Advocacy & Legislation

ADA Watch
http://www.adawatch.org

Alliance for Children and Families is an international membership association representing more than 350 private, nonprofit child- and family-serving organizations. Alliance members serve more than 5 million individuals annually in more than 2,000 communities, providing a vast array of services ranging from residential care to domestic abuse prevention and intervention. The Alliance’s mission is to strengthen members’ capacity to serve and advocate for children, families, and communities. The Alliance formed in October 1998 when Family Service America (established 1911) and the National Association of Homes and Services for Children (established 1975) merged.  They organize National Family Week, which is an annual event recognized each Thanksgiving week that celebrates the family and its value to society.
http://www.alliance1.org

Children Now utilizes research and mass communications to make the well being of the child a top priority across the nation.
http://www.childrennow.org/

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center of UNC is dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families through research, teaching, and public service. 
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/

IDEA News
http://www.ideapractices.org

IDEA Watch
http://www.ld.org/advocacy/IDEAwatch.cfm

North Carolina Child Advocacy Institute (NCCAI) is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan, multi-issue organization that influences public policy in favor of all children and youth below the age of eighteen residing in North Carolina.
http://www.ncchild.org/

North Carolina Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities provides a statewide protection and advocacy program; investigates complaints; pursues legal remedies for protection; reviews and recommends changes in laws; aids and assists local advocacy programs; and advises and assists on employment issues.
http://www.gacpd.com

Voices for America's Children is a nonpartisan, national organization committed to speaking out for the well-being of children at the federal, state and local levels of government. Since 1984, Voices has supported child advocates nationwide who have achieved public policy victories for children in early education, health, juvenile justice, child welfare, tax and budget decisions and other areas.
http://www.voicesforamericaschildren.org/
                                           
                            Child Care

Division of Child Development oversees all aspects of child care services in North Carolina which includes regulating child care facilities, promoting education and training for child care workers, and administering other early childhood initiatives to improve the quality of care for all children in the state.
http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dcd/

FindCareNow provides families with everything they need to assess, plan, manage and monitor the best care for their loved ones. (click on Find Child Care)  Also, provides resource information to Child Care Professionals.
http://www.findcarenow.com

National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC), a project of the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is a national resource that links information and people to complement, enhance, and promote the child care delivery system and works to ensure that all children and families have access to high-quality comprehensive services.
http://nccic.org/

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the nation's largest and most influential organization of early childhood educators and others dedicated to improving the quality of programs for children from birth through third grade.
http:www.naeyc.org

NC-AEYC is the North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children.
http://www.ncaeyc.org/

North Carolina Institute for Early Childhood Professional Development, is composed of representatives of Head Start, Child Care Resource and Referral, Community Colleges, Cooperative Extension, Division of Child Development, Smart Start, T.E.A.C.H., Department of Public Instruction, Division of Mental Health, and many more organizations that promote good health and good care for young children. We facilitate and coordinate initiatives and provide leadership that will result in a comprehensive early care and education professional development system for the state.
http://www.ncchildcare.org/

Quality in Linking Together-QUILT is a national training and technical assistance project funded by the Federal Head Start and Child Care Bureaus. The purpose is to support full-day full-year partnerships among child care, Head Start, pre-kindergarten, and other early education programs at the local, state, tribal, territorial, and regional levels.
http://www.quilt.org/
                       
                             General Information

Carolina's Poison Center is a North Carolina resource center dedicated to reduce the incidence of poisonings by actively promoting poison prevention.
http://www.ncpoisoncenter.org

Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that conducts basic research and evaluation studies in several critical areas: teenage pregnancy and childbearing, the effects of welfare and poverty on children, issues related to parenting, family structure, and family processes, including fatherhood and male fertility.
http://www.childtrends.org/

Children's Institute International (CII) is a private, non-profit organization specializing in the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Over the past 90 years, CII has evolved from a shelter for single mothers and their babies to an internationally recognized model of comprehensive care and assistance for at-risk children and their families.
http://childrensinstitute.org/

Children’s Defense Fund mission is to Leave No Child Behind^® and to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.  http://www.childrensdefense.org/

