The following organizations and websites provide information and services that families living in or moving to Ithaca and Tompkins County might find useful. Below is a list of links that provide information on:
- Ithaca and Tompkins County
- Local Events and Activities for Families
- Child Development and Education
- Family Support Services
COVID-19 INFORMATION
Senior COVID-19 information is an informative resource for COVID-19 questions surrounding our Senior Citizens.
IC3’s Current Pandemic Protocols
Ithaca and Tompkins County
City of Ithaca Welcome to the City of Ithaca, a great place to live, learn, work, play, create and dream! This website has information on government services, utilities, schools, child care, transportation, and area state parks for new and long time residents.
Finger Lakes Region Learn about what makes the Finger Lakes region unique as well as information on events in the area.
The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce The mission of The Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce is to advocate for the free enterprise system and sound economic development, foster success for its for-profit and not-for-profit members, and promote a high quality of life for all Tompkins County residents.
VisitIthaca.com provides information about Ithaca and Tompkins County for families visiting or moving to the area.
Local Events and Activities for Families
Ithaca Child is a free local paper for parents that publishes six times a year. It provides information on resources for parents in the community, events, and articles pertinent to parents.
IthacaEvents.com provides a comprehensive listing of arts and cultural events in Tompkins County.
Child Development and Education
Child Development Council(CDC) The mission of the Child Development Council is to promote the healthy development of children and families at home, in child care, and in the community. The CDC advocates for the continuous improvement of healthy child development and offers resources and support services for parents, child care providers, and the community. In promoting the healthy development of children and families, the various program activities of the agency are aimed at enhancing the quality of care that children receive and the environments in which they grow up, whether in home, child care, school or neighborhood settings.
Child Development Institute‘s primary goal is to provide information to parents based on current research that is both comprehensive and practical. The purpose is to enable parents to help each child to develop to his or her full potential. The website has several articles about child development, psychology, education, health, and parenting.
Children with Special Care Needs(CSCN) Part of the Tompkins County Health Department, the CSCN offers the following programs, Child Find, the Early Intervention Program, the Children with Special Health Care Needs Program and the Physically Handicapped Children’s Program designed to aid children with developmental delays or disabilities.
Creative Curriculum balances teacher‐planned and child‐initiated learning, emphasizing responsiveness to children’s strengths, interests, needs, and learning styles. Nationally known for being forward‐thinking, comprehensive, and rigorously researched, it helps teachers plan and implement content‐rich, developmentally appropriate programs that support active learning and promote children’s progress in all developmental areas. IC3 teachers use the Creative Curriculum in our infant, toddler, and pre-k programs.
Cornell University B.A.B.Y. Lab The Behavioral Analysis of Beginning Years (B.A.B.Y.) Laboratory at Cornell University studies the development of communication, cognition, and language of young children. Parents interested in having their children participate in B.A.B.Y. Lab research can sign up on the website.
Potty Genius is a whole website dedicated to potty training with a variety of guides, tips, and downloadable resources.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC) The NAEYC Academy sets and monitors standards for high-quality early childhood education programs and accredits programs that meet these standards. NAEYC develops resources for parents and early childhood education professionals to support families in their early childhood education and parenting needs. Resources and articles on topics of early childhood education and development are available on their website.
Understanding Screen Addiction and Responsible Digital Use The guide offers lots of helpful information such as:
- How technology use has changed over the years (72% of adults now consider smartphones their most essential device)
- The impact of COVID-19 on screen time use and digital behaviors (smartphone usage in the UK surged by 30% during lockdown)
- Understanding screen addictions and how our devices affect our brains and change our behaviors (e.g. dopamine-driven reward loops)
- Helpful tips and useful advice for tackling device addiction, managing gadget and internet use, and creating healthier digital habits.
EducatorSupport.org has a wealth of information for teachers and some good information for parents alike. Affordable Screen-Free Educational Gifts for Kids. These days, kids spend a great deal of time on their computers, tablets, phones, and TVs. With all that screen time, it’s a great idea to consider gifts for children that give them time away from all those gadgets and devices. Here are some great educational gifts you can give that will help keep children active and engaged without the screen time.
