Parenting and Child Care Information

WOSU's Ready To Learn is a combination of broadcast programming and outreach services for parents, families, caregivers and educators to help them prepare young children for success in school. Following the lead of PBS, WOSU began providing the service in 1996, integrating free and universally available children's educational television and on-line resources with community workshops for parents and child care providers. Award winning Ready To Learn television programs include Arthur, Dragon Tales, Clifford, Between the Lions, Sesame Street, and Maya and Miguel.
www.wosu.org/learning/early-learning/

Children’s Hospital
www.childrenscolumbus.org

American Academy of Pediatrics -- Ohio Chapter
www.ohioaap.org
Approximately 1,200 pediatricians, pediatric medical specialists, pediatric surgical specialists and physicians in training in Ohio belong to AAP and provide helpful information for parents.

OhioHealth
www.ohiohealth.com/services/maternity
Maternity information and a link to the Elizabeth Blackwell Center.

Early Childhood Resource Network (ECRN)
www.ymcacolumbus.org/ecrn.htm
A local coalition of more than 40 agencies, organizations and individuals providing services to children age birth to five who have or are at risk for developmental delays or disabilities.

Zero to Three
www.zerotothree.org
A national non-profit organization advocating for the healthy development of infants and toddlers.

Baby Proofing Your Home
www.babyproof.com

The Ohio State University Athletic Department offers a calendar of upcoming events in a variety of sports. These events are family-oriented and ticket prices are reasonable. Click on this link for the calendar of events. http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/calendar/events/

American Academy of Pediatrics
www.aap.org
Helpful information for parents.

Pregnancy and Prenatal Care -- Make Way for Baby www.makewayforbaby.com
"Make Way For Baby!"TM is based in the work of Dr. Beatriz Manrique, a clinical psychologist, professor and author who has spent more than 15 years researching pre- and postnatal infant stimulation. Her research reflects extensive work with thousands of mothers and babies.

Pre-natal and Pregnancy information
www.epregnancy.com

Ohio Academy of Family Physicians
www.ohioafp.org
More than 4,100 family physicians, family practice residents, and medical students belong to the Academy. The site has information on family medicine.

Action for Children
www.actionforchildren.org
The resource and referral agency for child care and early childhood education in central Ohio."

State of Ohio -- Department of Job and Family Services www.state.oh.us/odhs/cdc/
This page provides information on selecting quality and affordable child care, and helpful resources for parents and caregivers.

Child Care Parent Provider Information Network
www.childcare-ppin.com
Provides information about family child care.

The Columbus Speech and Hearing Center
www.columbusspeech.org
Provides intervention services to detect developmental delays in young children.

National Child Care Information Center
www.nccic.org
A national resource for child care and children’s services.

The National Network for Childcare
www.nncc.org
A network of many of the nation's leading universities working through the outreach system of Cooperative Extension. The network shares practical information and resources about children and child care with parents, professionals, practitioners, and the general public.

Child Development Council of Franklin County, Inc.
The Consortium
www.thecol.org/fran.html
Designed to educate early childhood educators, bring about institutional change in training teachers and introduce age-appropriate software to preschoolers and their parents.

CMACAO Northeast Head Start Center
www.cmacao.org/head_start.htm
A program designed to enhance the development of preschoolers by concentrating on needs such as kindergarten readiness skills and socialization, and promoting their physical and mental health.

Columbus Public Schools
www.columbus.k12.oh.us/earlychildhood/
This page, on the Columbus Public Schools’ site, is dedicated to early childhood education information.

Columbus State Community College
www.cscc.edu
A degree-granting institution offering accessible, affordable, lifelong learning opportunities. CSCC provides Start Smart scholarships for students in early childhood development programs.

FIRSTLINK
www.firstlink.org
A non-profit resource management agency that provides information, resources and training to individuals and families in need and links volunteers to opportunities.

Franklin County Educational Service Center
www.fcesc.org
Dedicated to providing quality services that enhance learning for people of all ages in Central Ohio.

John XXIII Educational Center
www.ivenue.com/johnxxiiiheadstartprogram/
A non-profit organization operating a variety of child and family development programs for more than 1,000 children and their families in Franklin County.

Ohio Hunger Task Force
www.ohtf.org
A non-profit organization that provides nutritious meals to more than 10,000 children a day and is committed to finding a long-term solution to hunger.

Prevent Child Abuse Ohio
www.preventchildabuseohio.org
Consolidates a wide variety of prevention, education, treatment and research programs targeting child abuse.

The Salvation Army
www.salvationarmy.org
An evangelical Christian movement deeply rooted in community service.

T.A.P.P. – PLUS (The Art of Positive Parenting)
www.positiveparents.com
A non-profit agency offering a 12-hour course that helps parents build self-esteem, mutual respect, effective discipline and good relationships through education.

YWCA
www.ywca.org
The oldest and largest women’s membership movement in the United States dedicated to empowering women and girls and to eliminating racism for all. The YWCA offers child care, shelter, health, fitness and social justice programs.

Resources and Activities for Parents of Children
Age Zero to Three

The Columbus Public Library
www.columbuslibrary.org
Great activities for children age birth to five, as well as a calendar of events for children’s activities taking places at the main library and branches.

Columbus Parent
www.columbusparent.com
The online version of the monthly local publication for parents.

OhioLine
www.ag.ohio-state.edu/%7Eohioline/lines/fami.html
Hundreds of factsheets, bulletins and other educational materials covering a wide array of subjects including family and consumer sciences.

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood
www.pbs.org/rogers/
Activities for infants and toddlers.

I Am Your Child
www.iamyourchild.org
A national public awareness and engagement campaign to make early childhood development a top priority for our nation.

Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County
www.adamhfranklin.org
Links to social service agencies in Franklin County.

Parents Place
www.parentsplace.com

Gerber
www.gerber.com

Pampers
www.pampers.com

Beech Nut
www.beechnut.com

Maternity and baby information
www.babycenter.com

Maternity and baby information
www.baby-place.com

Eye health professionals recommend that all children receive a comprehensive eye exam or vision screening by three years of age. Some vision problems, such as "lazy eye" can be corrected if they are detected very early in a child's life. Parents and caregivers may visit the following Web sites for more information about pre-school vision and doctor referrals.

Ohio Optometric Association
www.ooa.org
Prevent Blindness Ohio
www.preventblindness.org/ohio/OH
Ohio Ophthalmological Society
www.ohioeye.org