Parent Resources

Parents, Teens, and the Law Handbook
This booklet, from Issaquah High School PTSA, is a convenient and useful reference tool for parents and their teenagers to use in addressing several very important and difficult topics.
Download Parents, Teens, and the Law

Sample Letter to the Editor - Parent Involvement As our children head back to school, it's a great time to send a quick letter to the editor regarding Parent Involvement.
Download Sample Letter to the Editor

Action for Healthy Kids
Healthy students are better able to develop and learn. This website is designed to help you learn more about ways to support positive changes in children's fitness and nutrition in your community — whether at a local, state or national level.
www.actionforhealthykids.org

ADD Resources
Articles and information intended to help people with attention deficit disorder reach their full potential.
www.addresources.org/

American Psychiatric Association
The magnitude of death and destruction demands special attention when communicating with children and adolescents. This website offers communication tips for parents and teachers during times of trauma.
www.psych.org/

Asking Saves Kids (ASK)
The goal of the ASK Campaign is to reduce the risk of firearm injury and death among children. This website, from Washington CeaseFire, contains resources for all parents, whether you own a gun or not, for taking action to reduce firearm injury and death among children.
www.washingtonceasefire.org/ASK/

Birth to Five
"A Place to Connect"-- a comprehensive website that links families and service providers to agencies that serve children birth to five.
www.birthtofive.org/

Bright Futures
Bright Futures is a national health promotion initiative dedicated to the principle that every child deserves to be healthy and that optimal health involves a trusting relationship between the health professional, the child, the family, and the community as partners in health practice.
www.brightfutures.org

Campaign for the Class of 2008
A comprehensive effort to inform students, parents, educators and the community about the state’s higher graduation standards has been launched by Washington’s education, state and business leaders.
www.partnership4learning.org/classof2008.htm

Center for Health & Health Care in Schools
This website provides valuable links to parent-friendly resources on child and adolescent health issues.
www.healthinschools.org/parents/index.htm

Child & Family WebGuide
Operated by Tufts University, the WebGuide is a directory that evaluates, describes and provides links to hundreds of sites containing child development research, parenting information, and practical advice.
/www.cfw.tufts.edu/

Child Care Resource & Referral Network
Finding the right caregiver for your child means thinking about the needs of both your child and the family when deciding if a particular setting meets those needs. This website offers up-to-date referral information on licensed child & youth care.
www.childcarenet.org/

Crisis Clinic
An array of support services, immediate and confidential assistance, including information and linkage to community resources, for people in emotional distress and in need of help.
www.crisisclinic.org/main.html

Educational Organizations
This website provides links to hundreds of educational organizations and PTAs.
www.educational-organizations.com

Edutopia
Parent involvement articles and resources from the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), a nonprofit operating foundation that documents and disseminates information about exemplary programs in K-12 schools to help these practices spread nationwide.
www.edutopia.org/php/biglist.php?id=225

Family Guide to Keeping Youth
Mentally Healthy and Drug Free
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website offers new ideas and support to families and caring adults in their efforts to keep youth mentally healthy and drug free.
http://family.samhsa.gov

FCC Parents' Place
This website, created by the Federal Communications Commission, has an array of information to help parents deal with, decipher, and monitor the communications that their children can access.
www.fcc.gov/parents/

Getting School Ready
This website, created by Project Lift-Off, is dedicated to "helping our children to be ready for school, and our schools be ready to meet the needs of our children."
www.gettingschoolready.org

Great Schools
This website helps you choose the right schools, track school performance, and find the resources you need to help your child succeed. Discover how to make the school system work for you.
www.pfl.greatschools.net

Health & Health Care in Schools
This online journal features tons of information about school health programs. Articles cover issues such as pupil privacy rights and disclosure of health information.
http://healthinschools.org/ejournal/ejournal.htm

National Coalition for
Parent Involvement in Education
NCPIE serves as a clearinghouse for resources created to help build and facilitate effective family-school partnerships.
www.ncpie.org

