Parent Engagement and Family Support

Raising a Reader: How to Share Books with Your Child (VIDEO)

This parent training video by Raising a Reader Massachusetts discusses the value of reading with your child and the benefits shared reading has on brain development and school readiness. There are also tips on turning book sharing into a fun experience for both you and your child!

 

Early Childhood Resource Centers  have been set up at five libraries across the state. Browse the collection and have material delivered to your local library. All you need is a library card.

Learn and Grow Together  file size 3MB  

This resource guide helps parents understand the many stages of child development (from birth to 14 years) and includes suggestions for fun, low-cost family activities.
Also available:  Español  file size 3MB ,  Português  file size 3MB   

 

You are your child’s first teacher.  Parents have the greatest impact on their children’s life. The first three years of life are a time of rapid brain development and learning.  This time becomes critically important for infants and toddlers as they develop the foundations for learning.  The, “Early Learning Guidelines for Infants and Toddlers”, were developed with the focus on relationships between all significant people in the child’s world. 

EEC has developed materials for parents which are inspired by these guidelines.  You will find links to 5 printable infant/toddler learning guides below.  They focus on five different areas of development and contain things you can do every day to positively impact your child’s brain development.

Using the Massachusetts common core standards, EEC has developed 5 additional learning guides that cover the pre-school years.  They contain great ideas about things you can do to support your child’s learning.

 

Instructions for printing the learning guides:

Printing and Folding Guide Refer to your printer’s instructions on how to print the PDF on both sides of the paper. After the sheet has printed, hold it so that the “Things You Can Do...” side is facing up. Fold the sheet in half, the left side over the right, so that you are now looking at the title page. Open the sheet again and fold each end inwards until the edges of the paper meet right at the middle crease you just made; press down to make these two additional creases. You now have a brochure that opens in two steps. If you have printed on 8x11” paper, you may want to trim the top and bottom edges of the blank white space. The learning guide is designed to be held and read in your hands, or kept open if you would prefer to display the recommended “Things You Can Do...” spread on your wall or refrigerator.

Infant/toddler guides:

Talk to Me! You Are Your Child's First Teacher   
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Physical Health and Well Being Brochure 
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Cognitive Development Brochure   
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Social Emotional Development Brochure   
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Approaches to Learning Brochure   
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

 

Preschool guides:

Talk!  Daily opportunities for building literacy 
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Be Healthy!  Daily opportunities for physical health and well-being 
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Learn!  Learning how to learn 
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Engage!  Daily opportunities for social emotional engagement 
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

Explore! Daily opportunities for STEM, (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), exploration 
(Spanish) (Haitian) (Khmer) (Chinese) (Portuguese)

• Education & Learning
• Food & Diet
• Health & Safety

• Financial Assistance for Families

Helpful information pertaining to the EEC Waitlist for Financial Assistance, including the EEC Self Service Tool, KinderWait Client Access, where parents may review and update their waitlist applications.

Overview of the Early Childhood Information System (ECIS), and Goals of EEC Data Collection 

Consent Form - Authorization to Collect and Use Child Data 

Overview of the EEC Parental Consent Form - January 31, 2013 and February 1, 2013 Webinar (Windows Media Video)