Every parent needs support. Parents can look to many places for resources on child development. It is important to learn as much as you can about ways to parent that will help your child feel good about him/herself.
You are your child’s first and most important teacher.
The reality for many of Pasadena’s families is that they are experiencing stresses and strains that have an impact on their time and ability to continuously nurture and further their child’s development.
What Simple Things Can You Do Every Day?
- Talk, read and sing with your child every day.
- Tips for Families
- Make time each day to connect with your child.
Health and Well Being
Keeping you and your family healthy starts with regular checkups and monitoring physical and emotional development. Your family’s well-being is shaped by the healthy food choice, regular exercise, and care you provide. What can you do?
There are several locations within the City of Pasadena that can provide free to low-cost healthcare services.
Health Partner Organizations
You can build your family’s healthy by visiting the doctor and dentist regularly.
- Young & Healthy‘s mission is to provide access to high-quality healthcare for uninsured and underserved children and families, to improve the quality of life for all children in the greater Pasadena area through prevention, education and enhanced healthcare services.
- Huntington Hospital is a Pediatric Critical Care Center and ED approved for pediatric patients. The ED is an important safety net for our community’s children. Huntington Hospital, a 619-bed not-for-profit hospital in Pasadena, California, is named among the top hospitals in California and nationally ranked in two specialties by U.S. News and World Report.
- Breastfeeding Support Group
Breastfeeding Support Group
Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., except for holidays.
The Breastfeeding Center hosts a free support group for breastfeeding mothers and their infants, under the supervision of a lactation consultant (IBCLC), mothers meet to share encouragement and support for their decision to breastfeed. Additionally, they have the only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the San Gabriel Valley, as well as a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) that is the only facility of its kind in the San Gabriel Valley, designated by California Children’s Services. More information can be found: - ChapCare has been putting patients first since 1998. For 18 years ChapCare has served the communities of the San Gabriel Valley, providing quality health care for men, women and children of all ages.
The Baby Box Company
A global initiative to equip parents with the vital education and resources needed to give babies a safe, healthy and equitable start in life. The Baby Box Co., inspired by a Finnish tradition, is an innovative, integrated program equipping parents with education and resources to give their babies a safe start in life. Baby Boxes can be used as a safe sleep space for a baby’s first five to six months of life.
Specialized Services for Children
As your child grows, they will reach new milestones and with each stage will bring a new way to connect. Knowing where they are developmentally will help you understand their behavior and respond in a positive way to guide their learning.
- Professional Child Development Associates is a non-profit organization that offers a range of multidisciplinary screening, evaluation, therapy, and specialized services for children, birth through 21 years of age, and their families, when there are any concerns or problems in development, behavior, or social relationships at home, school, or in the community.
- Team of Advocates
TASK specializes in special education support for people with disabilities from birth to age 26 and their families. They support all disabilities, including mental illness, chronic health and medical conditions, and emotional challenges due to abuse or environmental trauma. In the area of assistive technology (AT), they serve all ages, including adults, and help families explore ways to use AT to promote learning, communication, and independence. Their role is to provide emotional support and educate parents about special education systems and processes, so that they can be more effective participants in their child’s education.
Every parent needs support
Parenting is part natural and part learned Strengthening Families™ is a research-informed approach to increase family strengths, enhance child development and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect. It is based on engaging families, programs and communities in building five protective factors:
- Parental resilience
- Social connections
- Knowledge of parenting and child development
- Concrete support in times of need
- Social and emotional competence of children
High Quality Child Care and Preschool
Research today shows that talking, reading or singing with young children every day throughout the day helps build important connections in the brain that can change their lives forever. Created by First 5 California and Scholastic, the Talk Read, Sing Program supports learning skills and is a fantastic way to model speech and language and aid in healthy brain development.
- Options for Learning
Options for Learning has been serving children and families since 1981. As a non-profit child care and early learning agency, Options for Learning has been at the forefront of helping families either break the cycle of poverty, or improve their lives, by providing children and families with the tools to create a positive foundation for school, social and life success. http://www.optionsforlearning.org/ - Pacific Clinics
Pacific Clinics launched Head Start/Early Head Start programming in 2013 to support young children ages 0-5 and their families and caregivers from low-income neighborhoods in Altadena, Glendale, and Pasadena. They provide comprehensive high quality early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services. They conduct a developmental screening for each student, and can identify and support children who may have a mental illness or severe emotional disturbance. Their mental health 0-5 specialists work with Head Start/Early Head Start teachers to ensure these children receive the behavioral health treatment they need to be successful in school and in life. http://www.pacificclinics.org/find-support/head-start-early-head-start - Pasadena Unified School District
The Child Development Department of the Pasadena Unified School District serves children ages 3 through 11 in 20 different school locations across the District. Our program offers Full Day Preschool, Part Day Preschool and Before and After School Care for families who may qualify for State Subsidized funding. Families who are not income eligible may also be able to obtain services. Please call the office for additional information. Children must be 3 years by September 1st of the enrolling school year to enroll in all preschool programs. - Resources for Infant Educators
RIE® classes are designed to help parents raise authentic and self-confident children. Weekly 90-minute classes, led by a RIE® Facilitator, allow parents to learn and practice basic RIE® techniques in a relaxing, infant-friendly, small group environment. - Mom’s Club of Pasadena
The MOMS Club® of Pasadena, California is a local chapter of the International MOMS Club. We welcome moms in Pasadena & Sierra Madre and are open to all kinds, stay-at-home or part-time working! The MOMS Club® is a wonderful way to meet other moms in your area who share your interests and concerns. They offer monthly social gatherings, family activities, organized playgroups, Mom’s Night Out, park days, special interest groups, a monthly newsletter & calendar, service projects, an annual Preschool Fair and so much more!
Additional Information & Resources
