Your efforts as a volunteer for young children can make a big difference for the children and families of this community. Below are highlights of a few of the available volunteer opportunities. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in doing something special that is not listed below.
As an individual, you can...
VOLUNTEER
- Share a hobby, craft, or personal collection with children.
- Read stories to children.
- Provide clerical assistance to early childhood organizations.
- Help the Health Department nurse perform health screenings on young children.
- Teach children how to use a computer.
- Teach adults who work with young children how to use a computer.
- Be a substitute teacher for a young children's program so a teacher can attend professional growth classes.
- Help improve facilities which provide programs and services for young children and families.
- Serve on committees or boards affecting early childhood programs and services.
- Become a Guardian Ad Litem -- a court-appointed volunteer for an abused/neglected -- to help ensure that the best is done for a child involved in a court case.
- Tutor parents of young children in adult literacy.
- Assist in a summer program for young children.
- Staff registration tables at children fairs or events.
- Provide translation to Spanish-speaking parents and children.
- Serve as a guest speaker about early childhood development.
- Provide, prepare, and distribute snacks at children's events and fairs.
- Provide free child care during committee meetings, community forums, and other events.
- Become a Big Brother or Big Sister to a young child.
- Visit and hold an abandoned baby at a local hospital.
- Volunteer at a Women's Shelter for mothers with young children.
- Consider becoming a foster parent.
- Consider adopting a young child.
- Mentor young families.
MAKE AND ASSEMBLE
- Activity kits.
- Show and tell bags.
- Dramatic play costumes.
- Big pillows.
- Wooden swing sets.
- Bean bag chairs.
DONATE
- Children's books.
- Children's toys and games.
- Children's magazine subscriptions.
- Infant and toddler equipment and toys.
- Educational programs for young children.
- Professional magazine subscriptions covering child-related topics.
ADVOCATE
- Write a letter-to-the-editor about young children's issues in your community.
- Contact local media and ask them to explore programs supporting early childhood development.
- Find out where elected officials stand on early childhood services and programs.
- Educate elected officials about the importance of early childhood development.
- Ask elected officials to support programs that provide programs and services for young children and their families.
As an organization/business, you can...
VOLUNTEER
- Repair or renovate children's playgrounds.
- Renovate facilities for young children and their families.
- Mentor young children.
- Read stories to young children.
- Adopt a local early childhood program, and offer volunteers, the use of facilities, financial support and other resources.
- Share expertise with early childhood development and family support programs.
- Serve on committees or boards affecting early childhood programs and services.
CREATE/DONATE
- Build early care, education and family center facilities.
- Create areas for mothers to nurse their infants.
- Donate items that support early childhood development.
- Sponsor space for parenting, family support, health care, and early care and education programs.
- Donate space for parenting, family support, health care, and early care and education programs.
- Provide in-kind support, such as copying, faxing, mailing or printing, for organizations providing programs and services for young children.
- Provide meeting space to community groups improving programs and services for families with young children.
- Make facilities safe and inviting for young children and their parents.
- Provide child care to parents.
ADVOCATE/EDUCATE
- Participate in partnerships with community sectors to improve programs and services for young children and their families.
- Initiate partnerships with community sectors to improve programs and services for young children and their families.
- Host or sponsor community forums on early childhood topics, such as brain development, parenting programs, quality child care, or access to health care.
- Publish articles about the importance of the early years.
- Work with media to publicize local programs that offer parent education, family support, early care and education, and health services.
- Provide parenting information.
- Form family support groups.
- Sponsor or host family literacy classes.
- Inform others in your organization/business about the importance of the first years of life.
- Provide family insurance coverage that includes prenatal and maternity care, well child, mental health care and immunizations.
- Conduct surveys or focus groups to learn about the needs of families with young children.
- Inform the public about the importance of the early years on advertisements, promotions and products.
- Include information about healthy early childhood development in professional training and education programs.
- Invite local speakers to offer parenting seminars.
- Communicate concern about the importance of the early years to policy makers.
- Collect information about local early childhood needs and resources, family activities and initiatives.
- Publish information about local early childhood needs and resources, family activities and initiatives.
- Promote and provide immunizations and health exams for young children.
- Publicize the importance of the first years of life.
- Encourage families tread to their children, beginning at birth and throughout childhood.
- Help parents gain access to resources about parenting and child development.
- Learn more about early childhood development.
SUPPORT
- Fund public awareness efforts about the importance of early childhood development.
- Celebrate and honor community leaders and organizations that are making a difference for young children and their families.
- Honor and reward volunteers who provide or improve early childhood programs and services.
- Provide long-term financial support for early childhood development efforts.
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