Early Learning Resources

• Safe Return to School For All summarizes current evidence and best practices to help administrators, educators, and families and students—including students with disabilities—return to school safely in the context of COVID-19. The information provided is based on collaborative research from the NICHD-funded Washington University Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute of Human Development, and the Kennedy Krieger Institute (Maryland), in collaboration with the Special School District of St. Louis County, Missouri.
• A Child Becomes a Reader series 
  This series of booklets resulted from a collaborative effort by the former National Institute for Literacy, the U.S. Department of Education, and NICHD—called the Partnership for Reading—tobring the findings of evidence-based reading research to those with an interest in helping all people learn to read well. The booklets describe activities that parents can do with their children to improve reading skills at specific ages.
  • A Child Becomes a Reader: Birth to Preschool
  • A Child Becomes a Reader: Kindergarten Through Grade Three
• Shining Stars series 
  Like the Child Becomes a Reader series, these publications were created as part of the Partnership for Reading. They describe ways for parents to help their children prepare and learn to read at specific ages.
  • Shining Stars: Toddlers Get Ready to Read
  • Shining Stars: Preschoolers Get Ready to Read
  • Shining Stars: Kindergartners Learn to Read
  • Shining Stars: First Graders Learn to Read
  • Shining Stars: Second and Third Graders Learn to Read
• Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read 
  This brochure, which is based on the findings of the National Reading Panel, describes activities that parents can do with their children to improve reading skills. It is also available in Spanish as La Lectura Es Lo Primero: Como Ayudar A Su Hijo A Aprender.
• Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center, Resources for Families 
  Parenting resources, learning games and activities, a guide for promoting safety and health at home, and information about Head Start are available on this page, maintained by the Administration for Children and Families. The office also maintains a section on school readiness.
• Early Literacy Toolkit for Families  
  The American Academy of Pediatrics maintains a list of online resources in English and Spanish, including reading games and tips for building language skills.
• U.S. Department of Education, Helping Your Child series 
  This series of booklets and brochures, available in Spanish and in English, can be used to help children develop specific knowledge and skills.
  • Helping Your Child Learn Science (PDF 1.6 MB)
  • Helping Your Child Learn Mathematics (PDF 764 KB)
  • Helping Your Child Become a Reader (PDF 278 KB)
  • Helping Your Preschool Child (PDF 741 KB)
  • Helping Your Child Succeed in School (PDF 323 KB)
  • Helping Your Child Learn History (PDF 1.7 MB)
• Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA): Early Childhood Resources  
  LDA offers parents information about specific learning disabilities—such as auditory processing disorder, dyslexia, and ADHD—and resources about interventions, special education, and technology.
• Department of Education Directory by State 
  The U.S. Departments of Education maintains a directory of contact information for various education offices in each state.

Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from NICHD, NIH, or HHS.

NICHD Resources

• Child Development and Behavior Branch (CDBB)
  The CDBB, within NICHD's Division of Extramural Research (DER), develops scientific initiatives and supports research and research training relevant to the psychological, psychobiological, language, behavioral, and educational development and health of children. CDBB supports the following specific research programs:
  • Early Learning and School Readiness
  • Social and Emotional Development/Child and Family Processes
  • Cognitive Development, Behavioral Neuroscience, and Psychobiology
  • Language, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy
  • Mathematics and Science Cognition, Reasoning, and Learning: Development and Disorders
  • Reading, Writing, and Related Learning Disabilities
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Branch (IDDB)
  IDDB sponsors research and research training aimed at understanding differences in early learning in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and at interventions to promote early learning.
• Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Branch (MPIDB)
  The DER's MPIDB examines cognitive effects of childhood HIV infection/treatment and early exposure to HIV or HIV drugs.
• Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch (PGNB)
  PGNB, also part of the DER, sponsors research on the role of nutrition in learning and development.
• Child and Family Research Section
  Investigators in this lab, part of NICHD's Division of Intramural Research, investigate dispositional, experiential, and environmental factors that contribute to physical, mental, emotional, and social development in infants, children, and adolescents.
• Databrary
  The CDBB supports this open data library, housing video and audio materials and free tools for coding and analysis, for use by the developmental research community.
• Datasets from the NICHD Study of Early Childcare and Youth Development (SECCYD)
  The University of Michigan maintains a shared database available to researchers by application. The study spans four phases, from 1991 to 2008.

Other Resources

• Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel
  Published in 2010, this report assesses instructional practices used with children from birth to age 5; the aim is to aid parents and educators in supporting emerging literacy skills. In addition to the full report, an executive summary and a guide for childhood administrators and professional development providers are available.
• Head Start Approach to School Readiness
  The information in this site, maintained by the Administration for Children and Families, encompasses three major frameworks that promote an understanding of school readiness for parents and families, infants/toddlers, and preschoolers.
• National Science Foundation—Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR)
  EHR supports science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels by offering funding opportunities, resources for K-12 educators, special reports, and other information.
• Neurodevelopmental MRI Database
  This is a database of MRI average templates for infants, children, adolescents, and adults. Researchers can request access using the contact information on the site.
• NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development
  Qualified researchers can access data from the Pediatric MRI Data Repository developed as part of this study, including anatomical MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, and MR spectroscopy data.
• Institute of Education Sciences (IES)
  The research arm of the Department of Education, the IES issues funding opportunities for research and training grants.
  • Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS)
    The National Center for Education Statistics, part of the IES, also provides researchers access to data from the ECLS, which gathers national data on childhood development from birth through 8th grade.
• Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read
  NICHD led an independent panel established by Congress to evaluate research about reading instruction, the National Reading Panel, that issued its findings in 2000.
  • Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read
    This publication, based on the work of the National Reading Panel, discusses the implications of its findings for the classroom.
• Using Research and Reason in Education: How Teachers Can Use Scientifically Based Research to Make Curricular and Instructional Decisions
  This paper, published in 2003, offers educators guidance on developing skills to independently evaluate educational research. The content is also summarized in a brochure, What Is Scientifically Based Research? A Guide for Teachers.
• Science Education Conversations
  NIH has archived a series of eight videos on the topic of science education from 2012 and 2013.
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  NAEYC, a membership organization for professionals in the early childhood field (birth through age 8), has an accreditation program for early childhood education programs and for educator degree programs. The organization has an official position on school readiness, outlined in the publication NAEYC: Where We Stand on School Readiness (PDF 129KB).

Please note: Links to organizations and information included on this page do not indicate endorsement from NICHD, NIH, or HHS.