Children's Mental Health Service — Boston Bar Association

This "How-to Guide" is intended to provide help for parents. Designed to be practical and easy to read, the guide is a reference tool that will introduce the kinds of mental health services available for children in the state. There is also information about how to get these services and how to pay for them.

Guidebook on Mental Health and School Based Health Centers — Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, 2002

Introductory overview of the mental health facets of school-based health centers and how they fit into the work of schools. Module I addresses how to maximize resource use and effectiveness; Module II focuses on matters work with students (consent, confidentiality, problem identification, pre-referral interventions, screening/assessment, referral, counseling, prevention/mental health education, responding to crises, management of care); Module III explores quality improvement, evaluating outcomes, and getting credit for all you do. Includes resource aids (sample forms and special exhibits, questionnaires, interviews, screening indicators) for use as part of the day-by-day operation.

Tips for Developing Healthy Self-Esteem in Your Child — Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities

The Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities and Dr. Robert Brooks compiled a list of ways parents can develop positive feelings of self-worth in their children.

Understanding How Teens Behave Emotionally — The Boston Coalition for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

This brochure provides suggestions and guidelines for parents and those working with teens ages 13-15 on what to look for and what to do if there is a question about a teen's emotional health.

Standards for School-based Mental Health Services — Collaborative for School Based Mental Health and Social Services

This document, written in 2002, was co-authored by representatives of BPS, BPHC, the Coalition for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and Mass Health.

UCLA School of Mental Health Project — UCLA School of Mental Health Project provides many links to family resources. Search for the Parent/Home Involvement in Schools section on their website.

School-Based Healthcare Policy Program — W. K. Kellogg Foundation

This publication provides a brief overview of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's School-Based Health Care Policy Program.

School Health Index — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The School Health Index (SHI) is a school's self-assessment tool, and it should not be used to compare schools or evaluate the staff. There is no such thing as a passing grade on the SHI, but rather the scores should be used only to help understand the school's strengths and weaknesses and to develop an action plan for improving the health policies and programs.

Promoting Better Health for Young People Through Physical Activity and Sports — Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Education, 2000

This report from the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Education, and released by the White House, outlines ten strategies to promote health and reduce obesity through lifelong participation in enjoyable and safe physical activity and sports. Included is a bibliography and appendices of helpful materials.

VERB It's what you do — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

VERB It's what you do is a national, multicultural, social marketing campaign coordinated by CDC. Its mission is to increase and maintain physical activity among tweens (youth age 9-13). The website is filled with activities and resources for parents, teachers, organizations, and students.
Tips for TeachersTips for ParentsTips for Organizations

Healthy Youth! — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

School Health Resources

United States Department of Agriculture

National Association of School Nurses

Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (Siecus)

RealBenefits — The RealBenefits web-based application performs very sophisticated and accurate eligibility screening for state and national benefit programs.

Increasing Family and Parent Engagement in After-School — The After School Corporation (TASC)

This document explains why engaging parents is important, provides tips and outreach materials on effective ways to engage parents, and illustrates 15 examples of how site coordinators and staff are successfully engaging and supporting parents at their after school programs.

Ideas and Tools for Working with Parents and Families — Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

This document discusses social and emotional learning (SEL), the role of parents in this, and how teachers can help parents teach SEL skills. It discusses the need for parents and schools to work together on this and includes handouts with "small things" parents can consider doing regularly.

Welcoming and Involving New Students and Families — Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA

These guidelines provide strategic suggestions for welcoming newcomers, which is part of the broader goal of creating schools where staff, students and families interact positively with each other and identify with the school and its goals. Welcoming and social support are critical elements both in creating a positive sense of community at a school and in facilitating students' school adjustment and performance.

