Family Connections

To help families with young children adjust to the current situation brought on by the public health emergency, DC Child Care Connections developed a system to provide useful information and resources to help with at-home learning, maintaining mental health and other important early childhood topics.

We have worked with community partners to identify a series of daily resources and activities from nationally-recognized organizations that families can use to keep children engaged and to continue the learning process. All resources are developmentally appropriate for the ages specified and are aligned to the DC Early Learning Standards.

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Rest Assured: Safe Sleep Essentials for Young Children

Quality sleep is essential for a healthy brain and body, but getting young children to fall asleep can be challenging, especially during summer’s longer and brighter days. Below are a few resources for families with information on how much sleep children need at different ages and tips for getting them to settle down for a nap or bedtime.

Sleep needs change as children grow. While each child’s needs are influenced by factors like genetics and environment, general guidelines can help parents understand how much rest is recommended at each age. Parents magazine provides a helpful chart with information about how much sleep children need at various stages of development and recommendations for good sleep at any age.

Helping young children fall asleep. In this article, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provides healthy sleep tips for families with young children. This article from Sesame Workshop highlights four practices to follow to establish a predictable routine that can help children settle down for rest.

Creating a safe sleep environment for infants. Babies face higher risk for sleep-related tragedies like suffocation or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). To support families, the AAP has developed a Safe Sleep Campaign Toolkit, which includes a series of videos, infographics and articles about safe sleep practices.


Resource Highlights

  • Teaching children coping skills – It is important for children to learn to manage emotions in a healthy way. This article published in Parents explores 15 coping skills to help children face their fears, calm themselves and boost their mood.
  • Encouraging family bonding – Families come in all shapes and sizes, but love is what connects them. Watch this Sesame Workshop video about family bonding then take a few minutes to talk to your family about what makes your family special.
  • Summer safety tips – As temperatures rise, so does the need for precautions to keep kids safe. This post from the Cleveland Clinic’s Health Essentials blog offers 10 tips for staying safe during warm weather.

Let’s Read Together!

Reading aloud to children from an early age expands their vocabulary and helps them develop social-emotional, creative and critical thinking skills. Colorful board books and vivid illustrations can spark children’s imagination and creativity.

Families should read to children daily. Even better, read together more than once a day. Here are a few books available at the DC Public Library (DCPL) that you may want to read with your family this week:

  • Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes by James Dean – Pete the Cat and his friends bake a batch of cupcakes for a party, but some go missing. Pete and the gang solve the mystery and learn that it’s cool to be kind.
  • Sky Color by Peter H. Reynolds – Marisol loves to paint and is helping create a mural for her school library. But how can she make a sky without blue paint?
  • Mina by Matthew Forsythe – Mina the mouse is upset when her father brings home a pet “squirrel” that she is certain is a cat.
  • Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! by Bob Barner – A nonsense rhyme introduces children to familiar bugs. The book includes a fun facts section.
  • Matthew’s Dream by Leo Lionni – A visit to an art museum inspires a young mouse to become a painter.

Vroom Brain-building Tip

Vroom is a website and app with science-based tips to help boost young children’s brain connections. Families can turn everyday moments into brain-building opportunities.

Today’s Tip: Sleepytime Strategies

At bedtime, ask your child, “What do you do when you have trouble falling asleep?” Chat with them about their Sleepytime Strategies. How can they relax when they can’t fall asleep? Could they think about happy memories, count backwards or take deep breaths? Share your strategies, too. Remind them of these ideas the next time they can’t seem to fall asleep.

 Brainy Background

 Bedtime chats are the perfect time to connect with your child. By encouraging them to think about their experiences, you’re helping them learn strategies to manage their feelings. You’re also helping them learn how to take on challenges.

Week of June 1, 2025

Week of June 8, 2025


Smithsonian National Postal Museum STAMP Camp 2025

The National Postal Museum offers a free virtual STAMP Camp this summer for children ages 6-12. STAMP stands for Science, Technology, Art, Math and Problem-solving, and provides activities to explore from home.

STAMP Camp begins June 25 and will feature resources from a different Smithsonian Museum each week, connecting postal history with exciting STEAM learning (an approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). Each activity is designed to inspire young minds.

The weekly schedule is:

  • Science, Week 1, Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Dive into learning about ducks, wetlands and the history of duck stamps with the National Zoo!

  • Technology, Week 2, Wednesday, July 9, 2025

Fly into the fascinating history of World War II aircraft with the National Air and Space Museum. Discover how these historic planes shaped the war and how aviation has been celebrated through stamps.

  • Art, Week 3, Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Explore the art of Alma Thomas and discover how her vibrant painting lives on through postage stamps with the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

  • Math, Week 4, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025

Discover fascinating and beautiful patterns found in nature and botanical stamps before creating leaf-rubbing postcards to send. This session features the National Postal Museum’s 2025 Guest Artist!

  • Problem Solving and Engineering, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025

Practice design thinking and problem-solving by exploring postal innovations! Join Cooper Hewitt to learn how the postal service has created innovative solutions to meet the challenge of moving the mail.

Learn more and register here.


Family Connections Workshops and Events

Thursday, June 12, 2025, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

DC CCC Orientation

During this virtual session, DC CCC will provide information about the services it offers families. As the District’s CCR&R system, DC CCC serves as a resource hub for the early learning community. Families are invited to join this session to learn more about DC CCC’s responsive services and evidence-based supports that provide high-quality early care and education.

 Click here to register.

Thursday, June 26, 2025, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

STAR: Sing, Talk and Read with Your Child

DC Public Library will lead an interactive session focused on the importance of developing literacy skills in young children. This session will focus on how simple practices can positively impact a child’s growth.

Click here to register.


Questions About Your Child’s Development?

Strong Start is DC’s early intervention program, offering free services for children under the age of 3 with developmental delays or disabilities. Strong Start provides therapeutic and other services for DC infants and toddlers and their families.

If you have questions about your child’s development, call Strong Start today at (202) 727-3665 or submit a Strong Start referral online.

 


Product Recall Alerts

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced the following recalls:

 


We are here to help! If you need support in navigating these resources or help planning experiences for your children, please contact one of our team members today. Please contact us at DC Child Care Connections (202) 829-2500.

Check out our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date on events and opportunities.

 

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