Association for Library Services for Children (ALSC)

• Comforting Reads for Difficult Times

  • Compiled by the Association for Library Services to Children and received from the National Association of School Psychologists, this list offers grade--level suggestions for books on difficult topics that would be helpful to children. It also includes a list of resources for adults.

Center for Disease Control

• Adolescent Development

  • This is a time of changes for how teenagers think, feel, and interact with others, and how their bodies grow. Most girls will be physically mature by now, and most will have completed puberty. Boys might still be maturing physically during this time. Here is some information on how teens develop.

• NEW - - Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES)

  • CDC developed the one-time, online Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey (ABES), which was conducted during January-June 2021 to assess student behaviors and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic among high school students, including unintentional injury, violence, tobacco product use, sexual behaviors, and dietary behaviors.

• NEW - - School Connectedness

  • This website explores the extent that students feel connected to other students, their school, and/or the adults at school. Studies show that this protective factor is correlated to academic achievement.

• NEW - - What Works in Schools Program

  • CDC developed a multilevel program model designed to change systems, practices, and environments in schools to address factors associated with increased adolescent health risk factors and experiences [including sexual risk, substance misuse, mental health, suicide, and experiencing violence].

• Adolescent Development Explained: Becoming an Adult

  • Recorded September 2019. In this webinar, experts from the field provided an overview of what happens during adolescence with a focus on the physical and cognitive changes that can influence other domains of development. Topics included puberty, factors that influence development (e.g., nutrition, chronic illnesses), brain growth, and risk-taking behaviors. This webinar is the first in a three-part series on adolescent development.

• Child Development

  • The early years of a child's life are very important for his or her health and development. Parents, health professionals, educators, and others can work together as partners to help children grow up to reach their full potential.

• The Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development

  • The Teen Years Explained, written by the Johns Hopkins University PRC and released in 2010, describes state-of-the-art knowledge about cognitive development throughout the teen years and how it influences risk assessment, sexual behavior, identity formation, and other dimensions of individual growth. A webinar promoting the book attracted attendees from around the country representing state and local health departments, nonprofit organizations, and federal agencies. The book, intended for public health practitioners, parents, and anyone working with adolescents.

Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment

• Positive Youth Development Fact Sheet

  • Positive youth development (PYD) is an approach, not a program that can be used to complement and enhance current models of care across the spectrum of prevention, intervention and treatment. Conceptually, this evidence-based public health approach guides communities and organizations as they organize services, opportunities and supports so that all youth can be engaged and reach their full potential. PYD cuts across multiple high-risk behaviors and threats to health and well-being and may be applied to multiple social groups of youth. It is rare to find an evidence-based approach that jointly reduces risk factors and promotes protective factors.

NEW - - How Many Hours of Sleep Do Teens Need? (Courtesy: Slumber Yard Team | July 2021)

• With many high schools starting as early as 7 AM, many teens will be challenged by the shift back to in-person learning this fall. Given that 60% of students already report a poor quality of sleep, the Slumber Yard Team has created the a guide in consultation with a licensed nurse practitioner to support teen mental health and sleep hygiene.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

• Video: The Developing Brain (Adolescent Brain)

  • Dr. Ruben Baler, a Health Scientist at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains the differences between an adult brain and an adolescent brain, shares his knowledge on the biggest risks kids face, and provides tips for how parents can do their best to keep their teens healthy and safe.

The Cleveland Clinic

• Adolescent Development

  • Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Children who are entering adolescence are going through many changes. This article offers advice for adolescents and parents to negotiate these changes.

• Child Development

  • Children represent the future, and ensuring their physical, socio-emotional and language and cognitive development ought to be a priority for all societies. Children are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and infectious diseases, many of which can be effectively prevented or treated.

The World Health Organization

• Adolescent Development

  • All societies recognize that there is a difference between being a child and becoming an adult. How this transition from childhood to adulthood is defined and recognized differs between cultures and over time. In the past, it has often been relatively rapid, and in some societies it still is. In many countries, however, this is changing.

• Child Development

  • Children represent the future, and ensuring their physical, socio-emotional and language and cognitive development ought to be a priority for all societies. Children are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and infectious diseases, many of which can be effectively prevented or treated.

US Department of Health and Human Services

• Adolescent Development Explained

  • This document examines the major developmental changes that occur in adolescence and provides suggestions on how parents and caring adults can support young people as they navigate through this critical period. It builds on The Teen Years Explained: A Guide to Healthy Adolescent Development, the seminal report developed by the Center for Adolescent Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, as well as on other important sources of information.

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