No more islands: Family engagement in 27 school and youth programs — American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF)

AYPF asserts that young people should not be treated as "islands" by school and youth programs, separate from the context of their families and neighborhoods. In its compendia of summaries of evaluations of effective youth programs, AYPF identifies many of these effective, family-like, strategies: include caring adults, create small close-knit environments, articulate high expectations and provide long-term support. No More Islands uses an established body of research, over 100 summaries of evaluations published by AYPF over a six-year period, to demonstrate the amount and type of family involvement used in school and youth programs across the nation.

Strong Images and Practical Ideas: A guide to Parent Engagement in School Reform — Research for Action for the Annie E. Casey Foundation

This guide is about the parent engagement efforts of seven initiatives across the country. The underlying assumption of the work of these seven efforts is that strong schools are vital to strong communities.

Guiding Parents in Helping Children Learn — Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA, 2004

This Technical Aid packet is designed for use by those who work with parents and other nonprofessionals. It contains three types of aids. (1) A "booklet" written for nonprofessionals to help them understand what is involved in helping children learn. (2) Information about basic resources professionals can draw on to learn more about helping parents and other nonprofessionals enhance children's learning and performance. (3) Additional guides and basic information to share with parents as resources they can use to enhance a child's learning and performance.

School and family partnerships: Preparing educators and improving schools — Joyce L. Epstein

This book offers a framework to think about, talk about, and then actually build comprehensive programs of school, family, and community partnerships; a discussion of the theory of overlapping spheres of influence of family, school, and community contexts; a review of research on the implementation and effects of partnerships, and an outline of six types of involvement for creating strong partnership programs; methods for applying this theory, framework, and research in class projects and assignments; and tips on how to gather ideas for specific practices of partnership to use in schools to promote student success.

Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices — Build the Out-of-School Time Network (BOSTnet) and Harvard Family Research Project

This new comprehensive, easy-to-read guide to understanding how to engage families in after school programs is a critical resource for after school providers looking to create or expand an existing family engagement program. Program leaders, local decision makers, funders, and others interested in promoting good family involvement practice in many different settings will also find the guide vital to their work. It offers a research base for why family engagement matters, concrete program strategies for engaging families, case studies of promising family engagement efforts, and an evaluation tool for improving family engagement practices.

Partnerships by Design: Cultivating Effective and Meaningful School-Family-Community Partners — Debbie Ellis and Kendra Hughes

A tool for schools hoping to build more effective and meaningful school-family-community partnerships. Helps schools assess their approaches and implement more effective activities. Includes forms to help schools and organizations write their own plans.

Boston Public Schools Family Resources — The primary goal of the Focus On Children reform plan - to improve teaching and learning for all children - can only be accomplished through collaboration between the home and the school.

Family Literacy and Math — These programs focus on helping parents of populations traditionally left out of higher mathematics to develop their own skills, confidence and enthusiasm for math. Contact: alevine@thehome.org.

Microsoft Office — The Microsoft office website contains templates for common forms, letters and newsletters useful in communicating with parents.

Parent Involvement and Resource Centers — PIRCs were created by the DOE in 1995 to provide parents, schools and organizations working with families with training, information, and technical assistance to understand how children develop and what they need to succeed in school.

Boston Parents Organizing Network — The BPON is a citywide initiative, based at Northeastern University, to organize parents and communities as advocates for the improvement of the BPS.

Center for Parent Leadership — CIPL is an initiative that trains and supports parent activists to help improve achievement in their schools and to be advocates for statewide reform in Kentucky.

Connecting Families to Schools — Working with BPS, Connecting Families to Schools provides home visits by social workers and advocates to families whose elementary school children are experiencing excessive school absences.

EPIC - Every Person Influences Children — EPIC is a national not-for-profit organization that provides effective programs and resources for parents, teachers and school administrators that help adults raise responsible and academically successful children.

Family Involvement Network of Educators — FINE is a national network of over 4,000 people who are interested in promoting strong partnerships between children's educators, their families, and their communities.

