Information, Resources and Links for Mothers Raising Daughters

Motherhood, particularly first-time motherhood, can be quite an adventure. In 1993 links for mothers or any cyberspace links weren't very plentiful. In fact, the Internet wasn't as widely used as it is today. So, my resources came from hitting the pavement, visiting libraries and speaking with friends and local organizations to determine how I might find information to help me raise my baby - from prenatal care to pediatric care to financial assistance to daycare and schooling.

Below is a list of links for mothers to information for moms that I found invaluable as my pregnancy progressed and after my daughter was born. I will continue to add to this list and hope you will visit often to see what links have been added.

• Emergency Family Assistance Association
  
  
• Prenatal Care Assistance Program - NYS
  
  
• Nutritional Programs for Women, Infants and Children
  
  
• Finding Day Care Throughout the U.S.
  
  
• Early Education Programs - free and low cost quality education
  
  
• Holistic Moms Network - living green, organic foods and homeopathic remedies - a wonderful sisterhood of generations of women concerned with natural health and the longevity of our natural resource - with a variety of links for motherss

Other helpful information for moms can be found at your local churches, town halls, and local recreation centers.

And, some of the best links for mothers can be your local public library!

Education Resources for Moms

Edutopia is an on-line, print and video endeavor of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, to reach thousands of educators, parents, and children with award-winning resources and content that help prepare students for the world we live in today. Owen Edwards, consulting editor of Edutopia stated in an Editor’s Note: The Importance of Literacy, wrote: I believe that if you can speak clearly, you're probably thinking clearly. And vice versa: The more precise your words, the more lucid your thoughts. Edutopia offers resources for mothers to increase literacy at home.

Reading Is Fundamental is one of many resources for moms. This organization sponsors more than 20,000 programs in the United States to meet the needs of different segments of our population. They offer three types of programs: 1) Books for Ownership - a program that encourages children to take ownership of their literacy by giving them ownership of books; 2) Shared Beginnings - a program that helps young parents foster literacy in their growing children by helping parents overcome their own reservations about reading and encourage a love of reading in their children through reading sessions, songs, reading related games, and other activities that help to stimulate a young mind and form a positive association with reading; and, 3) Family of Readers - starting at birth like the Shared Beginnings program, there is a heavier emphasis on encouraging growth and independence among the adults by forming committees to select reading material for their children and communities with the guidance of a literacy counselor. Parents are trained how to educate other parents about the importance of literacy, recruit them into the programs, and how to plan activities that are book-centric.

Literacy Connections has free downloadable books and tools for parents to encourage literacy at home.

I invite you to share additional links and/or resources you have found helpful - whether local, national or international: