The Office of Childhood is responsible for oversight of the department's efforts to expand and improve the quality of early learning and parent education programs that support young children and families for success. It is our intent to provide a clear path for guiding the growth and development of young children prior to kindergarten entry. In addition to these programs, the Office of Childhood provides resources that can be useful to parents, child care providers, teachers and administrators about the learning and development of our youngest learners.

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with a particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. NAEYC is committed to becoming an increasingly high-performing and inclusive organization.

Parents as Teachers builds strong communities, thriving families and children that are healthy, safe and ready to learn by matching parents and caregivers with trained professionals who make regular personal home visits during a child’s earliest years in life, from prenatal through kindergarten. The internationally-recognized evidence-based home visiting model is backed by 35 years of research-proven outcomes for children and families. Parents as Teachers currently serves nearly 200,000 families in all 50 U.S. states, 115 Tribal organizations, six other countries, and one U.S. territory.