Hey Mom and Dad... grab the keyboard, seize the mouse, and hang ten for a wild ride on the information superhighway! This little corner of the Kids section was developed just for parents and caregivers to connect grown-ups with some helpful resources for a healthy home and family. So sit straight in your chair, feet on the floor, and check out some interesting Web links selected just for you, but don’t stop there! If you have a favorite "home and family" website that you think other parents and caregivers would find helpful, drop us an email and tell us all about it! Youth Services staff will review the site and, if it’s suitable for the format and content of the Library’s website and Kids section, we’ll add it to Home & Family.
For more information about Skokie Public Library's Youth Services resources for parents and caregivers, contact Linda Zeilstra-Sawyer at 847.324.3144 or by .
Please note: The Youth Services staff makes every effort to select websites that are suitable for children; however, the Library has no control over individual website content, sponsors, or advertisements. We encourage parents to explore and enjoy these websites with their children.
Web resource 
Available with Skokie Public Library card 
Available in Library only
Book and Movie Selection Tools
Book Selection Tools
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD) contains an extensive array of information about children's books, video and audio recordings, film strips, and other children-focused media. The database contains more than 130,000 critical reviews of thousands of children's books, ranging from the earliest baby board books to novels and nonfiction for young adults, and an average of more than 1,500 new reviews are added to the database monthly.
Childrensroom
Childrensroom is designed to help parents choose the best books, video, audio, and software for families and children of all ages. Selected items have been reviewed by children's librarians, teachers, and parents who have experience and expertise in children's literature, media, software, and toys. The site is browsable by type of media and child's age.
CoolKids Collection from
Skokie Public Library
Find out what books (and more!) the Youth Services staff is recommending for kids of all ages! We've arranged our favorites so that you can browse by title, author, illustrator, genre, awards, reading level, and material type.
Family Reading Time from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
Idaho's Early Childhood Information Clearinghouse offers ideas to help busy parents and caregivers encourage a child's interest in books and reading. The site also includes book selection tips for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Information is also available en Español.
Find
it Fast! from Skokie Public Library
This handy guide was developed by Youth Services staff to introduce readers to the Dewey Decimal System and shelf locations for popular nonfiction topics and subjects.
NoveList K-8
NoveList K-8 is a guide to fiction especially for children from kindergarten through 8th grade. Find favorite authors, book titles, or series, or find something new by searching for similar authors, subjects, or award-winning titles.
Reading is
Fundamental: Parents
Help a child learn to love reading with resources and activities for preschoolers, teenagers, and the whole family. Topics include motivating kids to read, choosing good books, reading aloud, seasonal ideas, and much more.
Special
Collections for Kids from Skokie Public Library
The Youth Services Department is home to many books in a variety of world languages. We also have a large selection of Braille, large type, and special needs books available for checkout. Browse Special Collections for Kids to find out what materials we have available in these special collections.
TeachingBooks.net
TeachingBooks.net offers easy access to audio excerpts of book readings by authors and professional actors; book discussion guides; original movies featuring authors and illustrators at work in their studios; and links to author websites, biographies, activities, and contact information. An "Educator Area" provides thematic booklists, information about children's book awards, and links to related resources in twenty-five categories. The TeachingBooks.net content is divided equally between elementary school-aged content and middle/high school-aged content.
Movie Selection Tools
The Movie Mom
The Movie Mom website was developed to help parents make informed decisions about what movies and videos are most suited for kids aged two to eighteen. Information includes movie ratings, content information, and synopses for movies in the theater and on home video/DVD. The site also provides resources to help families relate the movies they watch to the issues and values that are important to them.
Movies from Skokie Public Library
The Library website's Movie & Music section includes links to help parents and caregivers find information about reviewing and selecting films and videos. Of special note: Movie Ratings and Guides for Parents.
Parental Media Guide
The Parental Media Guide provides Internet links to guidelines and parental advisory information for major entertainment industries including movies, electronic games, music, cable, and broadcast television.
Consumer Information
Consumer Information from Skokie Public Library
This category in the Library website's Research a Subject section is filled with links to valuable information to help parents research and evaluate many products and services. Resources include consumer information and protection, article databases, and research resources for automobiles, insurance, telephone services plans, and more.
Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls and Product Safety News
The CPSC is an independent federal regulatory agency that provides timely information about thousands of products recalled due to unreasonable risks of injury or death. This useful database is organized by product type, description, and company and includes household items, toys, and other products used by and with children. The site also includes a Toy Hazard Recall, a collection of Toy Safety Publications, and informacion en Espanol.
Consumer
Reports Online
This online
publication from Consumers Union provides unbiased reviews and information
about popular products.
Note: Full product reviews are available in General Reference Center, one of the many Web-based resources available in the Library and from home for Skokie Public Library cardholders.
Dr. Toy
Billed as "The Best Advice on Children’s Products," Dr. Toy provides information about toys, dolls, games, puzzles, books, software, CD-ROMs, audio and video discs and tapes, creative materials, construction toys, and much more. The site includes Tips on Selecting Toys and Children's Products that is available in several languages including Chinese, Korean, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.
Health and Wellness
Child Development
Child & Family WebGuide from Tufts University
The Child and Family WebGuide was developed for parents, educators, students, and professionals interested in issues of child development. The directory provides links to hundreds of websites recommended by parents, rated by experts, and covering early child development through adolescence.
ZERO TO
THREE: Parents
ZERO TO THREE is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the healthy development of babies and young children from birth to age three. The Parents section includes an alphabetic index of parenting issues and concerns, a Tip of the Week, information about brain development and what to expect at various growth stages.
Children's Health
Backpack Safety America/International™
This website was created to address the growing concern about how the improper use of backpacks can affect children's long-term health and safety. The site includes backpack buying advice, tips for proper backpack use, news, research, and information about implementing a backpack safety program in school.
Health & Medicine Resources from
Skokie Public Library
This category in the Library website's Research a Subject section includes links to online information about general health, alternative medicine, children's health, prescription drugs, hospitals, HMOs, and physicians.
Health
Resources for Parents
A feature of PediatricNursing.com, this site was developed by pediatric nurses to share health information with parents via the Internet. The site includes links to KidsHealth news and other health resources on the Internet.
KidsHealth
Since 1995, The Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media has been providing doctor-approved, online health information for parents through its award-winning KidsHealth website. Developed to address questions about children from before birth through adolescence, KidsHealth covers such topics as general health, growth and development, positive parenting, nutrition and fitness, medical problems, first aid and safety, and much more. The site also includes a search engine and articulos en Español.
Safer Child, Inc.
Safer Child is designed to help parents quickly find professional, accurate, and comprehensive parenting information available on the Internet. Site subject areas include health and safety issues, education, support for parents, headlines, and lots more.
Family Health
Family
Resource and Awareness Guide
Prepared by the Skokie Youth at Risk Task Force, this Guide was developed as a tool for adults to help children make responsible choices about issues they face as individuals and among their peers.
Helping
Your Child Series from the U.S. Department of Education
The Helping Your Child series of publications has been
developed for parents to help their children develop new skills and
knowledge. Topics include homework, reading, preschool, success in school,
and adolescence. These online pamphlets are downloadable and available in
English and Spanish.
Note: Downloads require Adobe Reader or Microsoft Word
SkokieNet Health and Medical Center
Find links to all kinds of health information and resources with this directory from the SkokieNet community website.
SkokieNet Social Service Center
This directory from the SkokieNet community website is filled with links to information about social service organizations in Skokie and the greater Chicago area.
Internet Use and Safety
Online Safety
ChatDanger: How to Keep
Safe in Chat Rooms
Get smart about online chatting with this website designed to let parents and kids know about the potential dangers of unmoderated Internet chat rooms. Content is based on the real-life experience of a teen girl and her family.
Child
Safety on the Information Highway
Developed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, this website explains the Internet, its risks and benefits, how parents can reduce those risks, and provides suggested guidelines for parents whose children use the Internet.
GetNetWise
The GetNetWise coalition was developed to help families make the most of their online experience. This public service is provided by several Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations whose goal is to provide families with the tools that they need to make informed decisions about Internet use. Resources include online safety guides, Internet tools for families, websites for kids, and information about how to report online trouble.
Internet
Safety Information from Skokie Public Library
This page from the Skokie Public Library Youth Services Department provides online safety tips, tools, and web links for students, parents, and educators.
Kidz Privacy: Adults Only
This website provides tips from the Federal Trade Commission to help parents and other adults understand and protect children's online privacy.
Net Family News
This nonprofit news service for parents, teachers, and anyone who cares for "online kids" provides valuable support for grown-ups who wish to understand the online world and manage kids' online time. Resources include information about privacy, technology, the impact of media on children, legislation, school and library online policy, and how people of all ages are using the Internet. An email newsletter is available on request.
