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School & Family Life

  • Creating a Reader-Friendly Home

    A home filled with reading material is a good way to help kids become enthusiastic readers. Here are some ideas.

  • Everyday Reading Opportunities

    Finding time to read is important to developing literacy skills. And there are many easy and convenient ways to make reading a part of every day.

  • Helping Kids Enjoy Reading

    For many kids, reading doesn't come easily. But these simple steps can help them become eager readers.

  • Raising a Summer Reader

    Help your kids keep their reading skills strong so they're ready for school.

  • Reading Books to Babies

    Reading aloud to your baby stimulates developing senses, and builds listening and memory skills that can help your baby grow up to be a reader.

  • Reading Milestones

    This general outline describes the milestones on the road to reading and the ages at which most kids reach them.

  • Reading: How to Help Your Child

    Reading programs and resources for your child are in your community or nearby. Find out what's available for your child's age and reading level.

  • School-Age Readers

    From kindergarten through third grade, kids' ability to read will grow by leaps and bounds. Although teachers provide lots of help, parents continue to play a role in a child's reading life.

  • Story Time for Preschoolers

    Reading aloud to your preschooler is a great way to encourage learning development and to help prepare your child for independent reading down the line.

  • Storytelling

    Here are some tips for on-the-spot storytelling when you hear your child plead, "I'm bored! Please tell me a story."

  • Toddler Reading Time

    Reading to toddlers lays the foundation for their independent reading later on. Here are some tips.

  • Understanding Dyslexia

    Dyslexia is a learning disability that makes it hard to learn to read and understand written language. Even kids with average or above-average intelligence can have dyslexia.

  • 504 Education Plans

    If your child has special needs in the classroom, he or she may be eligible for a government-supported learning plan.

  • Financial Planning for Kids With Disabilities

    These steps can help take the anxiety and worry out of your child's financial future and make sure that your child will be taken care of even after you're gone.

  • How to Find Affordable Health Care

    Finding coverage for your kids may be hard, but it's not impossible. Many kids are eligible for government or community programs, even if their parents work. Learn what resources are available to your family.

  • School-Based Health Centers

    School-based health centers provide a range of services to meet kids' and teens' health care needs. Centers usually are inside a school building or right next door.

  • Words to Know (Special Health Care Needs Glossary)

    This glossary defines terms on health care, government benefits, learning, legal and financial matters, and more.

  • Amphetamines: What Parents Need to Know

    Amphetamines (including prescription diet pills) are highly addictive stimulants that accelerate functions in the brain and body.

  • Answering Questions About Sex

    Answering kids' questions about sex is a responsibility many parents dread. But by answering these questions honestly, parents can help foster healthy feelings about sex.

  • Anxiety Disorders

    Anxiety is a normal part of growing up, and all kids experience it. But when it becomes extreme, it can interfere with a child's overall happiness.

  • Becoming a Stepparent

    Stepparenting can be a challenging yet rewarding experience. Learn how to cultivate a healthy relationship with your stepkids.

  • Biting

    There are ways to get to the bottom of your toddler's biting habit. These steps can help.

  • Caring for Siblings of Kids With Disabilities

    Kids love their siblings. Often, those who have a brother or sister with special needs want to help. Here's how to help them feel loved and secure about their place in the family.

  • Child Abuse

    Child abuse — whether it's physical, sexual, emotional, medical, or another type — can harm kids in many ways. Learn how to spot the signs of child abuse.

  • Cocaine & Crack: What Parents Need to Know

    Cocaine and crack are illegal drugs that produce an intense high and can cause a stroke, heart attack, or even death.

  • Connecting With Your Preteen

    As your preteen becomes more independent, staying connected may seem like more of a challenge. But it's as important as ever – here are some tips.

  • Coronavirus (COVID-19): How to Support Your Child’s Mental Health

    The COVID-19 pandemic continues to bring uncertainty for kids and teens. Here's how to help them.

  • Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse

    Chugging cough medicine for an instant high is a dangerous, potentially deadly practice.

