Parents and caregivers are children’s first teachers and play a critical role in children’s social-emotional learning and development. Parenting can also be overwhelming, from understanding your child's learning behaviors, juggling extracurriculars, and helping them grow to their full potential. Luckily, there are a lot of resources out there to support our San Mateo County parents, families, and caregivers!
Explore the links below to learn about the latest tips and advice to support your child.
Resources for Parents and Caregivers
Topics to Explore
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First 5 California Parent Guide
California Parent Guide includes extensive resources to support young children (0-5) and their families to thrive.CDE Ages and Stages of Development
Choosing quality care that is in a healthy and safe environment should be your number one priority. Look for child care that stimulates and encourages your child’s physical, intellectual, and social growth. The California Department of Education shares tips on what to keep in mind when looking for a child care program.CDC Child Development and Positive Parenting Tips
As a parent you give your children a good start in life—you nurture, protect, and guide them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shares the basics of child development, including healthy development, effective parenting practices, developmental milestones, positive parenting tips, and developmental monitoring and screening.Common Sense Education: Supporting Healthy Media and Tech Use
The Family Engagement Toolkit supports families and kids of all ages reflect on their media habits and build digital citizenship skills through a collection of articles, videos, printable handouts, conversation starters, ready-made workshops, and more. -
Helping At Home: Tips for Parents
Mental Health America developed a list of 12 tips for parents to support their child’s mental and emotional well-beingCDC Mental Health of Children
Learn more about mental health, mental disorders, treatments, prevention, and public health research on children’s mental health.Resources for Emotional Support and Well-Being
California ALL provides strategies for managing stress, crisis hotlines, behavioral and mental health services, and other resources from the State of California.NAMI: Learning to Support Your Child and Your Family
Mental health stigma can prevent individuals and families from seeking the help they need. Learn what you could do to understand mental health conditions and reduce the stigma around mental health. -
Our Children Are Leaders
CASEL and The Allstate Foundation launched Our Children Are Leaders, a campaign to provide parents and caregivers of PreK-12 students with guidance and resources on social-emotional learning to encourage the development of social and emotional competencies for leaders of today and tomorrow.SEL Discussion Series for Parents and Caregivers (Spanish)
What is social-emotional learning (SEL)? The Center for Advancing Social and Emotional Learning has compiled 10 facilitated discussions to support schools to engage families in conversations about the social and emotional growth of their families. Each session encourages participants to engage in their own growth while supporting their children to practice SEL.Teaching Pyramid Family Resources on Social Emotional Learning
The Teaching Pyramid provides resources for building relationships with your child, including making the most of playtime, moving from praise to acknowledgment, and other tips. It also shares resources for creating supportive environments, such as how to have a successful bedtime, manage time, and transition smoothly between activities. -
How to Help Kids Know Fact from Fiction Regarding Coronavirus
Misinformation can spread quickly. Help your child keep track of what's real and what's fake by strengthening their news literacy skills.Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus (en Español)
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, many parents are wondering how to talk to children about the impacts of the virus in a way that will be reassuring and not make kids more worried than they already may be. The Child Mind Institute provides some advice for conversations with your children.Anxiety and coping with the coronavirus (en Español)
If you or your children are feeling worried, learning how to deal with that anxiety in a healthy way can help the whole family be more resilient, both now and when the pandemic is finally over. Find tips and advice from the Child Mind Institute on addressing anxiety.ABCs of Coronavirus:
Looking for a child-friendly book on COVID-19? Look no further than the ABCs of Coronavirus, written by Sophia Nesamoney, a sophomore at Stanford University, and Sean Nesamoney, a sophomore at Menlo High School.
Recorded Events
Now More than Ever: Family Engagement is Essential for Student and School Success
Why is it important for schools to engage families? In this session, Dr. Karen Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education, shares what we know about the powerful impact of family–school partnerships on students, parents, teachers, and schools. Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D., is a researcher and senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and the faculty director of the Education Policy and Management Master's Program.
Climate Anxiety: How to Address Eco and Climate Trauma with Children
Emerging research shows that environmental stressors and climate-related disasters are affecting the physical and mental health of children and youth. During this session, recorded March 24, 2022, you will learn more about how the environmental and climate crisis impacts children and youth, and receive resources and tools that you can use at home or in school-based programs to help children and youth (and yourself!) shift from despair and anxiety to empowerment and hope.
What is Social-Emotional Learning?
The County Office of Education invited the founder and CEO of Changing Perspectives, Sam Drazin, to lead two virtual family nights on what social-emotional learning is and how families can incorporate it at home.
In this session on November 9, 2021, Sam gives parents a common definition and framework to understand the components of social-emotional learning.
A Parent's Guide to Social-Emotional Learning
The County Office of Education invited the founder and CEO of Changing Perspectives, Sam Drazin, to lead two virtual family nights on what social-emotional learning is and how families can incorporate it at home.
In this session on November 17, 2021, Sam shares a variety of strategies as well as valuable resources to access additional information about how parents and caregivers can support social-emotional learning at home in intentional ways.
Looking for More?
Check Out the Links Below
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Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS)
Ayudando Latinos A Soñar or ALAS is a Latino-centered nonprofit organization providing culturally-centered mental health services, wrap-around case management, immigration, and education, as well as our social justice advocacy initiatives. ALAS is committed to working with and for children, youth, families, farmworkers, asylum seekers, seniors, and our general Coastside community.CareSolace
CareSolace connects families across San Mateo County with local health care providers that can meet their needs. Their services are completely free.NAMI
NAMI offers programs and services for family members of those diagnosed with a mental illness. All programs and classes are offered free of charge. It also provides general crisis support information and mental health help.Puente de la Costa Sur
Puente fosters wellness and prosperity in the San Mateo County South Coast communities of Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio by promoting and advocating for equitable access to education, health, and economic security.San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services
San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) provides services for residents who are on Medi-Cal or are uninsured including children, youth, families, adults and older adults, for the prevention, early intervention, and treatment of mental illness and/or substance use conditions.StarVista
StarVista’s Family and Community Services provide comprehensive mental health services to support families through their struggles, empower youth to be involved in their community, and offer crisis prevention and intervention to all individuals in need.California Rehabilitation Centers
Rehab.com connects patients with accredited treatment and aftercare providers to meet the unique needs of every individual. Their resources help determine the level of care needed, treatment options, and payment options for individuals and families experiencing addiction.
Are You an Educator or Practitioner?
The San Mateo County Office of Education has a number of resources and professional development events for early childhood educators and practitioners, TK-12 educators, administrators, and others who work in education. Find more events and resources through the links below: