Parents, Families & Communities
Educators and Professionals


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Because no parent should ever have to go it alone, Smart Start offers easy access to a community of links, tips, and helpful published studies to help you learn more about the importance of early child care and education.  Explore here and connect with the knowledge that will help you ready your child for a lifetime of Learning.

Advocacy and Child Care Organizations:

Annie E. Casey Foundation (Kids Count):
http://www.kidscount.org
 
Better Baby Care Campaign:
http://www.betterbabycare.org

Bright from the Start-Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning: 
http://www.decal.ga.gov
 
Child Care Aware:
http://www.childcareaware.org/en/
 
Child Care Partnership Project:
http://nccic.org/ccpartnerships/home.htm
 
Child Care Resources:
http://www.childcare.org
 
Child Trends Databank:
http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org
 
Child Trends:
http://www.childtrends.org
 
Childcare.gov:
http://www.childcare.gov/
 
Children's Defense Fund:
http://www.childrensdefense.org
 
Civitas:
http://www.civitas.org
 
Connect for Kids:
http://www.connectforkids.org/
 
Families and Work Institute:
http://www.familiesandwork.org
 
Family Connection Partnership:
http://www.georgiafamilyconnection.org
 
Future of Children (The David and Lucile Packard Foundation):
http://www.futureofchildren.org/

Georgia Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies:
http://www.gaccrra.org/
 
Georgia Association of Homes&Services for Children:
http://www.referralcentral.info/
 
Georgia Association of Homes and Services for Children:
http://www.gahsc.org/

Georgia Department of Human Resources:
http://www2.state.ga.us/Departments/DHR/

Georgia Division of Family & Children Services:
       http://www2.state.ga.us/departments/dhr/dfcs/

Georgia Head Start Association:
http://www.ghsa.org/

Georgia Preschool Association:
http://www.georgiapreschool.org/

Georgia School Age Care Association:
       http://www.gsaca.com/

Georgia Training Approval & Training Calendar:
       http://www.training.decal.ga.gov/

Get Ready to Read!
http://www.getreadytoread.org/index.php
 
High Scope Educational Research Foundation:
http://www.highscope.org

National Association for Family Child Care:
      http://www.nafcc.org

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):
      http://www.naeyc.org

NAEYC Accreditation:
      http://www.naeyc.org/accreditation/

National Association of Child Advocates:
http://www.childadvocacy.org

National Association of Child Care Professionals: 
       http://www.naccp.org/
 
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies:
http://www.naccrra.org
 
National Black Child Development Institute:
http://www.nbcdi.org
 
National Child Care Association:
http://www.nccanet.org 
 
National Conference of State Legislatures:
http://www.ncsl.org 
 
National Head Start Association:
http://www.nhsa.org
 
National Institute for Early Education Research:
http://www.nieer.org
 
National Institute for Literacy:
http://www.nifl.gov
 
National Latino Children's Institute:
http://www.nlci.org
 
National Network for Child Care:
http://www.nncc.org

National Parent Information Network: 
http://www.npin.org/
 
National School Age Care Alliance:
http://www.gsaca.com
 
Parents Action For Children:
http://www.parentsaction.org/

Stand for Children:
http://www.stand.org

Southern Early Childhood Association: 
http://www.southernearlychildhood.org/

Strengthening Families from the Center for the Study of
Social Policy: 
http://www.strengtheningfamilies.net/
 
The Children's Foundation:
http://www.childrensfoundation.net
 
The Parent Coach Company:
http://www.theparentcoachcompany.com/pc/index.jsp? 
       navigation=45
 
The Southern Institute on Children and Families:
http://www.kidsouth.org
 
Voices for America's Children:
http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/
 
Voices for Georgia's Children:
http://www.georgiavoices.org/
 
W.K. Kellogg Foundation:
http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx
 
Zero To Three:
http://www.zerotothree.org


Best Practices

Federal Initiatives for Model Child Care:
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/
 