  • Cyberbullying

    Cyberbullying is the use of technology to harass, threaten, embarrass or target another person. Here are some suggestions on what to do if online bullying has become part of your child's life.

  • Depressants: What Parents Need to Know

    Depressants calm and relax nerves. But if used in the wrong way, they can be dangerous and even cause life-threatening problems.

  • Disciplining Your Child

    It's important to be consistent about discipline. If you don't stick to the rules and consequences, kids aren't likely to either. Find out how to vary your approach to fit your family.

  • Disciplining Your Toddler

    Reeling in your active little one can be tough. But setting limits now helps prevent bigger problems down the road.

  • Drugs: What Parents Need to Know

    Knowing what drugs are out there, what they can do, and how they can affect someone is the first step in raising drug-free kids.

  • Ecstasy: What Parents Need to Know

    Ecstasy is a dangerous illegal drug that can cause hallucinations and even death.

  • Encouraging a Healthy Body Image

    A healthy and positive body image means liking your body, appreciating it, and feeling grateful for its qualities and capabilities. Parents can help kids develop a healthy body image.

  • Getting Support When Your Child Has Special Health Care Needs

    You might have more on your plate than most parents, but it doesn't mean you have to do it all alone. Here's how to ask for help and avoid caregiver burnout.

  • GHB: What Parents Need to Know

    GHB, gamma hydroxybutyrate, is a popular club and date rape drug that can be deadly.

  • Handling Picky Eating in Toddlers (Video)

    Make mealtimes more pleasant and less stressful for everyone by learning how to handle a picky eater.

  • Helping Kids Cope With Cliques

    With cliques prevalent in middle and high school, most kids encounter them at some point. Here's how parents can help kids maintain confidence and self-respect while negotiating cliques.

  • Helping Kids When They Worry

    All kids worry at times, and some may do so more than others. But parents can help kids manage it and tackle everyday problems with ease. Find out how.

  • Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety (Video)

    Feeling nervous, worried, or uneasy at times is a normal part of growing up. Here's how to help your child feel more in control and deal with stress.

  • Heroin: What Parents Need to Know

    Heroin is a highly addictive, illegal narcotic that can cause death when taken in excess.

  • How Can I Teach Kids to Be Smart About Strangers?

    Find out what the experts have to say.

  • How to Talk to Your Child About the News

    News reports are often educational. But when stories are about disturbing topics, parents can find it hard to explain to kids. Here are some guidelines.

  • Inhalants: What Parents Need to Know

    Inhalants like glue are sniffed or huffed to give the user a high. Just doing it one time can be fatal.

  • I’m Worried My Kids Will Start Drinking. What Can I Do?

    Many kids and teens try alcohol during their high school and college years. But parents are important role models in this area. Here's how to set a good example.

  • Ketamine: What Parents Need to Know

    Ketamine hydrochloride is a quick-acting anesthetic that can cause intoxication, hallucinations, and even death when taken in dangerously high doses.

  • Kids and Smoking

    The health risks of smoking are well known, many young people still do it. Here's how to help your kids avoid smoking, vaping, or using chewing tobacco - or quit, if they've already started.

  • LSD: What Parents Need to Know

    LSD is a dangerous hallucinogenic drug that affects mood, judgment, and behavior.

  • Managing Your Toddler's Behavior (Video)

    Learn how to encourage good behavior, handle tantrums, and keep your cool when parenting your toddler.

  • Marijuana: What Parents Need to Know

    Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States.

  • Methamphetamines: What Parents Need to Know

    Methamphetamines are dangerous stimulants that speed up a person's heart rate and bodily functions. When used in large doses, meth can kill.

  • Nicotine: What Parents Need to Know

    Nicotine is a highly addictive stimulant. Those who start smoking before age 21 have the hardest time breaking the habit.

  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    Kids and teens who live through a traumatic event can develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Healing is possible with the help of professional counseling and support from loved ones.

