Birth to Five

Fairfax County Resources for Families with Young Children

• Fairfax County Early Childhood Programs and Services for information about child care, child development and school readiness.
• Healthy Families Fairfax provides home-based parenting education, health information and referrals to community support to families at high risk for abuse and neglect.
• Infant and Toddler Connection for evaluations and early intervention services for young children birth to age three.
• Child Find for help identifying children with potential special needs.
• Fairfax County Public Libraries for information about story time for young children, getting a library card and other programs for young children.
• Fairfax County Park Authority for information on area parks and playgrounds in your neighborhood.
• Fairfax County Public Schools for information on kindergarten registration and orientations.
• FCPS Early Childhood Registration to register for Early Childhood Special Education, PreK, or the Early Head Start.
• Fairfax County Health Department for information on immunizations, health and dental services for young children.
• Fairfax County Department of Housing for information on low-income housing eligibility and related information.

Publications and Other Resources

• Helping Your Child Love to Learn
• Tapping into Technology: Connecting Children, Teachers and Families in the Digital Age
• Stepping into Kindergarten: A School Readiness Guide for Families *
• School Readiness Books for Early Childhood Professionals and Parents *
• Eat and Run

* Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination in all county programs, services and activities. To request reasonable accommodations or to receive this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-8100 or TTY 711.

Organizations

• Child Care Aware of Virginia
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Northern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (NVAEYC)
• Reach Out and Read
• ZERO TO THREE
  ZTT is a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development.

Back to top

For Early Education Professionals

• Virginia Infant-Toddler Specialist Network
  A statewide, comprehensive network of specialists who work to improve the quality of care and education infants and toddlers receive while in an early care and education program. Highly qualified specialists provide on-site training in family childcare and center-based programs, assistance and referrals to other resources and professional development opportunities. For additional information, please contact www.va-itsnetwork.org to find a specialist in the Northern Region.
• Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
  ASQ-3 is a low-cost, reliable tool for screening infants and young children for developmental delays during the crucial first 5 years of life. http://agesandstages.com/about-asq/who-uses-asq/
• Institute for Early Learning (IFEL)
  The Early Childhood Programs and Services' Institute for Early Learning offers professional development opportunities to early childhood professionals in Fairfax County. Workshop sessions and webinars support quality early childhood programs. These continuing education opportunities also help meet the professional development requirements early childhood professionals need to maintain their license or permit.
• Northern Virginia Community College
  The Early Childhood Development Program offers a variety of opportunities for professional development for those working with or preparing to work with young children. The college offers two Associate in Applied Science degrees, an Associate in Science degree and Certificates for infant and school age care and paraprofessional teacher assistant.
• George Mason University
  Bachelor of Individualized Study (BIS) Early Childhood Education Studies Concentration offers students holding a Northern Virginia Community College associate's degree in applied science in early childhood development the opportunity to obtain a BIS in early childhood education studies and a minor in business.
• Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
  ECLKC is a website for the early learning community.

Back to top