Parents Resources
A directory of helpful information outside the BMCF website.
Note: Please refer to the copyright page for our Disclaimer of Endorsement.

LOCAL INFORMATION

Preschool Directory
Click Here to go to an online preschool directory put together by the Batavia Mother's Club. Click here for a info sheet on Tips for Picking a Preschool.

McGruff House (Tim.Mair@bataviadare.org)
When a child is in trouble, she is taught to look for the "McGruff House" sign in the homes that are near her. This sign indicates that the family is committed to helping others and has passed a background check. Use the link to e-mail your interest in receiving an application.

Batavia E-mail Alerts (Tim.Mair@bataviadare.org)
Want to be alerted via e-mail of activities going on in Batavia? From police actions, to tips for getting home from the fireworks quickly, the e-mail alerts are a wonderful way to stay in touch. Use the link to e-mail your request to be added to the list.

Batavia Parent Academy The Batavia Mothers' Club Foundation is a proud sponsor of a Batavia Parents Academy, which provides educational series and lectures as a resource for parents.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

American Association of Pediatrics (http://www.aap.org/)
The American Academy of Pediatrics offers many resources focused mainly on health. Their strong and comprehensive list of health topics each open into a large bank of related articles.

Kids’ Nutrition (http://www.kidsnutrition.org/)
The USDA and the Children's Nutrition Research Center have developed several calculators to help understand kids' nutrition. Scroll Down on this page to find calculators for Kids' BMI, Kids' Energy Calculations and more.

USDA Food Pyramid
(http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/index.html )
The official site of the new government endorsed food pyramid for kids.

PARENTING

Parenting.org (http://www.parenting.org/index.asp)
One of the nation's largest children's charities, Girls and Boys Town helps fulfill their mission by spreading information about parenting. Look here for Life Lessons, Education, Safety and Parenting articles about multiple age groups.

Parenting.com (http://www.parenting.com/parenting)
Parenting magazine's website covers the entire gamut of parenting information. Their focus includes as much about healthy moms as it does healthy children. They also include a lot of lists like buying guides for toys and popular baby name indexes.

The National Association for Self Esteem (http://www.self-esteem-nase.org/reference.shtml )
Lists references for parents on how to build their child's self-esteem.

Words Can Work (http://www.wordscanwork.com)
When Talking With Kids About Sexual Health, tells how 12 families discuss sexual health – ranging from puberty and relationships to birth control, oral sex and postponing sexual intercourse. Dr. David Satcher and Dr. Paula Rauch, Massachusetts General Hospital, review each story and offer words parents can use in similar situations. In first-person accounts young people tell their true stories about topics addressed in each chapter.

Talk to Kids About (http://www.tolerance.org/parents/talktokids.jsp)
A new article each month that provides guidance on discussing tough issues.

SAFETY

Car Seat Guide (http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm)
A comprehensive guide to car seats for the entire family. Includes Frequently Asked Questions about car seats, specific guidelines and tips for installing car seats, and specifications for brand name models.

Illinois State Offender Registry (http://www.isp.state.il.us/sor)
locate registered offenders in your city within the state of Illinois.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) (http://www.missingkids.com)

NetSafeKids (http://www.nap.edu/netsafekids/)
Protecting your child from Internet pornography and sexual predators online. Advice and strategies on types and sources of sexually explicit content, how inappropriate material can reach children, the threat of cyberstalking, the pros and cons of technological tools, and other issues involving Internet safety.

The NetSmartz Workshop (http://www.netsmartz.org/)
An interactive, educational resource for children (5-17), parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet.

The Parents Television Council (http://www.parentstv.org/)
A nonprofit organization dedicated to educating parents about television content, improving the quality of prime time television, promoting family friendly entertainment, restoring positive values, and making Television a socially responsible medium -- the Parents Television Council based in Hollywood, California

Common Sense Media (http://commonsensemedia.org/)
We are concerned parents who believe that by sharing good common sense ideas we can create healthy media diets for our kids and a powerful voice that speaks up for responsible entertainment. They rate movies, tv, games, websites, books…and have a newsletter as well.

TheAntiDrug.com (http://www.theantidrug.com/)
Created by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to equip parents and other adult caregivers with the tools they need to raise drug-free kids.

The Children's Defense Fund
(http://www.childrensdefense.org/ )
Advocates for the rights of children. This website has good explanations of current legislation affecting schools and children.

BMCF is a 501(c)3 charity
which can accept donations
from individuals and businesses alike. Please use the button below to make a monetary donation to help children
in need in the Fox Valley area.