Helpful Links

Links to national and regional childhood advocacy organizations and family resources
****Local Advocacy****
Connect211
Connect 211 helps you find health and human service agencies RIGHT in your neighborhood! - www.connect211.org
After the Injury
Website to help children recover from physical and emotional injury and trauma. - http://stokes.chop.edu/programs/aftertheinjury/index.html
Dancing Meatballs
Website for families to find affordable activities in and around Philadelphia. - dancingmeatballs.com/philadelphia
Go City Kids
Great listing for things to do with kids in Philadelphia. - http://gocitykids.parentsconnect.com
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish Foundation® grants the wishes of children with life threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. - www.philadelphia.wish.org
Montgomery County Parent and Infant Resource Guide
This web database has a comprehensive list of resources for families and children in Montgomery County. - www.montcopa.org
Out of School Time Resource Center
The OSTRC promotes out-of-school time (OST) student achievement by conducting research on and providing access to staff resources and professionaldevelopment. The OSTRC maintains a website, administers a professionalListserv, and publishes several resource directories. - www.sp2.upenn.edu/ostrc
PA Medical Home for Special Needs
Info for parents and health care professionals who care for Children with Special Health Care Needs in PA. - www.pamedicalhome.org
PCCY (Philadelphia Citizens for Children and Youth)
A primier advocacy organization whose mission is to improve the lives and life chances of children through thoughtful and informed advocacy. - www.pccy.org
Philadelphia's Children Commision
The Philadelphia Children's Commission (The Commission)
is committed to improving the health, safety, well-being and development of the children and youth of Philadelphia, and to ensuring the implementation of sustained policy that recognizes that attention to the needs of children and youth as a city priority. - www.philadelphiachildren.org
Philadelphia Children's Connection
Great resource to help youth discover their interests and build skills they need to make positive life choices. - www.philadelphiachildrensconnection.org
Philadelphia Compact
The over-arching goal of the Compact was to improve Philadelphia’s system of prevention, early identification and early intervention and treatment services for children with behavioral health needs. The array of supports and services need to become as integrated, family-friendly, consumer-driven, and culturally competent as possible. - www.philadelphiacompact.org/
Phila. Dept. of Public Health Bulletin
Click below for the most recent health bulletin from Phila. Dept. of Public Health. click here
Philadelphia Pediatric Society
The mission of the Society shall be to promote the health and welfare of children and youth and to support the ongoing education of area pediatricians. - www.philadelphiapediatricsociety.org
Philly Health Info
A great directory of health services, events and information for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. - www.phillyhealthinfo.org/
Philly Neighborhoods Online
Comprehensive Listing of Resources in Philadelphia. - www.phillyneighborhoods.org
Philly Parent Partner eGroup
Join Listserv to find and share resources for children in Philadelphia. - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/parentpartner/
Physicians for Social Responsibility
Philadelphia PSR seeks to inspire, motivate and activate health professionals and others who are committed to the prevention of interpersonal violence, the delivery of high quality and accessible health care, the achievement of a sustainable environment, and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction - www.psrphila.org
Prevent Child Abuse Now
Promotes public awareness, policy, and particiapation in child abuse prevention. - www.preventchildabusepa.org
Reach Out and Read Greater Philadelphia Coalition
Advocates for early childhood reading through health care professional's offices.