Children’s Welfare League of America is the oldest and largest national nonprofit organization developing and promoting policies and programs to protect America’s children and strengthen America’s families. 
http://www.cwla.org/

Coalition for America's Children is an alliance of national, state, and local nonprofit organizations working to call attention to the serious obstacles impeding children's well-being and to boost children's concerns to the top of the public policy agenda. http://www.usakids.org/  

Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.
http://www.os.dhhs.gov/

Family Support Network of North Carolina is dedicated to helping meet the needs of families of children with special needs and the professionals who serve these families.
http://fsnnc.org

Greenville Utilities Commission (GUC) provides electric, water, sewer and natural gas services to the City of Greenville and 75% of Pitt County.  We serve a combined total of 90,000 customer connections.  GUC is owned by the citizens of Greenville but operates under a separate charter issued by the N.C. General Assembly.  For FAQ's visit the web-site and click on the FAQ section.
http://www.guc.com/

KIDS COUNT, a project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is a national and state-by-state effort to track the status of children in the United States. By providing policymakers and citizens with benchmarks of child well-being, KIDS COUNT seeks to enrich local, state, and national discussions concerning ways to secure better futures for all children.
http://www.aecf.org/kidscount/

Lead in Drinking Water for additional health and risk information, please visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website.
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead/

LimiTV informs parents, educators, and children about the ways excessive TV watching can damage a child’s development and education. This web site gives parents tools for child-rearing with less television.
http://www.limiTV.org/

National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data that are related to education in the United States and other nations.
http://www.nces.ed.gov

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) is the Federal Government's principal vital and health statistics agency and is a part of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

National Program for Playground Safety provides information regarding playground development, injury prevention, playground materials and suppliers, research and statistics.
http://www.uni.edu/playground/

North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) ensures every child in North Carolina enters school healthy and ready to succeed.
http://www.ncsmartstart.org

Pitt County AIDS Service Organization (PiCASO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting people living with HIV/AIDS and to slowing the spread of HIV. PiCASO provides services to those in Pitt County infected with HIV. Those services include:  educational services, case management, emergency financial assistance, specialized food pantry, housing assistance, transportation assistance and support.
http://www.picaso.org

Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina is a statewide, nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect in all its forms.  Prevent Child Abuse NC is working to implement critical child abuse prevention programs in North Carolina.
http://www.preventchildabusenc.org/

Smart Start is a public-private early childhood initiative to help ALL North Carolina children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. Its unique, comprehensive approach allows communities to make decisions and plans that are specific to the needs of young children and families. Smart Start services are targeted for children 0-5 and their families and include making sure child care is of high quality and affordable and accessible to those who need it, as well as health services and screenings and resources for family support.
http://www.smartstart-nc.org/

Pitt Alliance for Youth group is a network of community members from human service agencies that collaborate to create programs to address issues impacting school-age children.
www.pittcountyspromise.org    

Pitt Resource Connection group is a network of community members from human service agencies that collaborate to provide services to families, children, adults and seniors.  Pitt Resource Connection is building a web-site that provides the community with available resources in Pitt County.
www.pittresource.org

The Parenting Institute of North Carolina is dedicated to preserving, strengthening, and empowering families through quality and stable parent education programming in North Carolina.
http://theparentinginstitute.org

TV-Turnoff Network, formerly TV-Free America, is a nonprofit organization that encourages children and adults to watch much less television in order to promote healthier lives and communities.
http://www.tvturnoff.org

Urban Institute is a nonprofit policy research organization established in Washington, D.C., in 1968. The Institute's goals are to sharpen thinking about society's problems and efforts to solve them, improve government decisions and their implementation, and increase citizens' awareness about important public choices.
http://www.urban.org/

United States Department of Education
http://www/ed.gov/

US Environmental Protection Agency Office
http://www.epa.gov/children/

ViQuest health and wellness center.  Variety of fitness, nutrition & child care programs. 
http://www.viquest.uhseast.com

ZERO TO THREE is a national non-profit charitable organization whose aim is to strengthen and support families, practitioners and communities to promote the healthy development of babies and toddlers.
http://www.zerotothree.org/ 

