Below are some of our favorite (some local) resources for all things speech and language development, early childhood development and parental support.

It is the combination of seeing + hearing + doing that = learning!
Researchers and educators have found that people retain 20% of what they hear, 50% of what they see and hear, and up to 90% of what they see, hear, say, and do. The Amazing Action Alphabet and The Number Neighborhood books are successful because they use a combination of all three. The books are perfect for preschool age children, children who are learning letters and sounds, children learning their number names and number values, children with specific speech difficulties, and children beginning to read and write.

Founded in 1965, Utah Community Action is a nationally recognized provider of comprehensive services for income-eligible families. Their six core programs—Head Start, Adult Education, Case Management & Housing, Nutrition, HEAT, and Weatherization—address barriers to self-sufficiency to empower individuals, strengthen families, and build communities.

Head Start Provides education and health services to young children who would otherwise not be prepared for kindergarten.

Founded more than 35 years ago, The Hanen Centre is a Canadian charitable organization with a global reach. Their mission is to enable parents and professionals to transform their daily interactions with young children to build the best possible lifelong social, language and literacy skills. This includes children with or at risk of language delays and those with developmental challenges such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Help Me Grow Utah is an information and referral helpline available at no cost that provides parents, physicians and providers with the knowledge and resources they need to make a difference in the lives of children.

Help Me Grow helps parents and caregivers along with local healthcare and service providers to access resources and enrollment tools.

The mission of the Utah Parent Center (UPC or Center) is to help parents help their children, youth and young adults with all disabilities to live included, productive lives as members of the community.

They accomplish their mission by providing accurate information, empathetic peer support, valuable training and effective advocacy based on the concept of parents helping parents.*

*The term parent is broadly defined to include anyone serving in that role.

Waterford.org was founded by Dr. Dustin Heuston, a pioneering educator who believed every child is entitled to lifelong learning success. Over the years, Dr. Heuston built a collaborative model of child, family, and educator engagement that delivers significant and lasting academic achievement gains.

In 2009, that model was launched in Utah with Dr. Claudia Miner as Waterford UPSTART, a kindergarten readiness project serving 4-year-old children and their families. Funded by the Utah State Legislature, Waterford UPSTART delivers computer-adaptive instruction at home alongside personalized support from Family Education Liaisons, who monitor progress and empower parents as their child’s first teachers. Thanks to generous sponsors and partners, Waterford UPSTART has expanded to more than 15 states, and Waterford serves over 300,000 children annually through at-home and in-school programs. And that number is continuously growing!