Georgia Initiative for Model Child Care:
http://health.state.ga.us/programs/hccg

US Department of Defense, Military Children and Youth:          http://military-childrenandyouth.calib.com/index.htm


Economic Impact and Support For Businesses

Child Care Partnership Project Employer Toolkit Template for Engaging Business Partners: 
http://nccic.org/ccpartnerships/toolkit/toc.htm
 
Corporate Voices for Working Families:
http://www.cvworkingfamilies.org
 

Funding Resources
 
The United States Department of Health & Human Services  
Administration for Children and Families:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants.html
 
Georgia Regulatory And Support Agencies 

Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning:
http://www.decal.state.ga.us
 
Child Care and Parent Services (CAPS):
http://www.div.dhr.state.ga.us/dfcs_caps
 
Head Start Association (list of Early Head Start and Head Start grantee agencies and individual Head Start sites):
http://www.georgiaheadstart.org
 
Statewide Training Calendar:
     http://www.caresolutions.com
 

Growth And Development
 
 A Child Becomes a Reader:
http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/earlychildhood.html
      
 Atlanta Parent - Trusted by Everyone Who Cares About Kids!
http://www.atlantaparent.com/

 Better Brains for Babies:
http://www.fcs.uga.edu/bbbgeorgia/

 Center on Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning: 
http://csefel.uiuc.edu

 Developmental Delays: 
http://www.ga-ddcouncil.org
  
 Get Ready to Read!
http://www.getreadytoread.org

 Growth and Development month by month: 
http://www.ph.dhr.state.ga.us/publications/  
          growthdev/months.shtml

 Learn the Signs. Act Early.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/
 
 National Information Center for Children and Youth 
 with Disabilities:
http://www.nichcy.org/stateshe/ga.htm
 
 Talaris Research Institute:
http://www.talaris.org/index.htm
 
 The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the   
  University of North Carolina:
 http://www.fpg.unc.edu/
 
Zero To Three - BrainWonders:          http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders/ 



Health and Safety

Children First:
http://www.gaaap.org/gap_children1st.htm
 
Georgia Immunization Requirements: 
       http://health.state.ga.us/programs/immunization/index.shtml

 National Safe Kids Campaign:
     http://www.safekids.org

PeachCare for Kids:
http://www.peachcare.org
 
US Consumer Product Safety Commission:
http://www.cpsc.gov


National Initiatives / Government Policy / Policy Resources

United States Education Dashboard

Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia:
http://www.cviog.uga.edu
 
Education Commission of the States:
http://www.ecs.org
 
Good Start, Grow Smart: The Bush Administration's Early   
Childhood Initiative:    
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/earlychildhood/toc.html

National Association for the Education of Young Children –  
Children's Champions: 
http://www.naeyc.org/childrens_champions/default.asp

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental  
Disabilities:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/
 
National Child Care Information Center:
http://nccic.org/index.html
 
National Governors Association:
http://www.nga.org
 
No Child Left Behind:
http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov


Serving Children with Special Needs

Get Ready to Read:
http://www.getreadytoread.org/
 
 National Information Center for Children and Youth with  
 Disabilities:
http://www.nichcy.org/
 
 The National Center for Learning Disabilities:
http://www.ld.org/

 
Statistical Information 

United States Education Dashboard

 Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics:
http://www.childstats.gov/
 
 National Center for Education Statistics:
http://www.nces.ed.gov
 
 National Child Care Information Center:  
     http://www.nccic.org/
 
 National Institute for Early Education Research:
     http://www.nieer.org
 
 National Institute of Child Health and Human  Development:
  http://www.nichd.nih.gov
 
 Pre-K Now:
  http://www.pre-know.org/profiles/profiles.html
 
 The Administration For Children and Families, U.S.  
 Department of Health and Human Services:  
   http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/

  The Census Bureau: 
    http://www.census.gov