Internet Reading and Literacy Resources

Colorin Colorado!:  informacion, actividades y asesoria para padres de familia que hablan espanol.
http://www.colorincolorado.com

Get Ready to Read
http://www.getreadytoread.org/

International Reading Association
http://www.reading.org

Internet Resource for Special Children
http://www.irsc.org/

Motheread, Inc.
http://www.readtogrow.org/momdadread.htm

National Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov

The International Children's Digital Library
http://www.icdlbooks.org

U.S. Department of Education
http://www.ed.gov
    
                               Special Needs

A Small Miracle, Inc. - a CAP-MR/DD company that provides comprehensive services for children and adults who have special needs.  A Small Miracle, Inc. specializes in Autism Spectrum Disorder and offers a variety of education methodologies, therapeutic case consultation, and family training on dietary intervention, biomedical interventions, legal & advocacy issues.   
http://www.asmallmiracleinc.com

All Together Now! Partnerships for Inclusion
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~pfi

Arc of North Carolina is committed to securing for all people with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities the opportunity to choose and realize their goals of where and how they learn, live, work, and play.  
http://www.arcnc.org

Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) connects education, community and  health care.
http://www.ncahec.net

Autism Society of North Carolina's primary focus is advocacy. The first statewide effort in the country to obtain services for people with autism began in North Carolina when parents involved with ASNC advocated with the legislature.  Because of ASNC's efforts, in 1970 the Legislature provided funding for the establishment of Division TEACCH at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine. Since its inception, ASNC has also advocated for appropriate classrooms for children with autism, individualized community-based programs, and the inclusion of autism in developmental disabilities program funding.  Other services available include information and referral, mental health services, school issues and IEP’s, transition planning; residential and vocational support crisis services, establishment and support of parent groups, and parent leadership training.
http://www.autismsociety-nc.org  

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) through collaborative leadership, advocacy, research, education, and support CHADD provides science and evidence based information about AD/HD to parents, educators, professionals, the media, and the general public.
http://www.chadd.org

Council for Exceptional Children is dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted.  CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice.
http://www.cec.sped.org/

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of NC assures the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life of those with the disease.
http://www.cff.org

Early Intervention Branch NC Department of Health and Human Services refers to the system of services provided by many different agencies and programs for children birth to five and their families.
http://www.ncei.org

Easter Seals United Cerebral Palsy of NC, Inc.
Easter Seals UCP of North Carolina offers quality programs to children and adults with disabilities and their families, including:  children's therapy services, durable medical equipment, information and referral, camping and recreation, individual and family support services, and stroke and post-polio support groups.
http://www.eastersealsucp.com

Exceptional Children's Assistance Center (ECAC) is a full service Parent Training & Information Center serving families in North Carolina with more than 25 full and part-time staff and offices throughout NC. All services are provided at no charge to parents and families. 
http://www.ecac-parentcenter.org

Family Support Network of Eastern North Carolina is dedicated to helping meet the needs of families of children with special needs and the professionals who serve these families in Eastern North Carolina.
http://www.fsnenc.org/

Family Village Waisman Center University Wisconsin-Madison is a global community that integrates information, resources, and communication opportunities on the internet for persons with cognitive and other disabilities, for their families, and for those that provide them services and support.  This includes informational resources on specific diagnoses, communication connections, adaptive products and technology, adaptive recreational activities, education, worship, health issues, disability-related media and literature, and much, much more! 
http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu

Families for Early Autism Treatment 
http://www.feat.org

Families for Early Autism Treatment - NC
http://www.featofnc.org

First in Families of North Carolina works to foster the vision of family support projects using program concepts and policies framed by dignity, cultural sensitivity, informed choice and personal control of resources by individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.  Provides leadership to guide innovations in the services delivery systems for individuals with disabilities and their families and supports the development of cohesive policies through the state.
http://www.fifnc.org/

Hearing Exchange News
http://www.hearingexchange.com/newsletters.htm

Learning Disabilities - LD News
http://www.ld.org

Learning Disabilities - LD Reader Newsletter
http://www.ldresources.com

Muscular Dystrophy Association is voluntary health agency that is a dedicated partnership between scientists and concerned citizens aimed at conquering neuromuscular diseases that affect more than a million Americans.  MDA combats neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive medical and community services, and far-reaching professional and public health education.
http://www.mdausa.org

