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SELECT FROM THESE MAIN TOPICS
PARENTING
Parent Involvement Matters -- Parent Involvement Matters.Org provides free resources, including articles, success stories, research, organizations, parent programs, consultant directory, and ParentNet materials to schools, parents, and trainers working to increase parent involvement at school and at home.
Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) - Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) strives to increase the effectiveness of public and private organizations and communities as they promote child development, student achievement, healthy family functioning, and community development. In its relationships with national, state, and local partners, HFRP fosters a sustainable learning process—one that relies on the collection, analysis, synthesis, and application of information to guide problem-solving and decision-making.
Educational Toys for Children -- Help your children learn and grow while having fun!
 Fun for Friends -- A couple of kids together will generally entertain themselves, but it's always good to have a few activities on hand to guide them.
Head Start Bureau -- Head Start serves the child development needs of pre-school children (birth through age five) and their low-income families.
Helping Your Child Achieve -- Information that can help your children do better on tests.
Parent Previews -- We understand how difficult it is for parents and caregivers to tell which of the thousands of titles at the local video store, or feature films at the theater, may be suitable for your family or the children you care for. And few of us have the time or money to preview them.
Homework & Reference Page -- Yes, we all have to do homework sometime, so we thought it might be interesting and fun to find a way, to at least get it done with some help from the net.
Kid's Health -- Find out how your body works! Do a body tour and have a real close look. How you think about yourself matters - it can affect your school and home life.
Love For Reading -- Educators will tell you that reading ability is one of the key predictors of school success. It's no wonder that so much of your child's school day is devoted to reading-skills instruction.
 Monitoring Your Child's Internet Use -- Regulating children’s use of the Internet.
National Service Learning Clearinghouse -- The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC), a program of Learn and Serve America, operates America's premier website supporting the service-learning efforts of schools, higher education institutions, communities, and tribal nations. We offer timely information and relevant resources, thousands of free online resources, the nation's largest library of service-learning materials, national service-learning listservs, and reference and technical assistance services.
Parents' Rights - A document developed by the California Department of Education in response to California law that specifies the legal rights of parents to participate in their children's education (Chapter 864, Statutes of 1998).
 Raising a Good Friend -- Making friends sounds as simple as childs play, but if you watch any young child, you'll see how hard it really is.
The Sesame Workshop -- The Sesame Workshop creates innovative, engaging content that maximizes the educational power of all media to help children reach their highest potential.
Welfare Information Network -- This link provides information and analyses related to families receiving public assistance such as WIN, TANF, and the like. Updated bi-weekly.
Parenting Link -- Parenting Link is an information and referral service of INFO LINE of San Diego and provides countywide referrals to parenting and childbirth education classes, in-home programs, and support groups for families. Information & Referral Specialists have access to over 3,000 parent or child related resources in San Diego County. Their goal is to connect parents to the help they need as quickly and easily as possible.
The Picky Parent Guide - Bryan Hassel, a featured speaker at the March PIRC Conference, has published his book "The Picky Parent Guide". For more information, you can go to www.pickyparent.com or call 1-888-PICKY88. What you'll get in Picky Parent Guide, the definitive action manual and reference guide for choosing and working with schools.
Checklist of How to Increase Parent Involvement - This checklist contains criteria to consider in building steps to increase parent involvement in schools. -Source: Elements of Euity: Criteria for Equitable Schools. Mid-Adlantic Equity Consortium. 1991
 Developing Family/School Partnerships: Guidelines for Schools and School Districts - This newsletter contains a good aritlcle about who should be included in developing a parent involvement policy and what the policy should contain.Source: Partners in Parenting Volume IV, Issue 2, The Parent Educator, Colorado State University, Jan. 1999.
 National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs - The National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs are guidelines developed by the National PTA for leaders of institutions with programs serving parents and families. They generally parallel the six types of parent involvement developed by Joyce Epstein. Source: National PTA.
School and Family Involvement Surveys - This Web site links you to research-based resources identified by the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL). According to the research on school achievement, students perform better when there is a strong partnership between their school and their family. The assessment tools and information provided here are intended to help school administrators, staff, and parents improve parent involvement in their schools. Source: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.
"100 Ways for Parents to be Involved in their Child's Education"  from National Standards for Parent/Family Involvement Programs. This is a helpful checklist of good ideas. Source: National PTA.
Employment Opportunities at Universities - If you are seeking a job at a University, this is a great place to look!
California Healthy Start -- Healthy Start was launched in order to allow schools to provide a range of health, social, and academic support services to support the learning process in order to improve academic achievement for all students.
Child Welfare Services -- Find an office within your local area.
SCHOOL - PROFESSIONAL AND PARAPROFESSIONAL
California Kindergarten Association -- We are directed toward and committed to facilitating quality education for all kindergarten children.
 Compact For Reading -- The purpose of this effort is to encourage greater family, school, and community involvement in the education of children so as to improve their skills and achievement in reading and other language arts.
