Early Childhood E-News

Welcome to Early Childhood E-news, a publication from PACER Center.

Here you'll find the latest information and resources for parents of young children with disabilities and the professionals who work with them.

New Website Helps Parents of Young Children with Disabilities

Help Me Grow is the state of Minnesota’s early childhood special education program. Its website offers information, resources, and activities parents can use to help their young child grow, develop, and learn. Among the popular features are videos that show typical child development, answers to frequently asked questions, and links to helpful resources. The information is tailored for parents of newborns, 1- to 2-year-olds, and 3- to 5-year-olds. More >>>

Build Your Child’s Early Literacy Skills

Babies start learning from the minute they are born. Reading to them regularly throughout their infancy and childhood helps them gain the literacy skills they will need to read, write, speak, and listen to the best of their ability. Check out these resources:

• The Center for Early Literacy Learning (CELL) helps parents and professionals promote the building blocks of early literacy with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. You can learn more about CELL practice guides at earlyliteracylearning.org/pgparents.php. CELL is a research-to-practice technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, Research to Practice Division. It is a major initiative of the Center for Evidence-Based Practices at the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute. More
• Depending on your child’s needs, you may benefit from assistive devices that can help build literacy skills. PACER’s Simon Technology Center offers free consultations by appointment to explore devices, hardware, and software that can open the world of reading and writing to your child.
• You are the best source for integrating many literacy-rich experiences into every part of your child’s day and family life. In addition to reading to your child every day, you can:

  Talk and sing to your child while you go about daily tasks.

  • Name clothing, body parts, food, colors, shapes, numbers.
  • While driving on a vacation trip, talk with your child about the weather, scenery, vehicles, and other things you see and hear.
  • At bath time, join your child in singing a favorite song and splashing in the tub.

  Show that you value reading.

  • Be sure your child sees you reading.
  • Make catalogs, books, and magazines available throughout your home.
  • Visit the library regularly. Obtain a library card in your child’s name. Many neighborhood libraries offer summer reading programs for children.

  Encourage writing.

  • Keep crayons, pencils, markers, pens, and paintbrushes easily available.
  • Let your child help you make a grocery list or sign a birthday card.
  • Put your child’s drawings on the refrigerator at child’s-eye level.

Check Out a Museum, Historic Site, or Zoo – Free!

Providing your young child with new experiences is a wonderful way to promote learning and have fun. Thanks to the Museum Adventure Pass, anyone with a valid MELSA library card can obtain free passes to 18 metro organizations—from the American Swedish Institute to zoos. Each pass is good for two free admissions (one pass per family or group). A list of participating sites and information on obtaining passes is available at melsa.org/MuseumAdventurePass/index.cfm or from your local library. Check with individual sites for accessibility information. (MELSA—the ­Metropolitan Library Service Agency—is an alliance of 103 public libraries in the seven-county Twin Cities metro area.) Consider checking out a new destination each time you check out a pass!