Resources and Supports

Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is committed to helping you give your child the best start toward lifelong success.

We’ve put together tips and a list of local and national resources to support your child’s development and learning.

High-Quality Early Learning Experiences

Here’s how to find the right childcare program—and how to advocate for your child:

Use YoungStar, Wisconsin's childcare quality rating and improvement system. It's a great source of information about preschools, home-based programs, learning centers, and other childcare providers. It also offers tools and information for families.
Remember, it's okay to ask for what is best for your child.
Bring books and music reflective of your home culture for teachers to share with the class.
Share MPS’s Supportive Early Childhood Educational Environments flyer (PDF) with your child's teacher or childcare director.
If your child has special education needs, read “8 Steps to Advocating for Your Child at School.”

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has social and emotional learning tools and resources to inform and support parents.
Education.com provides hundreds of free activities to engage preschoolers.
Milwaukee PBS offers a variety of resources, activities, apps, and games for parents, caregivers, and children.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) offers practical tools, ideas for connecting with your child, and tips for choosing a high-quality early learning program.
PBS KIDS for Parents offers free resources that support learning for young children.
Reading Rockets offers research-based reading activities to help children learn to read or to read better.
Smart Start™ is an innovative early childhood education program offered by the Milwaukee Conservatory of Music. Children from birth through age three learn through playful, familiar activities, including singing, listening, moving their bodies, sharing stories, playing games, and making music with age-appropriate instruments.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers resources for parents to assist with their child from birth through teen years.
Milwaukee PBS's early childhood website provides resources for parents and caregivers of young children.
Pathways.org provides free tools to help parents understand and encourage children's motor, sensory, and communication development.
Zero to Three helps parents understand how the early years make connections that last a lifetime.

Conscious Discipline has free printable resources for parents to assist when addressing a child's social and emotional development.
4C For Children is a childcare resource and referral agency that offers a variety of services, including a helpful search feature for choosing the right childcare option.
The National Fatherhood Initiative provides ideas and support for becoming an involved and committed father.
The Parenting Network offers fatherhood classes and an empowerment support group.

Do you need a birth certificate or a social security card for your child? Here’s where to get these important documents.

Agency: City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Health Department
Phone: (414) 286-3503

Agency: Milwaukee County, Register of Deeds, Vital Records
Phone: (414) 278-4021

Please bring proof of identity (state ID or driver's license) and payment.

Agency: Social Security Administration
Phone: (800) 772-1213

Please bring proof of your own identity, proof of your child's identity, and proof of your child's citizenship.