*Books are an excellent educational gift to enhance reading and language comprehension for children of all ages. With a wide range of fiction and non-fiction topics to choose from, kids can explore entire worlds of science, math, literature, and anthropology. Often, educational children’s books will include questions, to help the reader with comprehension and deductive reasoning. You can also find puzzle books with crosswords and word games to enhance children’s language skills, and Sudoku and math activities to improve math skills. For younger children, consider books with activities like mazes, letter matching, coloring, and other puzzles to enhance their reading, writing, and problem-solving skills. Coloring and drawing books are equally fun and help children to improve their free creative thought processes.
Activities that require physical interaction such as building blocks and jigsaw puzzles are a great gift to help children to use their creative minds and problem-solving skills. Solving puzzles and creating structures also gives children a sense of accomplishment.
*Family and group activities, such as charades and hide-and-seek, keep children active and engaged. For a more relaxed interactive activity, consider gifting word games like Scrabble Junior or math games such as UNO. These fun family games help kids with spelling, word comprehension, and basic math in a way that makes it both easy and fun.
Strategy games such as chess and checkers, Guess Who?, and Battleship are equally educational for children. Games of this sort hone the player’s memorization and recognition skills, and also help them learn to plan ahead and anticipate both their opponent’s actions and the consequences of their own actions.
Experts indicate that free creative time is extremely important for child development. Fostering your child’s creativity helps them to develop a sense of worth and accomplishment, and helps them to learn how to think creatively in all situations. Crafting and art projects improve children’s fine motor skills and applied math. In addition, creative activity boosts children’s confidence and sense of accomplishment, thereby enhancing their mental and emotional health.
Luckily, crafting materials can be inexpensive and easy to come by. You can gift a wide range of crafting materials, including washable markers, construction paper, glitter glue, foam, scissors, watercolor paints, and even playdough. Consider art supplies that can be used with at-home repurposed materials, such as cardboard, paper towel rolls, or plastic bottles, to give the kids a variety of crafting options.
If you are looking for a more expensive educational gift, such as a musical instrument, telescope, or sporting gear, consider purchasing the items secondhand. You can find a variety of high-quality secondhand gifts on eBay and Amazon. In addition, sites like Etsy offer unique and original educational gifts for children, from wooden alphabet tracing boards to Montessori anatomy games. Take the time to peruse coupon and discount sites, where you can find discount coupons, rebates, and promo codes for eBay, Amazon, and other retailers to help you save even more money on kid’s gifts. Your wallet will thank you!
With these great ideas, you’re sure to find the perfect gifts for the kids on your list, and stay well within your budget. Just remember to keep everything fun and screen-free!
Family Support Services
2-1-1 Tompkins/ Information and Referral operates at the hub of the Tompkins County services network to promote effective service delivery and efficient allocation of community resources. 2-1-1 connects people in need with services designed to address that need by providing a central telephone information service, chat line, and maintaining a data base of community information. Callers are referred to service providers according to their situation.
The Advocacy Center (formerly the Task Force For Battered Women/ Child Sexual Abuse Project) has provided support, advocacy and education for survivors of domestic violence since 1977, survivors of child sexual abuse since 1982 and survivors of adult sexual assault since 2003. The goal of the Advocacy Center is to help reduce the trauma that results from domestic violence, sexual assault and child sexual abuse.
Community Dispute Resolution Center(CDRC) offers mediation services and conflict education to help resolve conflict constructively.
Cornell Cooperative Extension is a key outreach system of Cornell University with a strong public mission and an extensive local presence that is responsive to needs in New York communities. The Cornell Cooperative Extension educational system enables people to improve their lives and communities through partnerships that put experience and research knowledge to work.
Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca supports, promotes and strengthens the well-being of individuals and families by providing high-quality, accessible mental health care and related social services, with a particular sensitivity toward the needs of children.
The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County is committed to developing and supporting the active involvement of ordinary people (including providers, family members and recipients of mental health services) in all aspects of mental health. These include the definition of needs, the promotion of community, and the provision of services. The Mental Health Association also supports the human and civil rights of people who use mental health services, and will educate the community on all perspectives concerning mental health and mental health disabilities.
