Resources and Links
Virginia Head Start Association Documents
Offsite Resources and Links
Head Start
Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
This comprehensive website is produced by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start and offers resources for Head Start programs and families.
Office of Head Start
The Office of Head Start is part of the US Dept. of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and is a direct federal to local program serving low-income children. The program promotes comprehensive education, health, nutrition, dental, mental health, social services and parental involvement opportunities.
National Head Start Association
This nonprofit membership association (of which Virginia Head Start Association is a member) is dedicated to meeting the needs of Head Start children and their families by providing support to its Head Start members.
Virginia Head Start Collaboration Office
The Virginia Head Start State Collaboration Office is part of the Department of Social Services and oversees the head start program and represents its interests on the state level.
Head Start Center for Inclusion
Part of the Center for Quality Teaching and Learning, the Head Start Center for Inclusion is a great new resource on inclusion of children with disabilities. Its goal is to increase the competence, confidence and effectiveness of personnel in Head Start programs to include children with disabilities.
Education and Learning
National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL)
Compiled by The Office of Head Start (OHS), NCQTL is a portal on the ECLKC that features many resources to support school readiness for children.
Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
CSEFEL is focused on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. CSEFEL is a national resource center funded by the Office of Head Start and Child Care Bureau for disseminating research and evidence-based practices to early childhood programs across the country.
US DOE Early Learning Initiative
The importance of the early years in a child's life has been well documented. The Department of Education prioritizes improving the health, social, emotional, and educational outcomes for young children from birth through 3rd grade by their early learning initiative.
Early Learning Guidelines Implementation Toolkit
Compiled by the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative, the toolkit assists states and territories in engaging in a strategic planning process to support the implementation of Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
NAEYC is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 80,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.
National Institute for Early Education Research
NIEERconducts and communicates research to support high quality, effective, early childhood education for all young children. Such education enhances their physical, cognitive, and social development, and subsequent success in school and later life.
Virginia Association for Early Childhood Education
VAECE is an organization of people interested in the education and welfare of young children and their families.
Baby Sign Language
Baby sign language is a great way to help you communicate with your pre-verbal baby. Baby sign language helps babies that are ready to communicate, but can’t quite bridge the gap to full speech.
Health and Safety
Virginia Health Information Project
The VHIP is a one-stop source for Reliable, non-commercial Virginia health information.
Early Childhood Hearing Outreach (ECHO)
The ECHO Initiative serves Early Head Start as the National Resource Center on Early Hearing Detection and Intervention.
1in5kids.org -- Campaign for Children's Mental Health
The Campaign for Children’s Mental Health is a 3-year sustained effort to make mental health services more available and accessible to the children in Virginia who need them, regardless of where the children live or what “system” identifies their needs.
Virginia's Family Nutrition Program
Funded under NIFA (National Institute of Food and Agriculture), and part of Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Family Nutrition Program helps low income families and children learn to eat healthier and move more throughout the state of Virginia in a variety of ways.
ConsumerWatch Children's Section
ConsumerWatch website is supported by The Consumer Product Safety Commission, an independent government agency created to protect Americans from harmful products that could result in serious injury or death. The agency creates product safety standards and guidelines for companies and manufacturers to follow when creating consumer goods.
General Early Child Care and Development
NACCRRA Army and Navy Partnerships (PDF)
NACCRRA, the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, works with more than 600 state and local Child Care Resource & Referral agencies to ensure that families in every
local community have access to quality, affordable child care.
The Soho Center
The Soho Center promotes quality child care nationally with a special focus on early children's literacy, school readiness, and school success, while also providing a variety of reliable web-based health, nutrition, and safety resources.
PNC Grow Up Great
PNC Grow Up Great is a 10-year, $100 million investment in school readiness to help prepare children from birth to age five for success in school and life.
Smart Beginnings
Smart Beginnings website is sponsored by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, a public-private partnership founded in 2005 whose mission is to provide leadership to foster Smart Beginnings for all young children in Virginia and through them a vital future for the Commonwealth.
Smart Beginnings Virginia Star Quality Initiative
The Virginia Star Quality Initiative was created to provide a consistent way to distinguish the level of quality in early education programs, allowing parents to make more informed choices. Early learning providers who participate in this voluntary program are provided with a guide to continually improve the quality of their services. The initiative is administered in partnership by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and the Office of Early Childhood Development.
Virginia Child Care Resource and Referral Network
VCCRRN is a community-based network of early care and education specialists whose purpose is to deliver services to families, child care professionals and communities to increase the accessibility, availability, and quality of child care in Virginia.
Virginia Home Visiting Consortium
Virginia’s Home Visiting Consortium is a collaboration of statewide early childhood home visiting programs that serve families of children from pregnancy through age 5. The Consortium reports to the Early Childhood Advisory Council and is a partner in Virginia’s Plan for Smart Beginnings.
Zero To Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families
ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policymakers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers. Our mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers.
Advocacy
American Public Human Services Association
APHSA is a nonprofit, bipartisan organization of state and local human service agencies and individuals who work in or are interested in public human service programs. Our mission is to develop and promote policies and practices that improve the health and well-being of families, children, and adults.
Center for Law and Social Policy
CLASP seeks to improve the lives of low-income people. It is a nonpartisan organization that develops and advocatse for federal, state and local policies to strengthen families and create pathways to education and work.
 Kids Count Data Center
The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Voices for Virginia’s Children 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book provides national and state-by-state data on key indicators of child well-being. Visit the Voices for Virginia's Children page on the Kids Count Data Book.
National Women’s Law Center
The National Women's Law Center's mission is to protect and advance the progress of women and girls at work, in school, and in virtually every aspect of their lives.
Virginia Community Action Partnership
VACAP is the statewide membership association for Virginia’s 33 non-profit private and public community action agencies, who work together on a common vision to fight poverty and build self-sufficiency, for strong families and communities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Each agency focuses on its unique local needs.
Voices for Virginia's Children
Voices for Virginia’s Children is a statewide, privately funded, non-partisan awareness and advocacy organization that builds support for practical public policies to improve the lives of children. A recognized leader in child advocacy, Voices mobilizes support for initiatives by conducting research, developing policies, building coalitions, and helping people articulate their support for children.
Program Resources
School Transportation News
School Transportation News is a monthly news and feature magazine serving the field of pupil transportation.
Virginia Child Care Financing Program
Brought to you by the Virginia Department of Business Assistance, The Virginia Small Business Financing Authority's Child Care Financing Program (CCFP) is designed to assist Virginia child care providers in obtaining financing for fixed asset needs.
Family Resources
Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit
EITC is a federal tax credit for low-to-middle income working individuals and families. To qualify you must file an income tax return -- even if the IRS doesn't require filing taxes for your income level. Virginia specific information provided by the Dept. of Social Services.
Family Access to Medical Insurance Security
FAMIS is Virginia's health insurance program for children. It makes health care affordable for children of eligible families. FAMIS covers all the medical care growing children need to avoid getting sick, plus the medical care that will help them get better if they do get sick or get hurt.
211Virginia
2-1-1 is an easy to remember phone number connecting people with free information on available community services. When you dial 2-1-1, a trained professional listens to your situation and suggests sources of help using one of the largest databases of health and human services in Virginia. It also offers resources via the internet on their website.
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