Family, Friend & Neighbor Care
Caring for the children of family, friends or neighbors is incredibly important work. To help you provide the best care possible for the children and families you serve, ZERO TO THREE developed the following resources to support you in this work.
When you care for the children of family, friends or neighbors, you are providing support that is so critical to helping both children and families thrive. Parents have likely asked you to care for their child because they trust you and because you may share similar beliefs, values and traditions that they feel are important for their child to experience while in child care.
To help you provide the best care possible for the children and families you serve, with generous support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, ZERO TO THREE held focus groups around the country with family, friend and neighbor (FFN) providers to learn about the kinds of resources that would be most useful in your work. Feedback from these groups served as the foundation for this special section of our web site that includes resources designed specifically to meet your needs.
In this Series
- Supporting Early Brain Development
- Tuning Into Temperament
- Encouraging School Readiness Skills
- Thinking About Healthy Eating From Birth to 3
- Nurturing Early Play Skills
- Making Good Decisions About Screen Time
- Discipline and Limit-Setting: Building Self-Control
- Caregiver-Child Activities
- Building Strong Relationships With Parents
Supporting Early Brain Development
Resources on supporting early brain development from birth to 36 months.
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Article
Supporting Brain Development From 12 to 18 Months
Learn how the brains of infants and toddlers grow and how you can support their brain development through everyday interactions.
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Article
Supporting Brain Development From 24 to 36 Months
Learn how the brains of infants and toddlers grow and how you can support their brain development through everyday interactions.
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Article
Supporting Brain Development From 2 to 6 Months
Learn how the brains of infants and toddlers grow and how you can support their brain development through everyday interactions.
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Article
Supporting Brain Development From 18 to 24 Months
Learn how the brains of infants and toddlers grow and how you can support their brain development through everyday interactions.
Tuning Into Temperament
This set of downloadable resources on temperament were designed specifically for family, friend, and neighbor child care providers.
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Article | Disponible en español
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Article | Disponible en español
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Article | Disponible en español
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Article | Disponible en español
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Resource
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Series
Encouraging School Readiness Skills
Explore how you can encourage the development of school readiness skills from birth to 36 Months.
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Resource
12–24 Months: What You Can Do to Support School Readiness Skills
Getting children ready for school is a process that starts as soon as the child is born. Here are everyday strategies to help children develop thinking skills, self-control, self-confidence, and lang…
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Resource
24–36 Months : What You Can Do to Support School Readiness Skills
Getting children ready for school is a process that starts as soon as the child is born. Here are everyday strategies to help children develop thinking skills, self-control, self-confidence, and lang…
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Resource
Birth to 12 Months: What You Can Do to Support School Readiness Skills
Getting children ready for school is a process that starts as soon as the child is born. Here are everyday strategies to help children develop thinking skills, self-control, self-confidence, and lan…
Thinking About Healthy Eating From Birth to 3
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Article
Eating Well, Starting Early: Healthy Eating Habits From 0 to 3
There is not one right amount of food children need to grow. Learn how to read your infant or toddler's signals about hunger and eating.
Nurturing Early Play Skills
These resources explore how to nurture early play skills in infants and toddlers.
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Article | Disponible en español
Stages of Play From Birth to 6 Months: A Full-Body Experience!
Making Good Decisions About Screen Time
Discover how to make good decisions about television for the under 3 Crowd.
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Series
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Report
Download the full white paper for an authoritative review of what is known about the effect of screen media on young children’s learning and development.
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Article | Disponible en español
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Resource
Discipline and Limit-Setting: Building Self-Control
Resources on discipline and limit-setting from birth to 36 months.
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Resource
How Babies Learn Self-Control from Birth to 12 Months
Developing self-control begins at birth and continues throughout childhood. Learn what you can do to nurture the development of self-control early.
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Resource
How Toddlers Learn Self-Control from 24-36 Months
Developing self-control begins at birth and continues throughout childhood. Learn what you can do to help your two-year-old develop and practice self-control.
Caregiver-Child Activities
Activities that promote bonding and learning.
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Article
Activities for Bonding and Learning from Birth to 12 Months
Try these fun games and activities with your children and watch how their eagerness to learn and their relationship with you grow!
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Article
Activities for Bonding and Learning from 12 to 24 Months
Try these fun activities with your children and watch how quickly they grow and learn!
Building Strong Relationships With Parents
Tools to help you build strong relationships with parents.
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Tool
Caregiver-Parent Communication Tools
This worksheet helps caregivers and parents begin communicating about the child, the parent's hopes and expectations, and development goals and milestones.
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Article