Families First — Families First strengthens families of all backgrounds and life circumstances by providing parenting education and support through seminars, workshops, and consultations. They also train professionals from diverse disciplines to enhance their capacity to support today's families.

Institute for Responsive Education — IRE provides training and technical assistance to help administrators, teachers, parents, students, and community members to develop skills to implement and sustain partnerships among schools, families, and communities.

Massachusetts Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education — MCPIE supports public schools through the promotion of meaningful parent involvement in the education of children and school reform. MCPIE is a partner of the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education.

National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education — NCPIE is a coalition of major education, community, public service, and advocacy organizations working to create meaningful family-school partnerships in every school in America.

National Center for Family Literacy — The mission of the National Center for Family Literacy is to create educational and economic opportunity for the most at-risk children and parents.

National Community Education Association — NCEA provides leadership to those who build learning communities in response to individual and community needs by providing its members with national and regional training conferences and workshops; specialized periodicals, publications, and products; opportunities for peer support and networking; and information and referral services.

National Network of Partnership Schools — Established by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the National Network of Partnership Schools brings together schools, districts, and states that are committed to developing and maintaining comprehensive programs of school-family-community partnerships.

Parents' PLACE — Parents' PLACE's aim is to help parents become informed consumers and learn about their rights and choices under NCLB, and help schools and families form stronger partnerships aimed at raising student achievement.

Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers — The Technical Assistance Alliance for Parent Centers supports a unified technical assistance system for the purpose of developing, assisting and coordinating Parent Training and Information Projects and Community Parent Resource Centers under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Moving Towards Success: Framework for After-School Programs — C.S. Mott Foundation Committee on After-School Research and Practice

This document was developed as a follow-up to an After-School Summit to further articulate why intentionally linking program goals, program elements, participant outcomes, and evaluation is critical to improving the effectiveness of after-school programs. It provides overall recommendations and guidelines to afterschool-staff about why such a framework is important in developing and sustaining an effective program.

It's About Time: A Look at Out-of-School Time for Urban Teens — National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)

This paper explores some of the key issues and challenges facing program and city leaders in creating and sustaining afterschool program opportunities that engage the interest and participation of high school-age youth. The authors discuss effective program characteristics and strategies for citywide collaboration, along with steps for cities and organization to build their capacity to meet the needs of today's teen youth during the out-of-school time hours.

Making the Case: A Fact Sheet on Children and Youth in Out-of-School Time — National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)

This great resource is packed with the latest research and information on how children and youth spend their non-school hours, how they benefit from afterschool activities and much more.

How Afterschool Programs Can Most Effectively Promote Positive Youth Development as a Support to Academic Achievement — National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)

This report by NIOST in association with The Forum for Youth (FYI) investigates how after-school programs in Boston can most effectively promote positive youth development as a support to academic achievement.

Massachusetts Afterschool Research Study (MARS) — Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE) & National Institute on Out-of School Time (NIOST)

What makes an after-school program successful? MARS finds that the staff's ability to engage youth and their families is a key barometer for whether the after-school program will result in positive outcomes for youth. "Pathways to Success for Youth: What Counts in After-School" identifies the characteristics of after-school programs that positively impact youth outcomes such as homework completion, initiative, behavior and relationships with peers and adults.

Links to Learning: A Curriculum Planning Guide for After-School Programs — National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)

Links to Learning is a training to assist out-of-school time providers in responding to the call for after school academics, while addressing the full range of children's developmental needs.

Ages and Stages — The Front of Bus Production

This looks at three distinct age ranges: 5-8, 9-11, 12-14, and provides a glimpse of wide span child development that exists along the broader continuum of human development.

Ages and Stages Appendices — The Front of Bus Production

This includes a bibliography, suggested readings & related resources, thematic planning questions, and a feedback form.

Feeling Successful — The Home for Little Wanderers

This booklet provides activities to enrich students' academic and social skills.

Conflict Resolution and Mediation for Peer Helpers — Don L. Sorenson, Ph.D.

