Parents/Educators

Parenting Resources
We offer a range of books and library materials for parents and caregivers. Check out our parenting section for books on child development and child care topics, including health and wellness, school readiness and early literacy, and community resources.

Themed Storytime Kits
Check out a storytime kit for your home or classroom! Each kit has materials for three topics with 6 books per topic. Kits also include puppets, toys, and play items, as well as a list of the items and suggestions for using the materials. View a complete listing of our kits here.

Themed Book Bags

In a hurry? Check out a bag of books to take home! Each bag has a set of books relating to early literacy themes. View a complete listing of our book bags here.

Outreach Visits to Schools and Daycares
RPL children’s librarians are here to support your curriculum goals and students’ interests. Preschool teachers report that library visits help children stay excited about books and reading, and increase children’s vocabulary and attention span! Our visits incorporate stories, songs and activities tailored to each age group.

There are many ways that we can connect your students and their families with the library, including:

• Field trips to the Rockville Public Library
• Classroom visits to share stories and/or present book talks to highlight new books
• Library card registration assistance
• Speaking to PTO groups
• Family literacy workshops

Personalized Recommendations
We encourage parents and caregivers to visit the library often to take full advantage of all of our services and programs. The staff is always available to recommend good books. Please feel free to take the time to sit with your child and read, play with puzzles, do homework, find books for projects, and enjoy your child’s interactions with books. Also available are music CDs, books with read-along story CDs, and audiobooks.

Resources on the Internet for Parents

Child Safety
Child Help – Prevention and treatment of child abuse.
Children’s Safety Network – A resource center for child and adolescent injury and violence prevention.
Kids Health – Childproofing recommendations.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children – Information on the AMBER Alert system, Megan’s Law, and other topics relevant to missing and exploited children.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – The latest recall information!

Development (cognitive, emotional, physical)
Ages & Stages – American Academy of Pediatrics posts this helpful guide to ages, stages, milestones, and care of your infant and young child.
Stanford Children’s Health – Buying guideline for safe and fun toys
Zero to Three – Extensive site with information on child development from birth to three years of age.

Education/Child Care
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – Information on Early Childhood Education and a searchable database of NAEYC accredited childcare programs.

Exceptional Children
Autism Speaks – Dedicated to promoting solutions for the needs of individuals with autism and their families.
Council for Exceptional Children – Information on special education.
LD Online – Leading web site on learning disabilities, learning disorders and learning differences for parents.

General sites with multiple parenting links
Children’s Defense Fund – Information on and support for the Leave No Child Behind program.
Family TLC – Age-appropriate family activities – games, sports, crafts, music, cooking, nature and more. Also, parenting tips and articles on child development.

Health & Nutrition
Mayo Clinic – Children’s nutrition guidelines.
Nutrition.gov
KidsHealth.org – Covers all aspects of children’s health
ASHA – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association website.

Internet
Surfing the Net with Kids – Fun and educational links for families recommended by School Library Journal.

Internet Safety
ConnectSafely – Parent guidelines for children’s Internet safety.
Netsmartz – Internet safety tools for educators, parents and kids.
Internet Safety 101 – Age-based guidelines.

Media
CommonSenseMedia – Movie recommendations for families
RottenTomatoes – Top 100 best kids and family movies.

Pregnancy
Baby Center – Bulletin boards, a due date calculator, birth club where you meet moms with same month due date, pregnancy calendar to track your baby’s development, and lots of general pregnancy information!
American Pregnancy – Promotes pregnancy wellness.
Planned Parenthood
CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website with topics related to pregnancy.
Mayo Clinic – Pregnancy week by week.

Reading
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten – This nationally recommended program encourages parents and other caretakers to read to infants and preschool children to make them Very Ready to Read by the time they start school.
Best Bedtime Stories – Information for parents on the importance of reading at bedtime as well as tips and links to good books.
CT Reach Out & Read – Reach Out and Read is a nonprofit organization that gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
Every Child Ready to Read (ECRR) – The American Library Association’s initiative to educate parents and caregivers on early literacy practices.
Get Ready to Read – The Get Ready to Read Parent Page provides parents with essential tools promoting reading readiness and success. It offers a free screening evaluation for home use in order to gauge a child’s strengths and weaknesses. Activities, checklists and more information for parents are also provided.
Jim Trelease Home Page – Read-aloud guru, Jim Trelease, offers links to some excellent homework and reading pages, as well as promoting his own books and lecture circuit.
Reading Rockets – From Babbling to Books is a video presentation discussing research based strategies for developing language and pre-reading skills in young children.
PBS Kids – Reading games
Storyline
The Children’s Book Review
Oxford Owl
Fun Brain

Traveling with Kids
Travel for Kids – Useful information on places to go with children around the world. Includes wonderful bibliographies of books relating to the area you plan to visit!