resources.
William James INTERFACE referral service
for Families living in Massachusetts
https://interface.williamjames.edu
“A mental health and wellness referral Helpline available Monday through Friday, 9 am-5 pm, at 888-244-6843 (toll free). This is a free, confidential referral service for residents of participating communities. Callers from these participating communities are matched with licensed mental health providers from our extensive database, on average, within 2 weeks of their call to INTERFACE. Each referral best meets the location, insurance, and specialty needs of the caller.”
Psychology Today.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/massachusetts
A list of many therapists nationwide, search based on expertise, location, availability, insurance, and more.
Association for Play Therapy.
https://www.a4pt.org/page/ParentsCornerHomePag
Learn more about Play Therapy, and search the database for a Registered Play Therapist in your area!
Hand In Hand Parenting.
https://www.handinhandparenting.org
A magnificent, super-abundant resource. cooperation-based parenting support, articles for every parenting challenge, and free online community! Much of my approach is rooted in the work of Hand In Hand.
Gender Spectrum.
A fabulous resource to empower ourselves and our young people to be more gender sensitive and inclusive through wisdom and understanding.
Embracing Equity.
An absolutely brilliant journey for everyone engaged in educating children. This national non-profit, founded by one of my favorite people on the planet, Daisy Han, seeks to “Cultivating the mindsets and practices necessary to create an affirming, inclusive, and equitable educational ecosystem.”
Embracing Equity supports grown-ups in do the difficult and necessary work of taking action and being part of the solution of a more inclusive educational system for all children.
Zero to Three
https://www.zerotothree.org/parenting
A magnificent resource-rich non-profit agency dedicated to empowering parents and professionals who work with the very young (0-3 year olds), and conduct continued research and policy work to support our youngest citizens.
“During the first three years of life, emotionally nourishing relationships lay the foundation for lifelong health and well-being. By supporting the caring adults who touch the lives of infants and toddlers, we hope to maximize our long-term impact in ensuring all infants and toddlers have a bright future.”
Black Mamas Matter Alliance
The rates of institutional discrimination and lack of access to quality healthcare for Black mamas is unacceptable. Black Mamas Matter Alliance is committed to engaging and uplifting Black Mamas through policy change, research and community support. Brilliant. “We envision a world where Black mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.”
My Big Feelings and the Big, Bad Virus
https://www.mybigfeelings.com/
A fabulous + free e-book by Emily Adler Mosqueda, MS, CCC-SLP, about the effects of this pandemic on our emotional lives.
Anti-Bias Leaders in Early Childhood Education.
https://www.antibiasleadersece.com/
A guide to change with Louise Derman-Sparks, Debbie LeeKeenan, John Nimmo
Even if you’re not an educator, this website has phenomenal resources to investigate and even share with the parent community at your child’s school. This is where I found the Anti-Bias Pledge and their resource page is a great place to lose yourself, like a great library.
The Montessori Notebook.
https://www.themontessorinotebook.com/
This website is a fabulous resource, created and curated by Simone Davies, author of the fabulous guide to being present from a Montessori perspective The Montessori Toddler. She provides free resources, affordable online workshops and a ton of insights about being with young children.
The Child Mind Institute
A trusted resource for families and any grown up in a child’s life, where there are any issues around mental health or learning differences. They are a national non-profit agency, with many insightful resources (even for our standard, garden variety COVID-era anxiety that we are seeing in ourselves and so many of our children).
Understood
Another fabulous collection of resources, support and information for families of children who experience learning and thinking differences, “Because differences make the world worth exploring. Differences define who we are. Differences are our greatest strength.”
Lisa Nichols.
https://motivatingthemasses.com/
I know she is not early childhood-centric, but Lisa Nichols is a Motivational Coach and founder of Motivating the Masses. She helps put the meal in my oatmeal. She is very inspiring and shares wisdom from her own experience which can uplift us in dark times. Here’s one of her quotes I hold dearly, and I think it relates 100% to the adventures of Parenting:
“And remember what my grandmother says: ‘Other people’s perception of you ain’t none of your business.’ Don’t try to manage what they think of you when you are authentic. Manage how boldly you get to walk in the world inside your authenticity.”
— Lisa Nichols
Montessori Guide
This is one of the most legitimate websites to learn the nuts-and-bolts of the Montessori approach. I really appreciate the informational videos where you get to see the poetry of the child’s experience in a Montessori environment.
Other Goose
https://othergoose.com/welcome/
A dear Mama friend introduced me to this resource during Covid-19. It’s a fabulous collection of activities and approaches for parents who are homeschooling and/or navigating that question. I really appreciate the simple and no-BS approach to being with your kiddos and using what you have to thrive in parenthood and your child’s learning journey. One of my favorite blogs: Help! My Toddler Won’t Listen!
Janet Lansbury
https://www.janetlansbury.com/
I fell in love with Janet Lansbury from her fabulous podcast, “Unruffled,” where she provides perspective and advice to parents who write-in with their parenting struggles. Her dedication to seeing the whole child is truly inspiring.
an overview of Child-Centered Play Therapy:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/non-directive-play-therapy/
an overview of Creative Arts Therapy:
Trauma-informed practice.
a lot of Trauma-Informed work grew out of the findings from a CDC-Kaiser Permanente study in the 90’s called the ACE study, which stands for Adverse Childhood Experiences. They found that experiencing adverse experiences in childhood directly correlates with health challenges in adulthood. They also found that there are protective factors to support children who’ve had adverse experiences. This is just really important, fascinating and striking. There’s 100 books I could recommend. But instead, for an overview (already overwhelming) check it out on the CDC directly:
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html
And here is a list of risk factors and protective factors:
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/riskprotectivefactors.html#anchor_1609868101867
Specifically related to embodied and cultural trauma from racism, I recommend the work of Resmaa Menakem.
Dr. Dan Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson.
co-authors of many books, including The Whole Brain Child and The Power of Showing Up
some Whole Brain Child handouts:
https://drdansiegel.com/whole-brain-child-handouts/
And a video by Tina Bryson on how to support your child in difficult times:
https://www.tinabryson.com/news/what-kids-need-most-during-difficult-times
Allegra Taylor Consulting.
Allegra is my colleague at the Early Years Project. She is a fabulous consultant and an endless treasure-trove of knowledge about child development. My favorite are her infographics, which are great resources for quick strategies. She’s an educator through and through, and can shower you with tips and tricks.