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill works to improve the quality of life for individuals and their families living with the debilitating effects of severe and persistent mental illness.  We work to protect the dignity of people living with brain disorders through advocacy, education, and support.
http://www.naminc.org

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities provides information on specific disabilities, early intervention services for infants and toddlers, special education and related services for children in school, resources and connections in every state, individualized education programs, parent materials, disability organizations, professional associations, education rights and what the law requires, and transition to adult life. 
http://www.nichcy.org

National Down Syndrome Society is committed to being the national leader in enhancing the quality of life, and realizing the potential of all people with Down syndrome.
http://www.ndss.org

National Center for Stuttering developed and conducts the Hollins Fluency System, a highly effective 12-day treatment program for stuttering.  
www.stuttering.com

National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS) is a national technical assistance consortium working to support states, jurisdictions, and others to improve services and results for young children with disabilities and their families.
http://www.nectas.unc.edu/

National Multiple Sclerosis Society Eastern NC Chapter works to end the devastating effects of this debilitating disease.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/nct/home/

North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities is part of a national network of organizations that assist people with developmental disabilities and works to promote the "independence, productivity, integration and inclusion into the community" of people with developmental disabilities and their families.
http://www.nc-ddc.org

North Carolina Early Intervention Library is home to over 2300 distinct titles of resource materials, including professional books, videotapes, instructional material, and books for children.  The materials may be utilized by both staff and family members of children who have disabilities.
http://www.ncei-eclibrary.org

North Carolina Early Intervention Mentor Program Professionals are encouraged to participate as a mentor or mentee.  If you are new to the field or new to the position, you can sign up as a mentee to learn from a more experienced member of the field.
http://www.fsnnc.med.unc.edu

North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program
This website includes information on the North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program, the Preschool Disabilities Program, and the North Carolina Interagency Coordination Council.
http://www.ncei.org/ei/itp.html

"Our Kids" - Raising Children with Special Needs works with children with physical and/or mental disabilities and delays by providing information and support for children with special needs, and the people that care for them. 
http://www.our-kids.org

Partnership in Assistive Technology works to increase knowledge about and access to assistive technology and information technology for North Carolinians with disabilities.
http://www.pat.org

Partnerships for Inclusion is a statewide technical assistance project with offices in the western, central, and eastern regions of North Carolina. PFI provides training and consultation to support the inclusion of young children with disabilities, ages birth through five, in all aspects of community life.
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~pfi

Paws With a Cause -  Service Animals  trains Assistance Dogs nationally for people with disabilities and provides lifetime team support which encourages independence. PAWS^® promotes awareness through education.  
http://www.pawswithacause.org

Preferred Alternatives, Inc. - provides high quality services to people with special needs and tailors services to meet a persons desires and needs through the use of individual supports, technology, and personnel. 
http://www.preferredalternatives.org

Special Education Resources on the Internet (SERI) is a collection of internet accessible information resources of interest to those involved in the fields related to Special Education. This collection exists in order to make on-line Special Education resources more easily and readily available in one location. 
http://www.seriweb.com/

Spina Bifida Association of America serves adults and children who live with the challenges of spina bifida.  Since 1973, SBAA has been the only national voluntary health agency solely dedicated to enhancing the lives of those with spina bifida and those whose lives are touched by this challenging birth defect.  
http://www.sbaa.org

Teaching (Learning Disabilities) LD News
http://www.teachingld.org/

Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) provides information, service and support for individuals with autism and their families.
http://www.teacch.com

Schwab Learning Online
http://www.schwablearning.org/registration.asp

Special Ed Advocate
http://www.wrightslaw.com

Special Education Law
http://www.reedmartin.com

TelAbility is an innovative, community oriented, interdisciplinary program that uses telecommunications to improve the lives of children with disabilities. Using real time video-conferencing and internet technologies, TelAbility provides comprehensive, coordinated, family centered care to children with disabilities across North Carolina and offers education, training, and peer support for people who care for them.
http://www.telability.org

World of Dyslexia Newsletter
http://www.dyslexia-teacher.com/