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Below is a collection of general information, developmental milestones, and some COVID-specific supports for a range of ages and stages of childhood and youth, as well as some general parenting resources.
The prenatal period is marked as the time occurring before birth.
General information resources
Healthychildren.org is a website powered by the American Academy of Pediatrics and provides a variety of extensive articles regarding important decisions to make, the delivery process, and beyond.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/Pages/default.aspx
Medline Plus provides health care information regarding prenatal care. This website links relevant articles, clinical research, and handouts that can aid individuals experiencing pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood provides general information regarding prenatal care and enables visitors to book an in-person or telehealth appointment at local Planned Parenthood near you.
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/pregnancy/prenatal-care
Developmental milestones resources
Very Well Mind gives a concise summary of the stages of prenatal development, starting at the germinal stage and ending at the fetal stage.
https://www.verywellmind.com/stages-of-prenatal-development-2795073
Healthline allows readers to familiarize themselves with the stages of pregnancy and the significant developmental milestones babies experience.
https://www.healthline.com/health/prenatal-development#labor-and-delivery
Helpful COVID-19 articles
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists enlists FAQs sections for patients and individuals who are either pregnant or plan to get pregnant regarding COVID-19, vaccines, breastfeeding, and other pregnancy-related questions.
https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/coronavirus-covid-19-pregnancy-and-breastfeeding
Infancy is the period between birth and the first year of life.
General information resources
National Institutes of Health provides patients and consumers a general informational page. Site visitors can navigate the website by category; articles are linked accordingly.
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/infantcare/resources/patients
The CDC offers a parent information page stocked with linked articles and how-to’s regarding your child’s health and safety, as well as helpful parenting guides
The US Department of Agriculture has an informational page for parents and caregivers of infants concerning nutrition and feeding.
https://www.nutrition.gov/topics/nutrition-age/infants
Developmental milestones resources
The Child Mind Institute chronicles the cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional developmental milestones of a child from birth to one year of age.
Bright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative that is led by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources, and Services Administration. The following link is a free downloadable pdf chapter outlining infancy from the age of 0 to 11 months.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has a dedicated site that outlines significant developmental milestones that most commonly occurs for children between the ages of two months to five years.
Center on Developing Child, from Harvard University, provides an activity guide on how to enhance and practice executive functioning in children six months to eighteen months.
Helpful COVID-19 Articles
The Conversation has an interesting piece on children born during the pandemic (after March 2020) and its implications for their development.
https://theconversation.com/pandemic-babies-how-covid-19-has-affected-child-development-155903
Cynthia Ambler, MD, from Northwestern Medicine, gives insight into questions revolving around a baby’s development and what parents and caregivers should know.
The developmental stage of toddlers and young children begins at one year and ends around five years.
General information resources
As young children continue to develop, they start to form a mind of their own and throughout this process, the CDC offers basic information regarding the prevalence of mental health disorders among young-aged children.
Zero to Three allows families to explore varying topics related to parenting, nutrition, safety, as well as early development, and well-being.
https://www.zerotothree.org/early-development
Developmental milestones resources
Provides articles on a toddler's development stages, common concerns raised by parents, and any other questions you need answering.
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/Pages/default.aspx
Perfect for parents with toddlers, this website provides tools and resources for issues like potty training, childcare, and health.
Child Development Institute provides tips on parenting, as well as books, and videos on child development.
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/ages-stages/toddler-preschooler-development-parenting/#gs.84112s
Center on Developing Child, from Harvard University, provides an activity guide on how to enhance and practice executive functioning in children eighteen months to thirty-six months and three to five years old.
Middle childhood is a foundational period of a child's life that begins at six years and ends around twelve years.
General information resources
Bright Futures is a national health promotion and prevention initiative that is led by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the US Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources, and Services Administration. The following link is a free downloadable pdf chapter outlining middle childhood from the age of five to 10 years.
https://www.brightfutures.org/physicalactivity/pdf/MiddleChildhood.pdf
The CDC provides an immersive guide on how to help children navigate through middle childhood. This resource is armed with scholarly articles and helpful tips for parents and caregivers.
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle2.html
Developmental milestones resources
This article from the Pediatrics and Child Health Journal gives a detailed overview of the developmental changes during middle childhood, aka the "forgotten years".
Center on Developing Child from Harvard University provides an activity guide on enhancing and practicing executive functioning in children five to 12 years of age.
Mental health
Coming Out Handbook is a great resource for LGBTQ Youth that provides tools and questions that helps them come out and share their sexual and/or gender identity.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Coming-Out-Handbook.pdf
Time to Talk: Talking to Your Parents is a helpful resource that helps young people talk to their parents about mental health issues.
Adolescence is marked when an individual enters puberty and ends at 19 years of age.
General information resources
The CDC offers thorough informational resources to answer any questions regarding how to raise a teen (12-14 yrs).
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/adolescence.html
The CDC offers thorough informational resources to answer any questions regarding how to raise a teen (15-17 yrs).