National PTA Resources
As a parent, you are the most important influence in your child's success in school and in life. Discover keys to help your child succeed.
National PTA's Parent Resources

Parent Power
Get a quick read on what economic resources are available to parents--including free or low-cost health insurance, food assistance, childcare subsidies, tax credits, and scholarships. This website is a project of the Children's Alliance, a statewide advocacy organization working to improve the well-being of Washington's children.
www.washingtonparentpower.org

Partnership for a
Drug Free Washington and America
Resources to help kids and teens reject substance abuse by influencing attitudes through persuasive information.
www.drugfreeamerica.org

Partnership for Learning
Find out about the changes in Washington's schools and how you can help your child excel. Partnership for Learning produces a variety of resources to help raise awareness about Washington's school improvement efforts.
www.partnership4learning.org

Respecting Differences Guide
Teaching children respect for differences not only helps create a more equitable environment where people truly value each other's contributions, but also helps eliminate episodes of intolerance, discrimination, and violence. This new web resource from National PTA is designed to assist PTA members in addressing the need for awareness of discrimination and means for respecting differences.
Go to the Online Guide to Respecting Differences

Safe Schools Coalition
Information and resources to help reduce bias-based bullying and violence in schools; to help create safe places where every family can belong, where every educator can teach, and where every child can learn, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
www.safeschoolscoalition.org

SafetyNet
Help your children stay safe online. This website, from the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, offers parents and kids tips and resources for internet safety.
www.atg.wa.gov/safetynet/kids.shtml

Teen Workers
From the Department of Labor and Industries, the Teen Worker website covers information about Hiring Minors, the Hours of Work Allowed, Prohibited Hazardous Occupations, and safety topics such as Construction, Agriculture, Noise Exposure, Ergonomics, and Use of Lawn-care equipment, among others.
www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/TeenWorkers/

Twelve Things Parents Should Know
From the Parent Leadership Associates website, here is a helpful list of things you should know about and expect from your schools... and yourself.
www.plassociates.org/twelve.html

US Department of Health & Human Services
Resources for talking to your kids - a variety of useful communication tips and other important information about mental health, coping with trauma, substance use, and prevention.
http://family.samhsa.gov/talk/

Washington State
Alcohol/Drug Information Clearinghouse
Provides information to the people of Washington State on issues relating to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.
http://clearinghouse.adhl.org

Washington State
Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Helps provide individuals who are dependent on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs with the support and help they need to establish and maintain a lifestyle free of the negative consequences of alcohol and substance abuse.
www1.dshs.wa.gov/dasa

Washington State Education Profile
This site gives information about the WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning), our students' achievement of basic skills and our state standards. This site is a comprehensive resource for parents to learn how well schools and districts are progressing with education reform.
www.k12.wa.us/edprofile/

Washington State School Safety Center
This site offers resources on Violence Prevention, Emergency Preparedness, and other safety issues. Download the new brochure for kids and parents, "If it doesn't add up, subtract yourself," which focuses Child Abduction Prevention.
www.k12.wa.us/safetycenter/

Washington Yellow Pages
for Kids with Disabilities
A reliable source of information and support including government programs, grassroots organizations, and parent support groups.
www.yellowpagesforkids.com/help/wa.htm

Youth Suicide Prevention Program
The YSPP mission is to reduce suicide attempts and deaths among Washington State youth. This website provides tangible ways to build a safety net for the youth of your community, and to change the staggering youth suicide statistics in our state.
www.yspp.org/

Zero to Three
Ideas and information about all areas of a young child's development from the National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families.
www.zerotothree.org

More Resources

Chemical Dependency Treatment Options for Minors Under Age 18: A Guide for Parents
The only thing more complicated than the behavior of someone involved in substance abuse is the behavior of an adolescent. The combination of the two defies a rational explanation. Confronting the possibility of drug or alcohol use problems in your child could be the hardest thing you will ever do. You are not alone. The resources in this guide, published by the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services, will help you face the challenge.
Download the Guide (PDF version)
Download the Guide (MS Word version)