Various organizations, states, and nations recognize a number of observances each month. Resources help parents, caregivers, and child care professionals acknowledge and navigate them.
Here is a list of resources for May observances:
Month Observances
MAY IS NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH
- Foster and Adoptive Families, Trying Together
- National Foster Care Month, Child Welfare Information Gateway
- What to Know About Becoming a Foster Parent in PA, Pennsylvania Statewide Adoption & Permanency Network (SWAN)
- Top Ten Tips for New Foster Families, Fostering Families Today
- Ways to Help Foster Children, Adopt US Kids
- National Foster Care Month, Office of Children & Families in the Courts
- 5 Things Foster Youth Want All Teachers to Know, We Are Teachers
MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH
- Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Childhood Mental Health, Trying Together
- Where to Find Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents in Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh: Youth and Family Research Program
- May is Mental Health Awareness Month, American Hospital Association
- Preventing Parent Burnout: Meeting the Emotional Challenges of Caring for Children with Mental Health Issues, The Child Mind Institute
- Parenting with a Mental Health Condition, Mental Health America
- 77 Children’s Books About Mental Health, The Child Mind Institute
MAY IS ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH
- Asian American Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- Talking to Kids About Asian American Identity & Racism, Immigrant History Initiative
- AAPI Books for Kids of All Ages, Chicago Parent
- 100 Brilliant Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) Children’s Books, Imagination Soup
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, History.com
MAY IS JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
- Jewish American Heritage Month, JAHM
- Jewish American Heritage Month Starts May 1, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
- Jewish American Heritage Month, Britannica Kids
Weeks of Recognition
MAY 5 – 11 IS CHILDREN’S BOOK WEEK
- Children’s Book Week Poster and Activity Pages, Every Child a Reader
- Creative Ways to Celebrate Children’s Book Week, BookTrust
- 125 Kids Books We Love, New York Public Library
MAY 5 – 9 IS NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
- This Teacher Appreciation Week Turn Appreciation Into Action, Nea.org
- 50 Ways to Celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, Waterford
- Why Teacher Self-Care Matters and How to Practice Self-Care in Your School, Waterford
- 10 Ways to Celebrate Teachers, National PTA
Days of Recognition
MAY 8 IS NATIONAL CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS DAY
- Family-Based Mental Health Services, Community Care Behavioral Health (UPMC)
- Data and Statistics on Children’s Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Children and Mental Health: Is This Just a Stage?, National Institute of Mental Health
- Teacher’s Guide to Anxiety, The Child Mind Institute
MAY 9 IS NATIONAL CHILD CARE PROVIDER APPRECIATION DAY
- Self-Care Tips for Family Services Professionals and Home Visitors, Head Start ECLKC (Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center)
- Remember to Take Care of Yourself: Six Ideas for Family Child Care Providers, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- Social Media Toolkit, National Association for Family Child Care
- 75 Staff Appreciation Ideas, Brightwheel
- Take Action to Fix Child Care and Keep Classrooms Open, Trying Together
MAY 11 IS MOTHER’S DAY
- Celebrate Mother’s Day in Pittsburgh, Visit Pittsburgh
- 10 Mother’s Day Craft Ideas for Kids, Artful Parent
- 33 Mother’s Day Preschool Activities: DIY Gift Ideas, Games, and More, Teaching Expertise
- Developmentally Appropriate Parenting Series: Caring for the Caregiver, Trying Together
- Find Local Child Care, ELRC Region 5
- Mom’s Mental Health Matters, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS)
MAY 28 IS WORLD HUNGER DAY
- World Hunger Day 2025, WorldHungerDay.org
- Hunger & Poverty in America, Food Research and Action Center
- Child Hunger Keeps Kids from Reaching Their Full Potential, Feeding America
- Food Resources for Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Find Food Guide, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
- Help Stock the Shelves with Twice the Food, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