- www.rorgp.org
United Way of SE Pennsylvania
Stay current with the United Way newsletter. Click here for theWhat Matters Newsletter - www.uwsepa.org
****National Advocacy****
American Academy of Pediatrics
Website for parents and pediatricians to find resources for children's health and welfare. - www.aap.org
American Academy of Pediatrics Healthy Weight Site
Info for families, health care professionals and communities. - www.aap.org/obesity
America's Promise Alliance
The America's Promise Alliance is the nation's largest multi-sector collaborative dedicated to the well-being of children and youth. - www.americaspromise.org
Anne E. Casey Foundation
Since 1948, the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) has worked to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families in the United States - www.aecf.org
CHADD (Children and Adults with ADD)
The nation's leading non-profit organization for children and adults affected by ADD/ADHD-800-233-4050 - www.chadd.org
Children's Defense Fund
The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to Leave No Child Behind and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities - www.childrensdefense.org
Children's Health Watch
Children's HealthWatch monitors the impact of economic conditions and public policies on the health and well-being of very young children. - www.childrenshealthwatch.org
Children of Prisoners Library
Very helpful site for parents and providers of children with incarcerated parents. - www.fcnetwork.org
Connect for Kids
Connect for Kids makes the best use of communications technologies, specifically the Internet, to give adults – parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, advocates, policymakers, elected officials and others – the tools and information they need to improve the lives of children, youth and families - www.connectforkids.org
Docs for Tots
National advocacy organization to assist doctors in their advocacy roles. - www.docsfortots.org/
Every Child Matters
Every Child Matters Education Fund is a national nonprofit organization devoted to improving the lives of children and families by advocating for better public policy during federal and state campaigns. - www.everychildmatters.org
Family Savings Account
For low-income Pennsylvanians where you can save up to $2,000 with matching funds from the state. See link below and/or check out the fact sheet. - www.newpa.com - Family Savings Account Fact Sheet
First Five Years Fund
The First Five Years Fund is committed to improving the lives of at-risk children by leveraging cost-effective investments in early learning. - www.ffyf.org
First Signs
First Signs, Inc. is a national non-profit organization dedicated to educating parents and pediatric professionals about the early warning signs of autism and other developmental disorders. - www.firstsigns.org
Get Fit Get Right
Get Fit, Get Right was developed to help overweight teens make small, sustainable changes to their eating and exercise habits in order to improve their health for the long term. Check it out!! - www.getfitgetright.org
GovBenefits.gov
GovBenefits.gov is a free, easy-to-use website that helps people find government benefits and assistance programs that you might be eligible to receive. Click on this site and select Pennsylvania to begin. - govbenefits.gov
HealthyChildren.org
Great website from teh American Academy of Pediatrics for Families and Providers - www.healthychildren.org
Immunization Action Coalition
Vaccine information in many languages. - www.immunize.org/catg.d/noneng.htm
IRS Earned Income Tax Credit
Click below to see if you are eligible for a federal income tax credit for low-income working individuals and families. - www.irs.gov
KidsHealth
KidsHealth is the largest and most visited site on the Web providing doctor-approved health information about children from before birth through adolescence. - www.kidshealth.org
Medline Plus
Useful information for most diseases that affect you and your child. - www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics
National Breast Feeding Resource Center
Partnered with La Leche League International, this site offers a free breastfeeding hotline for common breastfeeding questions. Also supplies free information about breastfeeding- 1-800-994-WOMAN (9662) - www.4women.gov/Breastfeeding
National Center for Children in Poverty
The mission of NCCP is to identify and promote strategies that prevent child poverty in the United States and that improve the lives of low-income children and families - nccp.org
NetSmartz Workshop
Age appropriate, interactive website for teens and children on how to be safe on the internet. - www.netsmartz.org
Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront provides emergency assistance and morale
to our troops, to the families they leave behind and to the wounded warriors when they return home. Call 215-764-6164 or visit their website. - www.operationhomefront.net
Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a program that promotes early literacy by bringing new books and advice about the importance of reading aloud into the pediatric exam room. - www.reachoutandread.org
Ready for Life
Website to help parents raise happy, healthy children. - www.readyforlife.org
Robert Wood Johnson-Commision to Build a Healthier America
- www.commissiononhealth.org/
Stay Safe.org (Internet Safety website)
Stay safe is an internet resource to help protect children and adults from internet predators and unwanted solicitations. Lots of great information and educational tools. - www.staysafe.org
Stop Bullying Now
A Bullying Reduction and Awareness resource for parents, teachers and kids. - stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/
The Future of Children
The Future of Children seeks to promote effective policies and programs for children by providing policymakers, service providers, and the media with timely, objective information based on the best available research. - www.futureofchildren.org
Voices for Americas Children
The mission of Voices for America's Children is to improve the lives of children in the United States. - www.voices.org/
Vote Kids
Vote Kids is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to making children a political priority in American politics, not a political afterthought, and hold Congress accountable to the needs of America's children by mobilizing voters, running campaigns spotlighting the voting records of selected legislators, promoting children and family issues, and creating a database of voters with a strong interest in voting for children. - www.votekids.org
We Can!
We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children's Activity&Nutrition) is a national program designed as a one-stop resource for parents and caregivers interested in practical tools to help children 8-13 years old stay at a healthy weight. - www.nhlbi.nih.gov
Zero to Three
ZERO TO THREE's mission is to promote the healthy development of our nation's infants and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families, communities, and those who work on their behalf - www.zerotothree.org