libraries. For those who cannot go online, the guide includes telephone numbers as well; some are for hotlines, others are for the main office of the organization.
A word of caution: even for well-respected sites, there is no guarantee that all of the information on them will be accurate. A good plan is to look at the authorship before you read the article. Ideally, every article should list the author and his or her qualifications. Is the author someone you’d trust to advise you about your child? You should also be able to see when the article was last updated. Articles that are outdated or undated aren’t as trustworthy. Finally, you have to use your own common sense: if something you read seems wrong or suspect, look at other sites and sources, or ask your child’s doctor.
YOUR CHILD, AGE BY AGE
Child care. The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRA) provides information on child care, and links to local agencies that provide referrals to high-quality infant and child care: www.childcareaware?.net, (703) 341-4100.
Doulas. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, find out about the benefits of doulas at Doulas of North America (DONA): www.dona.org, (888) 788-DONA (3662).
Emotional development and care. Zero to Three is a well-respected nonprofit that provides information for parents and professionals about young children’s emotional development. The organization was founded many years ago by leading doctors and researchers, and continues to support excellent research, policy, and education. There’s a large selection of wonderful materials to help parents raise emotionally healthy children. Zero to Three is also a leader in early childhood education: www.zerotothree.org, (202) 638-1144.
FEEDING AND NUTRITION
Breast-feeding. A reliable source for information, individual support, and groups is La Leche League: www.llli.org, (847) 519-7730.
General nutrition. For solid information on food and nutrition, start with www.nutrition.gov, run by the United States Department of Agriculture. You’ll find, among other things, links to the U.S. Nutrient Database, which lists the nutrient makeup of nearly every imaginable food. Another good source is the American Dietetic Association: www.eatright.org, (800) 877-1600.
Healthy eating on a budget. The Iowa State University Extension has a creative interactive site that teaches how you can save money and eat better: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings.
Vegetarian eating and nutrition. For well-researched information on nutrition and health, as well as creative recipes, visit the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: www.pcrm.org, (202) 686-2210.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
All conditions: basic medical facts. Maybe the best source for basic medical information—definitions of medical terms and facts about illnesses and medications—is Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/, (888) FIND-NLM (346-3656). There is an easy-touse medical dictionary and a helpful tutorial on how to make sense of medical jargon. The alphabetical list of drugs and supplements is very complete and well organized. The medical encyclopedia provides short but accurate articles on most topics.
Another very reliable and helpful set of health information is at www.cdc.gov, (800) CDC-INFO (232-4636), the website of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The CDC publishes information on infectious diseases and epidemics, as well as growth charts, dental health, safety, nutrition, emergency preparedness, travel medicine, and a host of other important topics.
All conditions: children’s health and behavior. For clear and reliable information about all aspects of children’s health and behavior, see KidsHealth: www.kidshealth.org. The articles are written in plain language, but they give enough detail to be help ful. Although the writers are not named, the articles are reviewed by named doctors or psychologists whose credentials are published; you can also see the date of latest update. There are separate sections for kids and teens, which are fun but still informative. There is a very helpful Spanish-language option throughout the site. The number for the parent organization, the Nemours Foundation, is (904) 697-4100.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) runs a large website: www.aap.org, (847) 434-4000. The AAP is the main professional group for pediatricians, and it writes the guidelines that define good pediatric care. A lot of the information on the AAP site is intended for doctors and other health professionals, but the homepage has a link to articles for parents on a range of topics, including immunizations and injury prevention.
Asthma and allergy. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: www.aafa.org, (800) 7-ASTHMA (727-8462); American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: www.aaaai.org, (414) 272-6071.
First aid, CPR training. The American Red Cross provides training, information on preparedness, and opportunities to be helpful across the globe: www.redcross.org, (202) 303-5000.
Food allergies and anaphylaxis. Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network: www.foodallergy.org, (800) 929-4040.
Medications. For facts about medications, their uses, and possible side effects, see www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ (listing under “All Conditions: Basic Medical Facts”).
Oral (dental) health. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research has parent-friendly information: www.nidcr.nih.gov, and click on the “Oral Health” tab, (301) 496-4261.
Poison control hotline. A good number to have taped next to the telephone: (800) 222-1222. More information is at www.poison.org. (The site has a catchy jingle to help you memorize the number—worth a
listen!)