Resources & Links


Early Literacy Websites

Wisconsin Literacy Education and Reading Network Source:
This site provides information, resources and links, and literacy games and activities for educators and families of young children. Click on the site map link.

The topics on this site that relate to early literacy are language development, emergent literacy, families, phonemic awareness (rhyming and clapping) and vocabulary development.

Wisconsin Public Television:
The Wisconsin PBS Kids web site features kids’ pages, parents and teachers’ pages, links to PBS children’s shows with activities that go with the show, workshop/training schedules, interactive games, stories, songs, books and things to print.

Get Ready To Read Program:
The National Center for Learning Disabilities provides this web site as an initiative for parents, educators, health-care professionals and advocates to help 4-year olds build early literacy skills with many activities, resources, background information, as well as free educational software programs.

Free Publications on Early Literacy:
The following brochures and booklets on early literacy are excellent resources and are available in quantity, so that you can order enough for the families in your programs. You will need to type in the name and ID number for each one. Here they are: Teaching Our Youngest: A Guide for Preschool Teachers, Child Care and Family Providers (EAL0003P); 7 Super Things Parents and Caregivers Can Do, 2-sided in English/Spanish (EAL0018M); Helping Your Preschool Child (English – EK0455P) (Spanish – EKH0077P); A Child Becomes a Reader: Proven Ideas for Parents from Research – Birth to Preschool (EXR0028P)

Madison Public Library:
This site provides information about programs and events at all Madison Public Libraries for babies and families, preschool story times, and much more. It also has great lists of preschool and picture books sorted by topics such as Again and Again and Again, All About Me, Backyards and Beyond, Celebrating Differences, On the Go: Preschool Books About Transportation, Gone Fishin’ and many more topics. Under each of these topics, books are listed in categories of picture books, beginning readers, chapter books, and nonfiction.

Dane County Library Services:
The Dane County Library Service is the primary public library for residents of all Dane County communities. It provides on their services, including book mobile schedules and other link.

Cooperative Children’s Book Center:
This site has extensive lists of children’s books by many different categories, including: Fifty Multicultural Books Every Child Should Know; Forty Books About the Arts; Forty Books About Family; Forty Books About the Seasons; Forty Wordless (or Nearly Wordless) Books, Forty Spanish/English Books, and much, much more!! This site also has lists of award-winning children’s books.

Sesame Street:
This site has lots of games, stories, art, music, and email opportunities for families and children to do together. It even has a “Baby Workshop” with ideas and information on infants.

READY*SET*READ For Caregivers and Families:
This program is designed to promote early literacy activities at homes and development of programs in child care centers and homes. It has developmental information and lots of early childhood language activities for children from birth through age five. A Spanish language version is also available.

National Child Care Information Center:
NCCIC is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system, working to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services. This site is rich with resources, information, and links to early literacy sites.

Wisconsin Child Care Information Center:
The Wisconsin Child Care Information Center is a mail-order lending library and information center serving anyone in Wisconsin working in the field of child care and early childhood education. CCIC provides free information services, library services, and adult learning services to help Wisconsin child care professionals give the best possible start to Wisconsin's children.

Wisconsin Council on Children and Families:
The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families is a statewide, child advocacy organization that collaborates with individuals and organizations in the public and private sector to improve the well-being of children and families. WCCF is a statewide resource for brain research on early childhood development. “Great Beginnings: The First Years Last Forever,” supplies parents and providers with current information, consultation and training sessions on brain development. The Badger Baby Bus brings people and resources to the local communities.

Read On Wisconsin!

Early Math Websites

National Association for the Education of Young Children
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. NAEYC works to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public support for high quality early childhood programs.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is the world's largest mathematics education organization. It serves as the public voice of mathematics education - providing vision, leadership and professional development to support teachers in ensuring mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students.

A Maths Dictionary for Kids
This math dictionary provides basic mathematical terms and definitions for teachers, parents and children.

PBS Parents - Early Math
This PBS Parents site provides a "Child Development Tracker," age-by-age snapshots of the development of mathematical thinking skills. Experts consider these to be "widely-held expectations" for what an average child might achieve within a given year. Note: Please consider them in the context of your child’s unique development. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child’s development is greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the experiences he or she has.

Screening and Evaluation Services

Child Find:
Free screening and evaluation service to help answer questions and concerns about a child’s development. The child must live in the Madison Metropolitan School District and be between the ages of 3 to 5.

Child Find - Dane County

If you live outside Dane County, you must contact your local school district for this screening and evaluation for children between the ages of 3 to 5.

Bridges for Families:
This screening service is available for children from birth to three and live in Madison, Wisconsin.

Birth to Three Connections:
This screening and evaluation service is available for children from birth to three who live in Dane County, but not in Madison.

Early Childhood Care and Education Organizations

Community Coordinated Child Care of Dane County (4-C)
The mission of Community Coordinated Child Care is to advocate for the well-being of children in child care and to assist their parents, and the providers who care for their children, in creating quality child care. Materials and resources, as well as professional staff development and training is provided for its members.

Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA):
WECA is an organization for early childhood professionals. It promotes excellence in child development practices through a range of professional growth opportunities and support services. The diverse members model excellence through their individual accomplishments, advocacy efforts and contributions to the field.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade. NAEYC works to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public support for high quality early childhood programs.

National Association for Family Child Care:
The focus of NAFCC is to provide technical assistance to family child care associations. This assistance is provided through developing leadership and professionalism, addressing issues of diversity, and by promoting quality and professionalism through NAFCC's Family Child Care Accreditation.

International Reading Association:
This organization is dedicated to promoting literacy worldwide. Many good resource books are available from IRA. Preschool Literacy Series will be available in Spring, 2004. This promises to be a valuable resource for anyone who works in an early childhood care and education setting.

Satellite Family Child Care Service:
This is a resource and referral agency for family child care providers and families in Dane County.

The Registry:
The Registry is Wisconsin’s professional recognition system for childcare and education professionals.

Wisconsin Training Network:
This site will assist in finding trainings and events of interest to childcare and education professionals in Wisconsin.

Collaborating Partners