Developmental Milestones
How a child plays, learns, speaks, and acts offers important clues about their development
Delays and Disabilities
For toddlers with disabilities and developmental delays
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) are a group of conditions that can occur in a child whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects can include physical problems and problems with behavior and learning. Often, a person with an FASD has a mix of these problems.
FASDs last a lifetime. There is no cure for FASDs, but research shows that early intervention treatment services can improve a child's development.
How to get help
Call 1-800-755-4769 (GROW) or submit the referral form online.
Healthy Beginnings
Information and programs for children's health
Emotional Wellness
Early emotional and social interaction are the building blocks of healthy development and learning
Behind every child behavior, there is a feeling
Challenging behavior in young children often triggers strong reactions in parents and caretakers. When parents feel angry, overwhelmed, frustrated or embarrassed, it can be difficult to figure out what is driving a young child's actions. Sometimes a child may even seem to be trying to get a rise out of their parent!
But behind every child's behavior is a feeling that they're experiencing, too. When parents and caregivers learn to recognize the feelings behind their children's behaviors, parenting is easier.
Also, the more parents/caretakers understand about children's behavior, the closer they feel to their children and the better they can express care and love to them.
Children who feel cared for and loved develop stronger social-emotional skills like confidence and self-esteem, which make it easier for them to manage their emotions so they can do better in school and beyond.
Learn more about feelings, behavior, and development
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Child Care & Education
How to find quality childcare and the importance of being a child's first teacher
Child care search
Use the child care search tool to find the early care and education program that meets your needs.
You can search by location, type of program, days/hours of operation, services provided, and Step Up To Quality rating.
What is Step Up To Quality?
Step Up to Quality (SUTQ) is Ohio's five-star early care and child care rating and improvement system. It recognizes programs that exceed minimum health and safety standards and promote children's learning and development.
SUTQ helps parents/caretakers choose higher quality, one through five-star rated programs that can better prepare children for the next step in their schooling.
Why should you choose a star rated program?
Highly trained teachers
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Development of school readiness skills
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Commitment to continuous improvement
Talk, Read, Sing! Talking is Teaching
When you talk, read, and sing with a child — even before they can use words — you're building their brain and helping to prepare them for success in school and in life.
But it may not always be easy to talk to babies, especially when they can't talk back.
To help, we've pulled fun tips and resources grounded in the best science, to help you talk, read, and sing with the child every day.
This third-party website has been approved by BOLD Beginning!
