Parents Make the Difference for Health Parents Make the Difference for Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Use the CDC Parent Portal to help you find information to raise healthier, safer children. This tool makes it easy for parents to find what they are looking for on CDC.gov.

Parents are powerful and influential people.

Parents have a huge influence on their children’s health and how they see the world. They help their children stay safe by setting goals and limits and help them reach their full potential. How parents interact with their children also has a direct effect on their development. Children’s level of confidence and self-esteem, their sense of security, their emotional well-being, the way they relate to others, and school performance are all linked with parental involvement.

There’s no one correct way to parent a child, and there’s no manual out there with all the answers. How you deal with the daily challenges of being a parent is a personal decision. But sometimes you might need more information. You might go to your own parents or to a trusted friend. Or you might search the Internet for answers. If that’s the case, we at CDC are here to help. We have created a parent portal to help you find the information to give your child a healthier, safer life.

What You Can Find on the CDC Parent Portal

CDC offers parents trustworthy, accurate information and resources on many parenting topics. The CDC Parent Portal organizes and presents the information in one central location, making it easier for you to find what you are looking for. The portal is organized into these five topic areas:

Raising Healthy Kids

You may not think of yourself this way, but you are on the frontlines of health. You shape your children’s world, make sure they get the health care they need, and can be an example of good health behaviors. As a parent, you also share health information with your family and community. The nurturing, caring, and individual relationships you have with your children help to build the strong foundation they will need to learn, cope with problems, and lead healthy lives.

Safety at Home and in the Community

We all know there are many dangers in the world. Parents can do a lot to protect their children from injuries and can even offset the influences of poverty and violence. When children know they have people in their lives who support, protect, and nurture them, it helps them handle problems and better relate to the world around them.

CDC has information and resources you can use to create the safe, stable, nurturing home and community that children need.

Developmental Milestones and Schedules

As a parent, you know better than anyone how your child is developing. You see how he or she plays, learns, speaks, and interacts with others. All parents worry from time to time that their child might be “behind” in certain areas of development. This is especially true in the early years of a child’s life, which are crucial for physical, brain, and social-emotional development. Through its resources and links to services, CDC can provide you the tools to help you recognize and possibly prevent developmental delays and disabilities. By understanding developmental milestones, you can make sure your children are emotionally secure, successful in school, and socially well-adjusted.

Diseases and Conditions

Taking steps to prevent diseases or conditions is often the best defense to make sure your child never has these health problems. You can use the CDC Parent Portal to access information on topics such as how to protect against the harmful affects of the sun, reduce mosquito bites, and take vaccines to keep your child safe from some diseases.

Unfortunately, not all diseases and conditions are preventable. If you suspect your child has a disease or condition, you can also use the Parent Portal to learn about it. This information can help you when you talk to your doctor to ensure your child gets the right treatment and support as early as possible.

Risk Behaviors

Teens often spend as much time in school and with friends as they do at home. Sometimes these influences lead them to participate in risky behavior, such as taking alcohol and other drugs. Teens are more likely to engage in other high-risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex, when they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. One of CDC’s missions is to prevent the most serious health risks among children, teens, and young adults. The Parent Portal has links to CDC’s programs and provides valuable information on HIV, STD, and pregnancy prevention topics, as well as data on tobacco and substance abuse. You can also use the Parent Portal to access information on physical activity, diet, physical and mental health, injuries and violence, peer relationships, and media exposure.

All parents can benefit from using the CDC Parent Portal to help them to raise safer, healthier children.