This is designed to provide supplemental information to peer training programs. It looks at conflicts, how to manage and resolve them, and provides with a systematic procedure for mediating the conflicts of others.

Collaboration and Community Building: New Approaches to Violence Prevention — Harvard University Graduate School of Education (HGSE)

This report documents a program called New Strategies for Violence Prevention Schools & Communities Working Together, a summer Institute for school practitioners that took place in July 1995 at HGSE. This program aimed at stimulating problem-solving, coalition-building frames of mind and at helping participants to see themselves as team builders when they returned to their home systems to design or implement preventive programs.

The Transforming Power of Adult-Youth Relationships: New Directions for Youth Development, No. 103 — Gil G. Noam (Editor), Nina Fiore (Editor)

Introducing various perspectives that look at the changes in theories, attitudes, approaches, and practices in adult-youth relationships, this issue stresses a model of growth based on partnership and connection over older theories of autonomy and hierarchy between adults and youth. These ways of viewing young people's contributions as extremely important to societal development have to be increasingly embedded in a perspective that young people grow and thrive in relationships and that social institutions, especially families, schools, and youth-serving organizations, have to change dramatically. Contributors also demonstrate how much common ground exists between older and emerging models of youth development and how much work remains to be done.

Academic Content, After-School Style: A Notebook and Guide — C. S. Mott Foundation

This guide is for a novice or veteran teacher, program director or educator, school-age caregiver or youth worker, it will help weave school content into all kinds of afterschool programs. Designed as a write-in notebook for individuals, or for use by groups for creative, hands-on professional development, the Guide offers everything from easy-to-read summaries of K - 12 content and standards for math, language arts, science, social studies, and the arts to chapters on planning and assessment in afterschool.

Links to Learning: A Curriculum Planning Guide for After-School Programs — National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)

Gives after-school programs all the tools they need for planning a well-balanced program, one that responds to the increasing call for academics in after school while addressing the full range of children's developmental needs. Provides an overview of learning and child development; offers tips and tools for selecting, planning, developing and evaluating after-school activities; and demonstrates how to link these activities to sample learning and quality standards. Introduces the reader to curriculum resources focusing on seven "key learning areas" believed to be central to comprehensive, high-quality, after-school programs. 180 pages. (2005)

Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14: A Resource for Parents and Teachers — Chip Wood

For grades K-8. This user-friendly resource provides clear and concise descriptions of children's growth and development (physical, social, language, and cognitive) and expectations for the classroom (reading, writing, math, science, and social studies). The author writes with warmth and humor as he combines research, theory, and practical knowledge to offer a better understanding of children as they reach yearly stages of development. For each age group, the book includes:

• Charts summarizing growth patterns: physical, social, language, and cognitive
• Suggestions for curricular areas: reading, writing, mathematics, and thematic units
• Recommended reading for children, parents, and teachers.

Beyond Heroes and Holidays: A Practical Guide to K-12 Multicultural, Anti-Racist Education and Staff Development — Edited by Enid Lee, Deborah Menkart,and Margo Okazawa-Rey

Beyond Heroes and Holidays is an interdisciplinary guide for teachers, administrators, students, and parents. Through lessons and readings, we share examples of how educators, staff, students, and parents can work together to transform the curriculum, rather than simply adding to current frameworks. It also go beyond the classroom to address such issues as tracking, parent/school relations, and language policies.

Adventures in Peacemaking: A Conflict Resolution Activity Guide for School-Age Programs — William J. Kreidler and Lisa Furlong

Designed to meet the unique needs of after-school programs, camps, and recreation centers, this book includes hundreds of hands-on, engaging activities. The activities teach creative conflict-resolution skills to school-age children through games, cooperative team challenges, drama, crafts, music, and even cooking. Each activity is followed by a period of reflection. The guide also includes easy-to-implement strategies and tips for staff and service providers to use in reducing conflict in their programs and intervening effectively when conflict does occur. The guide is based on an approach to teaching conflict-resolution skills called the Peaceable Program model. Five themes are emphasized: cooperation, communication, emotional expression, appreciation for diversity, and conflict resolution.

