Western Pennsylvania
Parent Education Network
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Western Pennsylvania
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While the items receiving the
best reviews based on the established criteria within each medium and area
of information are described, the Office of Child Development does not condone
any single product or approach to parenting. The following recommendations
are simply possible sources of information that parents may find helpful
in developing the approach best suited to their individual children.
The Office of Child Development did not choose this information for inclusion
based on what was said, but rather, to offer a wide range of philosophies
and perspectives so that parents and parent educators are able to select
information based on their own needs and views.
The following areas were of particular interest in evaluating websites.
After websites were rated in each area of parenting, the sites that earned the highest combined total of scores from these individual categories were selected for inclusion.
- Links: Number of working links to other websites with related material.
- Techniques: Information on specific techniques that parents can use to improve communication with their children or modulate behavior. Sites with the highest scores gave situation-specific examples and step-by-step procedures that could be applied over time.
- Research: Evaluates a site’s credentials and whether its claims are based on peer review research, expert opinion, or parent experience. Sites with the greatest variety of references received the highest scores.
- Ease of Use: Addresses whether or not a site was well organized as well as if any additional software was needed to access information.
- Expense: Sites often times recommend specific items. For instance, many educational sites advertise programs that help children learn to read. Sites promoting the lowest cost items with the clearest explanations of their uses received the highest scores.
- Quality of General Information: Each site’s language was evaluated. Sites that simplified parenting theory/child development so that parents could understand more complicated issues without previous knowledge received the highest scores.
Parents’ Place
http://www.parentsplace.com - Parentsplace.com offers advice for a parent
in any situation. Topics discussed range from fertility and pregnancy
to adolescence. Various “chats” serving as online support groups allow
parents to receive feedback and suggestions from other parents in similar
situations. Parents can also submit questions to experts such as pediatricians,
dentists, and family therapists, which are answered within 24 hours.
Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov - The official site of the U.S. Department of Education
offers articles pertaining to education from grades K-12. Information
on the diagnosis and treatment of learning disorders is available. Tips
on saving for a college education are offered, and government sponsored loans/grants
are explained. Tutoring is available for most high school subjects.
Technology use in the classroom for young children is discussed. Briefs
on recent legislation are also posted.
Toy Safety
http://www.toysafety.net -Toysafety.net offers a comprehensive review of
the most popular toys on the market as well as broadcast warnings about potentially
harmful toys. Toy descriptions, pictures, and guidelines are available
as well as age specific recommendations.
Kid Source
http://www.kidsource.com - Kidsource.com gives a detailed list of parent/child
activities for families with children of all ages. Children can also
read or print educational stories on topics ranging from nutrition to stranger
danger. Homework help is available, and parents can access reviews of
children’s literature. Kidsource.com also boasts a monthly newsletter
for parents.
Kids Meds
http://www.kidsmeds.com - Kids Meds explains the causes and treatments of
common childhood ailments, such as ear infections, colds, lice, and chicken
pox. Parents can also look up specific medications and drug interactions.
Alternative remedies and preventative techniques are also described.
- Health. Includes articles pertaining to diet, exercise, first aid basics, and common childhood ailments (i.e. chicken pox).
- Common Parental Concerns. Discusses how parents’ careers and work schedules affect children, sibling rivalry, divorce, and maintaining a healthy home environment for children of different ages.
- Education. How parents can help children develop memory and learning skills, parenting gifted children, grade level transitions, time management, motivation, and assessing when children need help outside the classroom.
- Development. Discusses how parents can foster healthy motor/cognitive development, understand behavior changes at different developmental stages, and ease social tension in children.
- Behavior Control. Managing children's behavior in positive ways.
- Parental Communication. Informs parents on how to approach children on controversial topics (i.e. drugs), suggestions on how to teach through play, and fostering healthy parent/child communication.
- Organization. Addresses whether articles are organized such that the reader can easily identify and follow the development of main points of interest.
- Practicality. Rates articles’ application and generalizability to normal parenting issues.
- Content. Judges a magazine's ability to target the issues most important to parents today. Articles’ language is also evaluated for clarity.
- Credibility. Addresses the quality of references to research or experts opinions that concur with articles’ assertions.
- Application. Describes how successfully parents can apply the magazine's advice.
- Knowledge. Evaluates how successfully the magazine relates technical information on child development to more general articles.