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/adolescence2.html
Kidshealth.org provides information vetted by professionals and doctors about topics like nutrition, puberty, and mental health for teens.
https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/
Developmental milestones resources
Center on Developing Child, from Harvard University, provides an activity guide on how to enhance and practice executive functioning in adolescents.
Center for the Developing Adolescent is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving adolescent health, education, and well-being through developmental science; this organization also provides helpful tools and resources for navigating through this crucial developmental period.
The UN Children’s Fund organized the creation of The Adolescent Brain: A Second Window of Opportunity- A Compendium, which houses several articles that highlights the interactions between physical, sexual, and brain development during adolescence.
Mental Health
The Child Mind Institute speaks on the challenges that will come with teens transition back to in-person schooling and the implications that comes with socializing, managing stress, and relearning previous norms.
https://childmind.org/article/teenagers-and-back-to-school-stress/
The Trevor Project is a great resource for LGBTQ+ Youth to access as they provide educational resources about mental health and has a 24/7 support line.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr_support_center/mental-health/
Crisis Text Line is a free 24/7 text messaging service available for individuals in a crisis.
Coming Out Handbook is a great resource for LGBTQ Youth that provides tools and questions that helps them come out and share their sexual and/or gender identity.
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Coming-Out-Handbook.pdf
Time to Talk: talking to Your Parents is a helpful resource that helps young people talk to their parents about mental health issues.
Scarleteen is an inclusive resource for teens and young adults about sexuality and relationships.
AMAZE is an age-appropriate sex ed resource that answers any questions you may have and takes the awkwardness out of this topic.
Parenting styles
This article is an evidence-based, cross-cultural guide to the four different parenting styles proposed by Baumrind.
Parenting guides
Effective Child Therapy is a website recommended by the American Psychological Association that offers information for parents regarding symptoms and treatments for behavioral and mental health problems in children and adolescents.
https://effectivechildtherapy.org/concerns-symptoms-disorders/
Former APA president and director of Yale Parenting Center, Dr. Alan Kazdin developed a free online course through Coursera that provides instructional videos on parenting techniques that address problem behaviors and home and school.
Center for Early Literacy Learning provides parents, caregivers, and teachers evidence-based early literacy learning practices for children ages 0-5 years with delays in development, identified disabilities, and those at risk for poor outcomes.
Author of Families Like Mine, Abigail Garner detailed her experience growing up with a gay father who came out to her when she was five years old. Through this website, Garner creates a safe space for children with LGBTQ+ parents to have a community that they can relate to who've had similar life experiences.
The Trevor Project created an informative guide on how to be an ally to transgender and nonbinary youth.
PFLAG created a question and answer packet for parents, families, and friends who are transgender and nonbinary.
https://pflag.org/sites/default/files/Our%20Trans%20Loved%20Ones.pdf
Mental Health American provides parents and caregivers information about youth mental, how to detect the signs, and be an advocate for your child’s mental health.
The American Psychological Association gives parents and caregivers an extensive list of resources on how to effectively navigate through parenting.
https://www.apa.org/topics/parenting/index
Helpful COVID-19 Articles
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, raising children through these turbulent times can be challenging, Center on the Developing Child from Harvard University gives quick how-to guides and videos on how to support children, as well as parents, during COVID.
The CDC outlines what to expect at children’s K-12 school and childcare programs and aspects to consider to keep them safe as they return to in-school activities.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/groups/expect-school-child-care.html
Defending the Early Years guides supporting young children through COVID-19.
https://dey.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Guidance-FINAL.pdf
Direct Relief speaks on the experience of children growing up during the COVID-19 and the delays in development we can expect.
Books
Magination Press is the APA's (American Psychological Association) children’s book resource list of over 180 titles that provide practitioners, educators, parents, and caregivers a guide on a variety of challenges, like school and mental health challenges.
Center for parenting education is a useful parenting tool that provides parents and caregivers a resource directory, access to a library of parenting articles, and an array of children's books. They're currently aiming to expand their education to be LGBTQ+ inclusive and are looking for individuals to share their stories.
California's Department of Education offers a collection of highly recommended literature for children and adolescents (pre-K to 12th grade).
Pangea Publishing wrote the story The Unwelcome Stranger: COVID-19 which provides public health information while empowering families to discuss COVID-19 with their children.
Perinatal Psychological Services has a list of LGBTQ curated books on parenting, surrogacy, parenting, and adoption with links to purchasing.
https://perinatalpsychotherapy.com/perinatal-psychotherapy-resource-list/lgbtq/
Helpline
Parental Stress Line is a completely free, confidential, and anonymous helpline for parents and caregivers with problems related to their children.
Back-to-school Thriving Kit
It’s a list of lists! And more. This time of year we get a lot of emails…
Anjolie Picar
Anjolie, a Psychology major at University of San Francisco, interned with OFC during the summer of 2021. Anjolie's interest in early childhood education drove her research of the over sixty parenting resources listed on this page.