State and National Initiatives

National Website (all external websites)

Baby Talk Listserv
This one-way free listserv was developed to share resources that support work with infants, toddlers and families. Baby Talk will be distributed by email monthly and features one or more resources, many of which are available to download at no cost. To join the listserv, send an email with no message to
subscribe-babytalk@listserv.unc.edu.


“Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health” - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA)
The overarching purpose of this effort is to stimulate support for a comprehensive system of care approach to children's mental health services. Visit this site for information about materials and resources, professional development, data and other topics related to child mental health.


Center on the Developing Child | Harvard University
The Center on the Developing Child generates, translates, and applies knowledge in the service of improving life outcomes for children in the United States and throughout the world. This site contains links to information about the science of early childhood development, interventions, mental health, etc.


Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL)
The goal of the Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) is to promote the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based early literacy learning practices. This site has resources for early childhood intervention practitioners, parents, and other caregivers of children, birth to five years of age, with identified disabilities, developmental delays, and those at-risk for poor outcomes.


Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC site offers lots of great free resources related to early development, diseases and disorders, safety, statistics, etc.


Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
CSEFEL is a national resource center that focuses on promoting the social emotional development and school readiness of young children birth to age 5. Visit this site for training modules and kits, videos, decision making guidelines, practical strategies, family tools, research syntheses, and What Works briefs. Information is also available in Spanish.


CONNECT: The Center to Mobilize Early Childhood Knowledge
This site provides interactive modules that focus on issues related to working with young children and their families in inclusive settings. These modules emphasize evidence-based decision-making and practices. Modules currently available include: Embedding Interventions, Transitions, and Communication for Collaboration.


Division of Early Childhood (DEC)
The DEC is one of seventeen divisions of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) - the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. DEC is especially for individuals who work with or on behalf of children with special needs, birth through age eight, and their families. Visit this site for position statements, information about recommended practices, professional opportunities, etc.


Franklin Porter Graham Child Development Institute | University of North Carolina
The FPG Institute is one of the nation’s largest multidisciplinary centers for studying young children and their families. This website provides links to FPG projects, where a variety of resources related to young children, families, early intervention, Part B services, child care, etc. can be found.


Maternal Child Health (MCH) Navigator: A Training Portal for MCH Professionals
Maternal and Child Health Bureau |Health Resources and Services Administration
This site is a learning portal that links individuals to existing open-access training, organized in areas consistent with nationally endorsed public health and MCH leadership competencies. Online training resources - like archived webcasts and webinars, instructional modules and self-guided short courses - have undergone academic review and have been handpicked for, and vetted by, MCH audiences.


National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI)
NPDCI works with state leaders to create professional development systems to support early childhood inclusion. This site offers resources and discussions on topics of interest related to inclusion. Virginia is a NPDCI state.


National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
The Babies & Toddlers page on the NICHCY site provides information about early intervention, key terms to know, IFSP development, effective practices, and lots more. Information is available in English and Spanish.


SpecialQuest Multimedia Training Library
SpecialQuest works with state and local communities to collaborate to provide high-quality, inclusive services for young children with disabilities and their families. A free multi-media library is available on this site with training materials and videos.


Text4baby
Text4baby is a free mobile information service designed to promote maternal and child health. An educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB), text4baby provides pregnant women and new moms with information they need to take care of their health and give their babies the best possible start in life. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth.


The Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTAC)
This website offers many resources for Part C and 619 programs, including links to directories for state coordinators of both programs, searchable topics pages, events (including professional development opportunities), an early childhood research and reference portal, and more.


Zero to Three
Zero to Three’s mission is to promote the health and development of infants and toddlers. This site contains links to information about behavior and development, maltreatment, child care and education, and public policy. Topics can be searched including play, brain development, mental health, challenging behaviors, sleep, parenting resources, etc.

State Website (all external websites)

2-1-1-Virginia
Dialing 211 will connect callers to free information about community resources across the state. Callers can discuss their service needs and a trained professional will search the database for local resources to meet the need. The database can also be searched on their website.


CHIP of Virginia
The CHIP of Virginia network is responsible for increasing access to health care for thousands of Virginia's low income children and their families. CHIP targets children from birth to age six, when comprehensive prevention-oriented services make the greatest impact in the life of a young child. This site contains a list of CHIP program contacts across the state.


Healthy Futures | Virginia Department of Health
Healthy Futures is the web-based version of Bright Futures, the American Academy of Pediatrics' standard reference on children’s health issues. Up-to-date children's health information including children’s health topics, videos, and other resources can be accessed at this site.


Home Visiting Consortium
Virginia’s Home Visiting Consortium is a collaboration of statewide early childhood home visiting programs that service families of children from pregnancy through age 5. The Consortium focuses on interagency collaboration emphasizing five areas: state policies & procedures; technical assistance; core training for all early childhood home visitors; improving screening, data collection, and evaluation processes; and collaborative programs with medical and child care providers. This site offers information about training and resources for home visitors.


Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia
The I&TC of VA coordinates the state’s Part C (of IDEA) early intervention system of supports and services. These services are available to families of eligible infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities in Virginia. Visit their website for information about VA’s Part C system, referral information, and other early intervention resources.


Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
PEATC builds positive futures for Virginia's children by working collaboratively with families, schools and communities in order to improve opportunities for excellence in education and success in school and community life. Our special focus is children with disabilities. We do this by providing services and support for families and professionals; easy-to-understand, research-based information and training; and opportunities for strategic partnerships and advocacy for systemic improvement.


Partnership for People with Disabilities
Virginia Commonwealth University
The Partnership is Virginia’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. It hosts a variety of projects related to supporting individuals with disabilities and their families throughout the lifespan. The Integrated Training Collaborative, which operates the VA EIPD Center website and coordinates VA’s comprehensive system of personnel development, is contracted through the Partnership.


Smart Beginnings
Smart Beginnings brings together community leaders to address early care and educational needs of children, ages birth to five. The website offers information about community initiatives and resources for parents and professionals.


Virginia Cross-Sector Professional Development Team (VCPD)
The VCPD promotes planning, development, implementation and evaluation of professional development (PD) to ensure coordination of all early childhood PD in Virginia. The VCPD team members are committed to working together to build a unified (PD) system to support all families and their children (prenatal to age 5) in Virginia. This includes but is not limited to infants, toddlers and preschoolers who may experience risk factors for school failure, English language learners, economic disadvantages, cultural and linguistic differences, and young children with disabilities and special health needs.


Virginia Navigator
This searchable database contains information about community services and resources across the state. Users are encouraged to search for community services for children with special needs using the disability Navigator tab.

 

Woman holding toddler.

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