Families and Communities

Creating strong families that serve as the foundation for community life by enhancing family relationships, parenting, child development and the community institutions that promote family well-being.

Parenting

• eParenting®
  An innovative program initiative from UW-Extension Family Living Programs with the goal of empowering parents in their use of digital media as a powerful and positive tool supporting their parenting role
• Parenthetical
  An online educational and supportive parenting community for parents of preteens and teens ages 10-14
• Parenting Newsletters
  Sign up for free email parenting newsletters for children birth to age 3
• Tools and Information for Parent Educators using Parenting Newsletters
  Research impacts, licensing, ordering, distribution, and evaluation information and tools for the parent educator.
• Parenting the Preschooler
  Explore the newsletters on this site which are designed for parents and caregivers of preschool age children.
• Raising a Thinking Child
  Parenting program for parents of children age 4-7 offered by county educators.
• Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14
  A nationally recognized program designed to reduce substance use and other problematic behaviors in youth ages 10-14 offered by county educators.

Child Care

• Better Kid Care
  Professional development opportunities and education information on caring for children from Penn State.
• Child Care Finder
  Searching for safe, quality child care in Wisconsin has never been easier.
• The Registry
  Wisconsin’s Recognition System for acknowledging the training, experience and professionalism of child care programs and providers.
• YoungStar – Wisconsin’s Child Care Rating Program
  YoungStar gives parents information to help them make the best choice about care for their child.
• Wisconsin Early Childhood Collaborating Partners
  State, regional, and local groups collaborating so all children in Wisconsin receive services and support for optimal developmental potential  from birth through age 5.

Relationship Education

• Family Resiliency
  Be resilient: s-t-r-e-t-c-h, bounce back & roll forward
• Grandparenting Today
  The focus of this website is on grandparents who are raising their grandchildren and others who are raising their relatives’ children
• Human Development & Family Studies Events
  Event announcements for the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, UW-Madison

Aging and Caregiving of Older Persons

• Balancing Work and Family Care of Older Persons
  Most persons who care for an elderly family member continue to work at their job. This website addresses some of the balancing issues.
• Creating Aging-Friendly Communities in Wisconsin
  Because people are living longer, it is increasingly more important that communities become “aging-friendly”.
• Educational Programs for Family Caregivers
  UW-Extension offers through the county educators educational programs to help the family caregiver.

Community Support

• Family Policy
  Connecting Policymakers and Professionals to build research-based family policy.
• Home Visitation for Infants and Young Children
  Supporting community home visiting programs in Wisconsin.
• Local Criminal Justice and Prevention
  Resources about community corrections, reentry and transitioning jail inmates; prevention and intervention programs for juvenile delinquency; and programming for incarcerated audience educators.
• What Works Wisconsin
  Tools for practitioners and policymakers to develop, evaluate and improve prevention programs for children, youth and families.

How We Make a Difference

• Short reports showing the effectiveness of our programs across the state