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Early Childhood: Resources

Connecting Educators, Families and Communities to Early Childhood Resources


The Basics logo

The Basics™ — a public health messaging campaign developed by the Harvard Achievement Gap Initiative and Dr. Ronald Ferguson to improve learning outcomes for all families — focuses on five key caregiving behaviors that are important for cognitive and social-emotional development of children, birth to age five.

With these 5 principles in mind, caregivers play and interact with children while laying the foundation for future growth and learning, giving every child a more equitable start in life.

For maximum impact in the community, VPM partners with organizations who incorporate The Basics™ initiative directly into their existing work.

Visit The Basics™ webpage for more information.


Reading Doesn’t Just Happen messaging campaign

man holding baby

Most people understand that becoming a reader is not just critical to a child's academic success, but success in life. What isn't common knowledge is that reading doesn't just happen automatically in school; the foundations for reading must be taught.

Parents and caregivers — a child’s first and most important teachers — play an essential role in building the foundation for reading, and it starts at birth.

To support reading success for all children, VPM and Virginia Literacy Partnerships (VLP) are partnering on the Reading Doesn’t Just Happen messaging campaign.

Visit the Reading Doesn’t Just Happen webpage for resources and suggestions for simple, everyday actions to help lay the groundwork for reading success.

Trauma Resources for Families and Educators

Sesame Workshop Elmo and Boy

VPM Early Childhood Care and Education supports families, educators, and the community with resources to help navigate traumatic experiences.

Sesame Workshop, along with other resources are listed below to support you through these difficult times:

Tools from PBS KIDS

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With tools from PBS KIDS, explore ways to integrate media-rich lesson plans in your classroom and empower students to expand their natural curiosity and understanding of the seasons.

Now available in English and Español.

Learn to Build Classroom Community

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The things we do today manifest a better tomorrow. Starting conversations about the people and heroes in our world can foster values of, and an appreciation for, stewardship, activism, diversity and kindness in our youngest learners. Check out these resources for clear pathways to connect with your students, have important conversations, and inspire our leaders of tomorrow!

Black Excellence

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VPM celebrates Black history, culture, and excellence through powerful documentaries, podcasts, specials and more. Explore stories of triumph, adversity, and achievement on VPM PBS, VPM News, VPM Music and social media @myVPM.

What is Toxic Stress?

Stress is called toxic when it is continuous and does not stop; when there are not supportive relationships in place to help us manage the stress we are feeling. To understand more about toxic stress or what to do about it in our lives, watch this short video.