  • Preparing Your Child for a New Sibling

    The arrival of a new baby can cause lots of changes. But parents can prepare kids for an addition to the family.

  • Preventing Abductions

    It's important to teach your kids to be cautious without filling them with fear or anxiety. Here are ways to lessen the chances that your child will be abducted.

  • Rohypnol: What Parents Need to Know

    Rohypnol is an antianxiety medication. Because it can cause extreme drowsiness (or "blackouts"), the drug is often used in date rapes.

  • Secondhand Smoke

    Breathing in someone else's secondhand smoke is hazardous to our health. Find out what you can do about it.

  • Sexting: What Parents Need to Know

    Sexting could haunt a teen for the rest of his or her life. Here's what parents need to know.

  • Sexual Orientation

    During the teen years, sexual feelings are awakened in new ways because of the hormonal and physical changes of puberty. It takes time for many kids to understand who they are and who they're becoming. Part of that understanding includes a person's sexual feelings and attractions.

  • Talking to Kids About Race and Racism

    Race and the harmful effects of racism are common topics of conversation for some families. Other parents, though, might talk about racism and discrimination with their kids rarely, or not at all.To help put an end to racism, everyone has to take an active role, no matter who they are.

  • Talking to Your Child About Drugs

    Help protect kids against drug use by giving them the facts before they're in a risky situation.

  • Talking to Your Child About Periods

    Kids reaching puberty should already know what's going to happen to their bodies. Here are some tips for talking to your daughter about menstruation.

  • Talking to Your Child About Puberty

    Talking to kids about puberty is an important job for parents, especially because kids often hear about sex and relationships from unreliable sources. Here are some tips.

  • Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol

    As much as parents may not like to think about it, the truth is that many kids and teens try alcohol before it is legal for them to drink it. Here's an age-based guide on how to talk to them about it.

  • Talking to Your Kids About STDs

    Your kids need to understand how STDs spread and how to protect themselves. Here's how to talk to them about sexually transmitted diseases.

  • Taming Tempers

    Controlling outbursts can be hard for kids - and helping them learn to do so is a tough job for their parents. But just about every child can improve with the right coaching.

  • Teaching Kids About Their Bodies

    Teaching kids about their bodies and what is private can help them develop healthy feelings about their bodies in age-appropriate ways.

  • Tips for Divorcing Parents

    No guide can guarantee a way to steer kids unscathed through a divorce. Every situation - and every family - is different. But these commonsense guidelines might make the adjustment a bit easier.

  • Vaping: What Parents Should Know

    E-cigarettes (or “vape pens”) heat a liquid until it becomes a vapor, which is inhaled. The liquid (called e-liquid or “vape juice”) can contain nicotine or marijuana distillate or oil. Here are the facts on vaping.

  • When a Loved One Dies: How to Help Your Child

    When a loved one dies, children feel and show their grief in different ways. Here are some tips for parents on supporting kids through a loss.

  • When a Pet Dies

    For most kids, pets are more than just animals – they're members of the family. So it can be heartbreaking to lose one. Here's how to help kids cope.

  • When Your Teen Is Having a Baby

    If your daughter is pregnant and planning to have the baby, many changes await your family. How can you support her through the challenges to come?

  • Your Child's Self-Esteem

    Strong self-esteem is a child's armor against the challenges of the world. Here's how to build healthy self-esteem in your kids.

What next?

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There are 10 nurses in the picture.

And we have many more pediatric primary care providers in Northeast Ohio. You can meet some of them here.
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– Phone color
– Coat pocket
– Stethoscope earpiece color
– Stethoscope bell dot
– Clipboard paper color

Need help finding a doctor, choosing a location or getting a general question about Akron Children's answered? Call us or fill out the form and we'll help in any way we can.
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The two matching doctors are 9 and 14.

With virtual visits, you can see our pediatric experts from the comfort of home or wherever you are.
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We offer many ways to get pediatric care all over Northeast Ohio. Use this page to find the right kind of care and the most convenient location for you.