Children develop fastest in their earliest years, and the skills and abilities they develop in those years lay the foundation for their future success. Similarly, early adverse experiences can contribute to poor social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and health outcomes both in early childhood and later life. Children who grow up in families…

This essay makes the case that Barbara Park's picture book "MA! There's Nothing to Do Here!: A Word from Your Baby-in-Waiting" (2008) adds another equal-parts absurdist and alarming item to the ever-growing responsibilities of expecting mothers: ensuring that their fetus is entertained. The messages that Park's narrative…

Prepared by the Maternal and Newborn Services staff at a health care system affiliated with the University of Minnesota, this book is designed as several resources in one, encompassing pregnancy, childbirth, infant care, child development, baby keepsakes, medical records, and journal-keeping. The book provides authoritative, up-to-date information…

In 1999, the Board of Commissioners of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, joined with 21 philanthropic foundations and private funders, as well as nearly 80 community service agencies, to form a public-private partnership that would launch an early childhood initiative, Invest in Children, as a comprehensive system of care focused on improving the…

In the wake of intense national interest in very young children, this volume presents an examination of the findings of the Commonwealth Survey of Parents with Young Children, as analyzed by scholars from diverse disciplines. What emerges from this analysis is a picture of the complex forces that influence families and child rearing in the…

This annotated bibliography on parenting resources is designed to assist parents and those who work with them to locate books on the many and complex topics that affect family life. The materials included encompass the various stages of parenting, from pregnancy and childbirth through the parenting of adult children. The many topics covered…