The After School Alliance — The After school Alliance provides information to raise the awareness of the importance of after school programs by advocating for quality, affordable programs for all children.

The Forum for Youth Investment — The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement.

Harvard Family Research Project — Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) strives to promote more effective educational practices, programs, and policies for disadvantaged children and youth by generating, publishing, and disseminating our and others' research. Publications are available by the following subject areas: out of school time, evaluation and accountability, professional development, early childhood care and education and family, school and community partnerships.

Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership (MAP) — MAP is a statewide partnership dedicated to improving quality and resources for afterschool, summer and youth programs across the state. MAP has three goals: Building and sustaining a statewide network to promote the out-of-school time sector growth; improving resources for out-of-school time programs, including developing sustainable and increased revenue streams; Promoting high quality of afterschool programs across the state.

Massachusetts School-Age Coalition — This statewide membership organization works to improve accessibility, affordability, quality and diversity of out-of-school opportunities for children and youth.

National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) — Their mission is to ensure that all children, youth, and families have access to high quality programs, activities, and opportunities during non-school hours. NIOST believes that these experiences are essential to the healthy development of children and youth, who then can become effective and capable members of society. Their work bridges the worlds of research and practice.

The After-School Corporation — The After-School Corporation (TASC) provides an After School Tool Box that is designed to help all after school practitioners find useful information about successful after school practices.

BEST Initiative — BEST is an initiative of the National Training Institute for Community Youth Work of the Academy for Educational Development. The national BEST Initiative aims to develop local infrastructure for youth worker training based on the youth development approach, and support a national network of community-based efforts.

Boston After School and Beyond — Boston Beyond is a public/private partnership to organize the many networks and organizations that make up the Out-of-School Time (OST) field into a coherent system with the goal of expanding access to high-quality programming for all of Boston's families.

Boston Public Schools Department of Extended Learning Time and After School Office (DELTAS) — This office oversees the Boston Community Learning Centers and the Bridging the Gap Initiative.

BOSTnet(Build the Out of School Time Network) — BOSTnet provides help for parents and caregivers in finding after school programs BOSTnet, formerly Parents United for Childcare, is an organization of low-and moderate-income parents, child care providers, and other community residents committed to increasing the supply of quality, affordable child care in Massachusetts. It also publishes a Guide to Boston's Before and After-School Programs, a resource for parents, teachers, service providers and anyone else looking for information on out-of-school time programs in Boston. It is a free publication of Build the Out-of-School Time Network. A hard copy is available from the BOSTnet office and it is also available online as a searchable database.

Foundations Inc. — Foundations Inc. provides professional development, training, technical assistance, assessment tools, and publications to build the quality of educational experiences for low-income children and youth across the country. With services addressing both in-school and out-of-school time, Foundations works with schools, school districts, community organizations, after school networks and after school programs to help children succeed in school and beyond.

Learning Point Associates — Learning Point Associates helps schools and districts plan, create, and evaluate strong after school programs.

National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) — Their mission is to ensure that all children, youth, and families have access to high quality programs, activities, and opportunities during non-school hours. NIOST believes that these experiences are essential to the healthy development of children and youth, who then can become effective and capable members of society. Their work bridges the worlds of research and practice.

Search Institute — The Search Institute provides resources on how to promote healthy children, youth, and communities. At the heart of the institute's work is the framework of 40 Developmental Assets, which are positive experiences and personal qualities that young people need to grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory — Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) provides an extensive electronic library in five program areas: improving school performance, strengthening teaching and learning in content areas, integrating technology into teaching and learning, involving family and community in student learning, and connecting disability research to practice.