Parent Resources
Parenting, Child Development and Advocacy
Nassau County Child Protective Services
24-hour Hotline 1-800-342-3720
Anybody can make a report of child abuse and/or neglect if he or she is suspicious that a child (0-18 years of age) is being neglected or abused. The report is kept confidential and the source can be anonymous if the reporter is not mandated by law to report. Child Protective Services is responsible for investigating all allegations of child abuse and neglect received by the Department from the New York Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment, part of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
Child Care Aware® is the nation’s most respected hub of child care information for parents and child care providers. A program of Child Care Aware® of America, Child Care Aware® helps families learn more about the elements of quality child care and how to locate programs in their communities. Our program also provides child care providers with access to resources for their child care programs.
CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all children of America who cannot vote, lobby or speak for themselves. It educates the nation on the needs of children with particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities.
The Early Childhood and Parenting (ECAP) Collaborative is home to a number of projects that focus on educating and raising young children. ECAP hosts research, technical assistance, and service projects.
Dedicated to providing objective information on work-life issues and concerns confronting workers and employers in order to inform decision-makers in government, business, communities and families.
Our mission is to create a smarter, stronger, healthier, and more productive America through early childhood education for disadvantaged children through bipartisan federal advocacy.
For Our Babies is a national movement promoting healthy development in U.S. children from conception to age 3. We advocate for the types of environments, experiences, and relationships that infants and toddlers need in order to thrive.
LIDA, Inc., is a multi-professional organization operating on the paradigm that birth is normal and as such provides evidence based information and positive support for women in the early stages of motherhood, from conception through postpartum. LIDA, Inc., is passionate about supporting birthing families. Through our "Families in Crisis Fund" we are able to provide professional childbirth support to families in crisis at little or no cost to those in need.
Long Island Immigrant Services
Resources for Immigrant Children & Families. Also available to read in Spanish.
In short, MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to achieve economic security for all moms, women, and families in the United States. MomsRising is working for paid family leave, earned sick days, affordable childcare, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes so many mothers.
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.
We’re passionate champions of policies and laws that help women and girls achieve their potential throughout their lives — at school, at work, at home, and in their communities. We’re committed advocates who take on the toughest challenges, especially for women who are low-income and those who face multiple forms of discrimination — and we make change happen. We’re proud to have been on the frontlines of virtually every advance for women for more than 40 years, benefiting women, their families, their communities, and the nation.
New App Helps Parents Track Child's Development Milestones
The Milestone Tracker app, available for iOS and Android mobile phones, was developed by CDC's Learn and Signs, Act Early program to help parents, early care and education providers, and health care providers track developmental milestones in young children. Through this app and its many other parent-friendly tools, the program aims to improve the early identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities, including autism, so children and families can get the support and services they need as early as possible.
NYSPEP- New York State Parenting Education Partnership
NYSPEP offers professional development webinars on a variety of parenting education topics.
An information and referral service for parents of children birth to five. A coalition of community and government agencies, libraries, hospitals, school districts, nursery schools and child care centers that provide education to parents of young children.
A team of academics and professionals from the field of psychology, children's books, and library science, who care deeply about representation in children's books, created Diverse BookFinder project: a three-fold set of resources that bring new accessibility to the world of diverse children's books. The Diverse BookFinder is a public database that makes diverse picture books findable by both the human characteristics and, importantly, narrative message that recur in them.
Winning Beginning NY is a statewide coalition working to inform policymakers and the public about the many benefits of early care and learning for children from the prenatal period through age eight. Our priorities include high-quality afterschool, child care, early intervention, home visiting, and Pre-K. The coalition aims to build a broad-based constituency to make investment in quality early care and learning a top public priority in New York State.
A national organization whose aim is to strengthen and support families, practitioners and communities and to promote the healthy development of babies and toddlers by advancing public knowledge, communicating research and best practices to a wide variety of audiences and providing training, technical assistance and leadership development.
Nutrition, Health & Safety Information & Medical Resources
Addiction Resource on the Dangers of Drugs and Pregnancy
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - "Protect the Ones You Love"
In an effort to raise parents' awareness about how to prevent the leading causes of child injury in the US, the CDC launched the "Protect the Ones You Love" initiative. This link will teach you how parents can play a life-saving role in protecting children form injuries. The site covers burns, falls, road traffic injuries, drowning, poisoning and sports injuries.
New York's health insurance plan for uninsured children up to 18 years old, regardless of income or minority status. Benefits include well child care, immunizations, treatment of illness or injury, prescription drugs, dental care and more.
Docs for Tots focuses on very young children and their families. It was formed in recognition of the importance, obligation, potential impact, and yet, lack of adequate numbers of active doctor advocates for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers on the national, state and local levels.
Fruits & Veggies - More Matters
Focuses on increasing both the awareness of the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, and their consumption, in the United States.
HWCLI serves as an umbrella agency for public and voluntary agencies serving Long Island's poor and vulnerable. It provides consumer information and facilities for enrollment for Child Health Plus, Family Haelth Plus, SNAP benefits and post-9/11 services.
A good resource from the American Academy of Pediatrics, for general information related to child health or for more specific guidance on parenting issues.
Learn more about how you can help reduce child hunger in New York.
New York State Department of Health offers parents nutrition resources regarding dietary guidelines, guide to menu planning, preventing childhood obesity, tips for healthy cooking, feeding infants and much more.
NYS WIC Program
Please download and review the NYS eWIC CARD Guide here. Read more about WIC Services in Nassau County.
Information about what you can do to prevent accidental poisoning. Program the Poison Help number into your cell phone - 1-800-222-1222
Product Safety Reporting Database (CPSC)
The SaferProducts site allows physicians, parents and others to report incidents involving consumer products that caused or could have caused harm. As reports are collated, they are made available online without identifying information so that pediatricians and families can search the database reports associated with specific products.
Up and Away and Out of Sight - Safe Medicine Storage
To keep children safe through proper medicine storage, this program educates parents and caregivers by reminding them about safe storage, providing them with information and tools and encouraging them to take action. Up and Away and Out of Sight is part of the PROJECT Initiative, in partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Consumer Heath Products Association Educational Foundation, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.
Children with Special Needs
Early Childhood Direction Center
The Long Island ECDC provides information to parents and professionals who are concerned about a child from birth - five years of age, with or at risk of learning disabilities. LI ECDC services are confidential and provided free of charge to residents of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
NYS Early Intervention Program
The EIP is a statewide program that provides many different types of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Their website includes a guide for parents, clinical practice guidelines, a checklist for signs that an infant or toddler might need extra help, NYS regulations, and much more.
Resources for Those Helping People with Special Needs
- Teacher Resources for Special Needs
- Disability and Credit Scores
- Financial Planning for Vulnerable Persons
- Disability Resources from the Department of Labor
- Tips for Disabled Persons to Declutter and Organize Their Home
- Legal Resources for Persons with Special Needs
- Keeping Disabled Persons Safe While Remodeling
Government Agencies
Nassau County Department of Social Services
NC DSS website includes a directory of services and contacts.
New York State Department of Education
A directory of resources for parents from the State Education Department of the University of the State of New York.
New York State Office of Children and Family Services
This website of NYS OCFS offers child care regulations for all modalities of care, day care subsidy and emergency regulations as well as product recalls and much more.
The Department of State regulates Au Pair programs. Please review the link for regulations and related information.
For a list of additional Health & Human Service Agencies on Long Island, please visit the United Way of Long Island.
Updated December 2018