Wiredsafety
WiredSafety is the largest and oldest online safety, education, and help group in the world. They help victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. They also help parents with issues such as MySpace and cyberbullying.
Just for Moms
Brain, Child: The
Magazine for Thinking Mothers
This "literary time-out for moms," is described by its editors as "a community, for and by mothers who like to think about what raising kids does for (and to) the mind and soul." Each issue includes essays, features, humor, reviews, fiction, art, cartoons, and readers’ own stories.
Working Moms Refuge
This website was developed as a resource for working moms everywhere who juggle similar family needs and work demands. Site content is produced by working moms, for working moms and includes tips, stories, questions, discussion lists, and "rant boards" where working moms can do just that: rant! Other sections include single moms, careers, family, news, telecommuting, and recipes.
Library Resources for Parents and Caregivers
Classes and Programs
Come
On In!
The library is a special place for children with disabilities! Specialized services, programs, resources, and a variety of stimulating activities are available at the Library for children with disabilities, their families, and caregivers.
Events & Programs
The Events & Programs section of the Library website features details about upcoming activities, films, computer classes, exhibits, lectures, literary events, performances, and cultural events. A monthly calendar of programs and events is also available.
Kids: What’s Going On?
The Youth Services Department offers a variety of Library programs and activities for children and families. What’s Going On? includes links to information about Library and local events for kids and families, monthly program calendars with detailed information about Library activities, and a link to information about teen events.
General Information and Resources
About the Library
Find out all there is to know about Skokie Public Library with this one-stop page of general information, contact phone numbers, loan policies and services, and more.
Movies & Music
See what's hot in music, movies, and listening in the Movies & Music section of the Library's website. The section includes Movie Ratings and Guides for Parents and a list of librarian-recommended Family Films.
Research a Subject
This index of links to Databases A to Z and websites is jam-packed with all kinds of information. Topics include just about everything from arts, humanities, biography and health to science, mathematics, and investments.
SkokieNet
The SkokieNet website includes links to local organizations, businesses, schools, government agencies, and much more.
TeenScene!
Find out what's going on for the "big kids" on the section of the Library website devoted especially to teens.
Reading Resources
CoolKids Collection from Skokie Public Library
Find out what books (and more!) the Youth Services staff is recommending for kids of all ages! We've arranged our favorites so that you can browse by title, author, illustrator, genre, awards, reading level, and material type.
Kids: Authors, Illustrators & Awards
The Youth Services librarians are always on the lookout for the newest and the best books by children’s authors and illustrators. Check out the Kids Authors, Illustrators & Awards web page for links to booklists, reading activities at the Library for parents and children to enjoy together, and more.
Kids: Booklists
Find out what Youth Services librarians are recommending for kids of all ages with this assortment of booklists.
Reading (for grown-ups!)
The Reading section of the Library website is your guide to reading resources for parents, caregivers, and other grown-ups. Topics include best book and award winners, book discussions, literary criticism, a variety of fiction genres, and a connection to the Online Book Club. Of special note: Readers' Services Recommendations, a database of books recommended by Skokie Public Library's Adult Services staff.
Teens: Books & Authors
Browse a booklist, learn about award winners, and find out what Skokie Public Library recommends for teen readers!
Youth Services Baby Bag
and Book
Babies through 6 months old can receive a special welcome gift from the Youth Services Department!
Schools and Learning
Directory of K-12 Schools from SkokieNet
This directory of schools offers contact information for elementary, middle, and high schools in and around Skokie. A Directory of Private K-12 Schools is also available.
Early Education and Child Care compiled by Skokie
Public Library
This online directory provides detailed information about the services offered by local preschools, child care centers, home day care providers, extended care services, and social services agencies. The directory is maintained by Skokie Public Library staff and hosted on the SkokieNet community information network website. A condensed, print version of the directory is also available.
A Guide to Your Children's Schools: A Parent Handbook
This handbook from the Illinois State Board of Education was developed to
help parents learn about the United States school system. The handbook is
available in English, Arabic, Bosnian, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Note: Requires Adobe Reader
Homeschool Resources from Skokie
Public Library
This special collection of web pages is provided to connect homeschool families with information about Skokie Public Library services and programs, Internet links, resources, and support especially for homeschoolers.