   California School Leadership Academy -- Recognized statewide and nationally for expertise in the development, delivery, and impact of quality professional development for administrators and teacher leaders.
 Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) -- At the heart of ERIC is the largest education database in the world-containing more than 1 million records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, and books.
The Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) - The Family Involvement Network of Educators (FINE) is a national network of over 4,500 people who are interested in promoting strong partnerships between children's educators, their families, and their communities. FINE's membership is composed of faculty in higher education, school professionals, directors and trainers of community-based and national organizations, parent leaders, and graduate students.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) -- For more than 75 years, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) has been dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. It is a recognized leader in efforts to ensure an excellent mathematics education for all students and an opportunity for every mathematics teacher to grow professionally.
  National Service Learning Clearinghouse -- The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC), a program of Learn and Serve America, operates America's premier website supporting the service-learning efforts of schools, higher education institutions, communities, and tribal nations. We offer timely information and relevant resources, thousands of free online resources, the nation's largest library of service-learning materials, national service-learning listservs, and reference and technical assistance services.
 Program For Infant Toddler Caregivers -- The Program for Infant/Toddler Caregivers (PITC) approach equates good care with trained caregivers who are preparing themselves and the environment so that infants can learn. The program promotes responsive, caring relationships for infants and toddlers.
Resource Area for Teachers -- RAFT, Resource Area For Teachers, is a six year old non-profit organization located in San Jose, California. RAFT serves over 4,000 Bay Area teachers providing them with hands-on interactive learning materials and professional training workshops to use those materials in the school curriculum.
 Southern California Comprehensive Assistance Center -- The Southern California Comprehensive Assistance Center (SCCAC) provides support, training and assistance; integrates and coordinates programs and services; consults with the various IASA stakeholders; and provides professional development services across IASA initiatives.
School Readiness and Parental Involvement -- When children know school is important to parents, they are more likely to give school the priority it must have to result in academic achievement. In households and communities that emphasize that learning is one of the highest priorities in life, children exert themselves to succeed in school and in professional careers.
 Teamwork Makes the Dream Work -- A step-by-step handbook, designed to be used by school staff, operationalizes twenty-five years of research and describes how to implement the best practices for developing effective parent involvement and successful home-school partnerships.
U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration Program -- The CSRD program is increasing the quality and accelerating the pace of school wide reforms in high-poverty and low-achieving schools, especially schools receiving Title I funds.
West Ed -- Provide district and school administrators with the most current information and resources about CSRD, with a particular focus on the needs of schools in WestEd's four state region of Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.
Employment Opportunities at Universities - If you are seeking a job at a University, this is a great place to look!

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Balboa Park Free Tuesdays -- Families can take advantage of free admission to the museums on Tuesdays. As a gift to San Diego residents and visitors, Park organizations offer free admission on Tuesdays on a rotating basis throughout the month.
Boys & Girls Clubs of San Diego -- For 60 years the Boys & Girls clubs of San Diego have been committed to serving youth between the ages of six and eighteen and reaching out to young people in need. Find a Club near you.
California Healthy Start -- Healthy Start was launched in order to allow schools to provide a range of health, social, and academic support services to support the learning process in order to improve academic achievement for all students.
California Kindergarten Association -- We are directed toward and committed to facilitating quality education for all kindergarten children.
Child Welfare Services -- Find an office within your local area.
Children's Village - A Child Development Center of Catholic Charities -- A Child Development Center, providing state-of-the-art child care for busy families of all faiths in the Bay Area. Teaching staff is professionally trained in Early Childhood Education and match the ethnicity, cultures and languages of participating families, as much as possible.
Head Start Bureau -- Head Start serves the child development needs of pre-school children (birth through age five) and their low-income families.
Locating Your Child's School -- The following site lists schools and school districts in California by school name, district name and zip code. This will be helpful to parents and others who are looking for specific information by geographical area.
San Diego Public Libraries -- Find a library within your local area.
Welfare Information Network -- This link provides information and analyses related to families receiving public assistance such as WIN, TANF, and the like. Updated bi-weekly.
What Is Family Child Care ? -- Family Child Care Providers are independent, self employed business people who have assumed one of society's most important responsibilities, that of caring for our youngest children.
YMCA of San Diego County -- "The YMCA is dedicated to improving the quality of human life and to helping all people realize their fullest potential as children of God through development of the spirit, mind and body." Find a YMCA near you.
PUBLICATIONS/NEWSLETTERS
Bebop Books -- They are delightful, child-centered stories that support literacy learning and provide multicultural content for emergent readers.
Educational Toys for Children -- Help your children learn and grow while having fun!
 Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) -- At the heart of ERIC is the largest education database in the world-containing more than 1 million records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum and teaching guides, conference papers, and books.
 International Bureau of Education -- Available free of charge from the INNODATA Project, IBE, P.O. Box 199, 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland. They are also available on this site in portable document format. (pdf format)
 Newsline - Technical Assistance of Parent Centers & Grant/Funding information and articles. The Alliance Parent Center Newsline is a newsletter for parent centers written and posted by the Alliance.
 Sea Change Publications -- An independent Canadian publisher. Information on parenting and home schooling information, audio recordings, books and pamphlets.
Scholastic, Inc. -- The global children's publishing and media company, has a corporate mission supported through all of its divisions of instilling the love of reading and learning for lifelong pleasure in all children. For Spanish and English books click here.
 Teamwork Makes the Dream Work -- A step-by-step handbook, designed to be used by school staff, operationalizes twenty-five years of research and describes how to implement the best practices for developing effective parent involvement and successful home-school partnerships.
Wrights Law -- You will find hundreds of articles, cases, newsletters, and resources about special education law and advocacy.
SPECIAL NEEDS
Diagnostic Centers -- The Diagnostic Centers are the California Department of Education's foremost providers of specialized services and assistance to special education students, their families and local educational agencies (LEAs).
Families for Early Autism Treatment -- FEAT is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing world class Education, Advocacy, and Support for the Northern California Autism Community.
Federal Resource Center (FRC) for Special Education -- The FRC supports a nationwide technical assistance network to respond to the needs of students with disabilities, especially students from under-represented populations.
National Center to Improve Practice -- Was federally funded from 1992-1998 to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities by promoting the effective use of assistive and instructional technologies among educators and related personnel serving these students.
National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education (NCPSE) -- Is committed to enhancing the nation's capacity to recruit, prepare, and retain well qualified diverse educators and related service personnel for children with disabilities.
Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) -- Is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.
Special Education Home Page -- Will provide students and parents with relevant information on just about every Special Education topic available.
Wrights Law -- You will find hundreds of articles, cases, newsletters, and resources about special education law and advocacy.
Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK) -- Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK) is a non-profit, charitable organization, whose mission is to enable individuals with disabilities to reach their maximum potential by providing training, support, information, resources and referrals, and community awareness programs. TASK serves families of children aged birth to 22 years of age under IDEA, and older individuals under the Rehabilitation Act and other systems mandated to provide services to individuals with disabilities. TASK provides advocacy information, workshops and information in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, and has access to interpreters for Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
MULTICULTURAL
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) -- Mission is to promote and support educational excellence and social justice for all.
Family Life In Islam -- If the family is to be a wholesome cradle for human society, it means that the children as continuators of the human race, must find there warmth, patience and every possible advancement in their all-round education. For this purpose, they must have a mother who considers the care for her children not as a part-time job but as one of her foremost duties.
National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) -- Promoting educational excellence and equity through bilingual education, the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) is the only national organization exclusively concerned with the education of language-minority students in American schools.
Southeast Asian Adolescents: Identity and Adjustment -- The adjustment of student refugees has been judged by how well they do in school and their fluency in English. Yet, refugees of all ages know that they need far more than jobs, grades, or even English to feel at home in their new country. They must be accepted and respected by the native population, and must adapt to a new culture without relinquishing the heritage that had been fundamental to their development so far.
LAWS IMPACTING EDUCATION
California Education Code -- The code establishes the law of this state respecting the subjects to which it relates, and its provisions and all proceedings under it are to be liberally construed, with a view to effect its objects and to promote justice.
California Public Schools Accountability Act-- California's Public Schools Accountability Act of 1999, a major effort to create rewards and interventions for improving student performance.
Ed Data Partnership -- In addition to a vast amount of data, you can see brief summaries about enrollments, pupil-teacher ratios, and per pupil expenditures as well as important topics in public education. Each profile and report at the state, county, district and school level has a wealth of data covering such areas as students, staffing, finances, and performance rankings.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - FERPA -- The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Family-School Partnership Act brochure -- The Family-School Partnership Act is a California law that allows parents, grandparents, and guardians to take time off from work to participate in their children's school or child care activities. The law (Labor Code Section 230.8) first took effect in 1995. Its provisions were expanded in 1997 to add licensed child day care facilities to the kindergarten-through-grade-twelve levels included in the original legislation.

California "Family-School Partnership Act" - Information about California law that allows parents, gran dparents, and guardians to take time off from work to participate in their children’s school or child care activities. English (PDF; 38KB; 2pp.)
Legal Citation: Labor Code 230.8 (DOC; 29KB; 1p)
GRANTS AND FUNDING
California State University - Financial Aid Programs -- Financial aid programs provide support for students to help meet the costs of obtaining a college education. Funding for financial aid programs is provided by the federal government, state governments, colleges and schools, and a variety of other public and private sources.
California Department of Education Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration -- The CSRD Program is a school reform initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). Competitive grants are awarded to successful local educational agencies in an amount up to $200 per student in each funded school, with a minimum allocation of $50,000 per school site.
 US Department of Education Grant Administration Resource -- Comprehensive listing of several grant related resources.