American Baby
American baby focuses on childbirth and pregnancy as well as the first year
of development. The magazine's main strength is thorough coverage of
common medical concerns. Several doctors and experts routinely address
readers’ questions. Complex physiological and nutritional mechanisms
are clearly explained in simple terms.
American Family Physician
This magazine targets parent educators with a scientific background.
Great emphasis is placed on peer review research and in-depth coverage of
all aspects of family health is offered. The magazine's broad scope
appeals to educators specializing in all stages of family development.
Healthy Childcare
Healthy Childcare caters to preschool teachers, providing them with creative
classroom activities as well as updates on health and safety issues.
Removable handouts for parents are often featured at the magazine. These
handouts cover topics such as reading readiness and understanding childhood
peer interaction.
Child Magazine
Perfect for the parent concerned with communicating with their children and
making healthy family transitions, child magazine details family activities
for all occasions. Emphasis is placed on family participation in the
community and making the neighborhood more “child friendly.” Advice
for common family transitions is also offered successfully. Such transitions
include the birth of a second child and how parents can save more time for
themselves while their children are still young.
Parenting/Parents’ Choice/Parents
Magazine
These three competitors offer similar types of information. These magazines
have extremely high credibility featuring many expert testimonials and opinions.
Although these magazines cater to parents with young children (infancy through
toddler years), product and toy reviews often apply to school age children.
Feature articles are based on reader concerns, and the most detailed information
is often found in the Q/A sections.
Family Life
Family Life is a comprehensive magazine that gives less detailed information
on a variety of topics rather than specializing in one stage of family development.
Step-by-step problem solving guides are featured at least a few times a year
and offer practical solutions to common concerns (nightmares, planning nutritional
family dinners, etc.). This magazine is perfect for the busy parent
with limited time to stay current on family oriented topics.
Baby Talk
Baby Talk focuses on the first year of life. Games and activities designed
to enhance cognitive and motor development are featured in each issue.
Comprehensive reviews of infant formula and toys are also helpful to first
time parents with no previous buying experience.
The Baby Book: Everything
You Need to Know about Your Baby from Birth to Age Two by William and
Martha Sears
As attachment parenting specialists, William and Martha Sears offer solid
advice on bonding with infants and responding to their cues. This book
offers advice for most common behavior problems encountered by parents of
toddlers.
Touchpoints Three to Six:
Your Children's Emotional and Behavioral Development by T. Berry Brazelton,
et al.
A book for parents who struggle with children's changing moods and behaviors.
Brazelton, et al. offers real world troubleshooting on topics such as ADHD,
computers, divorce and toilet training for parents of young children.
These subjects are discussed by five changing childhood characteristics:
temperament, learning, moral development, building relationships, and separation
and independence.
Harvard Medical School
Family Health Guide by Anthony L. Komaroff, Harvard Medical School
The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide is a comprehensive diagnostic
manual with easy symptom flow charts that help parents determine when a doctor's
appointment is necessary. The extra section on immediate emergency
care is also practical for coping with common childhood accidents (i.e. broken
bones).
Without Spanking or Spoiling:
A Practical Guide Approach to Toddler and Preschool Guidance by Elizabeth
Crary
Crary offers sound advice to parents concerned about appropriate discipline.
In her model, discipline is specific to individual childhood temperaments
and family values.
Sleeping though the Night:
How Infants, Toddlers, and their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep
by Jodi A. Mindell
As opposed to most books on childhood sleep disturbances, Mindell offers practical
bedtime tips instead of focusing on correcting problematic habits in the
middle of the night.
Your Child's Health:
The Parents’ Guide to Symptoms, Emergencies, Common Illnesses, Behavior,
and School Problems by Barton D. Schmitt
This comprehensive guide is perfect for parents who want a quick reference
book for illnesses and emergencies as well as more detailed advice on behavior.
Schmitt features many expert opinions, and the book is well organized by topic
for easy reference.
Playful Parenting:
A Bold New Way to Nurture Close Connections, Solve Behavior Problems, and
Encourage Children's Confidence by Lawrence J. Cohen
In his book, Cohen stresses that parents need to “lighten up” with their
children in order to foster healthy relationships and understand how young
children communicate. He also offers parents advice on how to teach
and communicate their own feelings through play.
