Posted on October 1, 2002

Funding for Children & Youth: Early Childhood Development Resources

BASICS
http://www.basics.org/
BASICS (Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival) is a five-year international public health project funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides leaders with practical field programs for reducing infant and childhood illness and death worldwide.

Center for Early Education and Development
http://education.umn.edu/ceed
The Center for Early Education and Development provides information regarding young children (birth to age eight), including children with special needs, in the areas of education, child care, child development, and family education. The CEED Web site contains information about the organization's activities, including research, training, and publications geared toward improving professional practices, supporting parents, and informing policy development.

Civitas Initiative
http://www.civitasinitiative.org/
The Civitas Initiative is a national, nonprofit communication group that provides educational tools to adults who live and work with children so that better decisions are made on their behalf. Civitas transforms research into products and services that are broadly disseminated through television, the Internet, print media and public systems.

Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development
http://www.ecdgroup.com/
The Consultative Group on Early Childhood Care and Development is an international, inter-agency group dedicated to improving the condition of young children at risk. Working on several levels to keep young children on the agenda of policymakers, funders, and program developers, the Consultative Group consists of a broad partnership of international organizations, a secretariat and a group of Regional Representatives active in ECCD networks in diverse regions of the world.

Early Childhood Initiative at the University of Chicago
http://www.eci.uchicago.edu/
The Early Childhood Initiative at the University of Chicago is a comprehensive research program involving scholars who study the biological, psychological, and social factors that affect the cognitive development of young children. The Initiative's research focuses on early brain development, the growth of cognitive and language skills in young children, and the nature of environmental influences on these aspects of human growth.

Early Childhood Development — World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/children/
The World Bank's Early Childhood Development Web site was designed to assist policymakers, program managers, and practitioners in their efforts to promote the healthy growth and integral development of young children. The site offers research publications and statistical data compiled by the World Bank.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education
http://ericeece.org/
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education is one of a system clearinghouses in the ERIC system, which is part of the National Library of Education, funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. ERIC clearinghouses identify and select documents and journal articles, and then prepare entries describing the documents and articles to be incorporated in the ERIC database, the world's most frequently used collection of information on education.

Head Start
http://www2.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/hsb/
Head Start and Early Head Start are comprehensive child development programs which serve children from birth to age five, pregnant women, and their families. They are child-focused programs and have the overall goal of increasing the school readiness of young children in low-income families. The Head Start program is administered by the Head Start Bureau, the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. Grants are awarded by the ACF Regional Offices and the Head Start Bureau's American Indian and Migrant Program Branches directly to local public agencies, private organizations, Indian Tribes, and school systems for the purpose of operating Head Start programs at the community level.

I Am Your Child
http://www.iamyourchild.org/
I Am Your Child is a national public awareness and engagement campaign to make early childhood development a top priority for our nation. Since its launch in 1997, I Am Your Child has educated millions of parents and professionals about breakthrough new discoveries in the process of brain development. Through mass media, community mobilization, public education and policy outreach, parents and caregivers across the U.S. and around the world are learning how to make a difference in the lives of young children.

Indiana Center on Early Childhood Development
http://www.inchildren.org/
The Indiana Center on Early Childhood Development is a clearinghouse for services and a catalyst for research which impacts children from birth to five years of age and their families.

International Youth Foundation
http://www.iyfnet.org/
Currently operating in more than sixty countries, the International Youth Foundation is one of the world's largest public foundations working to improve the conditions and prospects for young people where they live, learn, work, and play. Established in 1990 to bring worldwide resources to young people in need, IYF works with hundreds of companies, foundations, and civil society organizations to strengthen new and existing programs that are making a positive and lasting difference in young lives.

National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/
Founded in 1926, the National Association for the Education of Young Children 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 Affiliate Groups work to improve professional practice and working conditions in early childhood education and to build public support for high quality early childhood programs.

National Center for Early Development & Learning
http://www.ncedl.org/
The National Center for Early Development & Learning focuses on enhancing the cognitive, social and emotional development of children from birth through age eight. The goals of the organization are: to determine the state of the nation and conduct research on critical issues in early childhood practices; to develop partnerships with diverse constituencies; to synthesize knowledge and recommend future directions; and to translate research into practice and disseminate information to diverse audiences.

UNESCO's Early Childhood and Family Education Unit
http://unesco.uneb.edu/educprog/ecf/html/eng.htm
UNESCO's Early Childhood and Family Education Unit coordinates research, activities and initiatives undertaken by UNESCO in early childhood care and education, parent and family education, and early childhood research. UNESCO provides various services to its member states, organizations and individuals working in favor of children and families; participates in United Nations or other international initiatives for children and families; encourages governments to integrate early childhood and family education programs in their long-term social and economic planning; provides assistance in the design and implementation of innovative, integrated early childhood and community-based family support programs; and acts as a networking and clearing center on information on early childhood issues, policies, programs, and organizations.