Infants don’t come with a user manual. New parents often have questions and concerns, but they don’t always know where to find the answers. Are you looking for help ensuring your infant is safe, healthy, happy, and growing? Do you need resources to meet the growth and developmental needs of your child? From choosing high quality child care to encouraging good mental health at every stage of development, you can start finding answers here. Click on the blue titles below for more information on any topic. 

Early Care and Education

Early childhood research supports the importance of early childhood education and care in the lives of children. The early childhood years (through 5 years old) are often taken for granted, but the experiences of a child during this time can set the stage for success throughout life. As a parent/caregiver, the choices you make in early care and education for your child are foundational to their healthy growth and development.

Home Visiting

Home visiting programs provide support and coaching to families through planned, regular visits with trained professionals. It is a voluntary program where parents/caregiverss work with home visitors to improve family health, parenting skills, family bonding, and more based on the unique needs and schedules of each family. Home visiting offers programs beginning before birth and continuing through childhood.

Child Development

As they develop and grow, children achieve certain developmental milestones in their daily activities and play. Children make developmental advances in language skills, physical skills, social and emotional skills, and cognitive skills. It is important to remember that every child is different. It is perfectly natural for even children from the same family to achieve different milestones at different times. However, the milestones help indicate how the child is developing over time. Typically developing children will reach many of the milestones at similar stages and times in their early years. These developmental stages help parents/caregivers and early learning professionals recognize the types of activities and opportunities children need to continue healthy development.

Developmental Delays and Disabilities

Quality early care and education providers and programs recognize that every child is unique and develops differently. Most of the time, those differences are nothing to worry about, but sometimes the differences signal a special need. As parents, you know your child best and are most likely to recognize when there are unique developmental needs. Well trained providers are also able to recognize the signs of developmental delays and disabilities in children. High quality programs are able to adapt their activities, curriculum, and engagements to help children reach their full potential.

Healthy Infant

Every parent/caregiver wants their child to have a safe, healthy, and happy childhood. In addition to regular doctor visits and providing safe and secure environments for your child, there are many things you can do to ensure your infant’s health.

Emotional Well-Being

Your infant's brain will continue to grow and develop after they are born. The first five years of brain and emotional development are critical to life-long emotional health. Your child’s experiences during this time shape the way they learn, think, and behave for the rest of their life. There are many ways you can nurture your child’s emotional health.