All parents have questions about their children’s behavior, growth, and development. The challenges of parenting seem never-ending and constantly evolving. On this page we  provide resources for parents that answer many of the questions that will inevitably arise when raising children.

The following brochures "Licensed Child Care in Washington State" (English)  and "Programa con licencia para el cuidado del niño en el Estado de Washington" (Spanish) answer frequently asked questions about child care. Visit the DEL web site for more answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

Publications

To help you better judge quality when you’re considering which child care program is right for your child, NACCRRA has created an easy-to-use booklet, Is This the Right Place for My Child?: 38 Research-Based Indicators of High-Quality Child Care.

Articles for Working Parents

• Parenting Articles

• Bringing Home Your New Baby: Making the Transition a Smooth One 

• Child Care Issues and Your Workplace

• Developing a Language with Your Child

• Early Childhood Goals

• Fatherhood 

• Finding Child Care for Non-Traditional Work Schedules 

• Why Choosing Quality Child Care Matters

Internet links

• Access Washington Resource Directory -  Access Washington is the virtual business center for interactive government services. Designed as a World Wide Web portal to Washington State, Access Washington provides a coordinated view of government information and services.
• Born Learning: Everyday life is a learning experience for children. Born Learning is a public engagement campaign that helps parents, grandparents and caregivers explore ways to turn everyday moments into fun learning opportunities. Visit their web site to find out how children learn, get tips on creating opportunities for learning and learning on the go.

• BraveKids.org is a website that links families of special-needs children with the community resources that can help them. Our extensive online resource directory contains over 11,000 resources for children with special needs. You are one of those resources!

• Community Resources On-Line (2-1-1)

• Earned Income Tax Credit The earned income credit (EITC) is a tax credit for certain people who work and have earned income in tax year 2005 under $37,263. A tax credit usually means more money in your pocket. It reduces the amount of tax you owe. The EITC may also give you a refund.
• Families and Work Institute - a non-profit organization that addresses the changing nature of work and family life. We are committed to finding research-based strategies that foster mutually supportive connections among workplaces, families, and communities.

• Magellan Health Care -  This web site lists valuable health and wellness information, tools, tips for strengthening family life and resources to help with life's challenges as well as opportunities.

• The March of Dimes has launched a new web-based, interactive educational tool for parents, "Understanding your Newborn." This online resource provides information about how newborns signal their parents about their feelings and needs. Topics are covered in six different modules: States of Awareness, Infant Sleep, Senses, Reflexes and Movements, Crying and Playing/Break Time.
• National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) Child Care Aware 
• National Association for the Education of Young Children - (NAEYC) Choosing a quality preschhol for your child.
• National Network for Child Care (NNCC) - Our mission is to increase and strengthen the quality of non-parental care environments using the expertise of Cooperative Extension's nationwide dissemination system; make quality research, resources and best practices available nationally for direct local access and provide leadership to the nation's Cooperative Extension System in partnership with other organizations on child care issues.
• Parent Trust for Washington Children - creates lasting change and hope for the future by promoting safe, self sufficient, healthy families and communities.
• Parent Soup
• Parenthood.com 
• Safe Kids -check for children's product recalls.
• The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws now in force.
• Washington Administrative Codes (WAC) State agencies adopt rules, also known as Washington Administrative Code (WAC), to implement state and federal law. Click this link to see DSHS-related Minimum Licensing Requirements for Family Child Care Homes.
• Washington Government Telephone Directory - Through this site you can locate Washington State Agency staff and their phone numbers, educational institutions, and many local government organizations.