Children, as we know, go through many ages and stages, each with their own joys and challenges. Parents have their own strengths and challenges too. Here are some tips and resources for dealing with short- and longer-term stages and situations.

WEBSITES FOR PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS

• Where to Find Help – Childhelp® is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The Childhelp® National Child Abuse Hotline.The hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with professional crisis counselors who have access to a database of 55,000 emergency, social service, and support resources. See more resources for help in this Child Welfare Information Gateway site.
• American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry – assists parents and families in understanding -developmental, behavioral, emotional, and mental disorders affecting children and adolescents. This web page is written in English and Spanish.
• Center for Effective Discipline – provides information on the effects of corporal punishment of children and alternatives to its use.
• Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network – provides legal information for low-income individuals. Consumer (debt collection, bankruptcy and others), Children and Families (custody, marriage, divorce, domestic violence and others) and Employment (unemployment, issues for ex-offenders, and others) are included.
• The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities – offers a wealth of information for people with psychiatric disabilities, including resources on parenting, advance psychiatric directives, and custody issues.
• The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated – provides information on research surrounding children of incarcerated parents, fact sheets for mentors, community members and professionals and tip sheets for parents.
• The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Vaccine Education Center – Learn about specific vaccines and the diseases they prevent.
• PA School Immunization Requirements – What vaccines should your child have to be ready for school? Find out here.
• PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources – Get active! Find a park and outdoor family fun.
• Choose My Plate – offers meal plans, tips for eating healthy on a budget, nutrition education and more.
• Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children – Get help choosing quality child care.
• Families and Work Institute – is a national organization that fosters mutually supportive connections between workplaces, families, and communities.