This booklet is designed to offer new parents clear, common-sense advice on how to nurture infants and preschoolers. It advises parents to set the stage for what their children learn in school and beyond. Six sections focus on specific activities that contribute to early childhood development and well-being in the first 6 months, from 6 to 12 months, and between the ages of 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4, and 4 and 5 years. Each section provides five or six basic activities, and three to five additional activities, that parents can perform with their children. Each section also contains a reminder for parents, for example, urging them to be patient with newborns or be consistent and thoughtful in disciplining toddlers. The booklet concludes with a section on how parents can ease their child's transition from home to school. Children entering school should: (1) be able to distinguish the size, color, and shape of objects; (2) understand the concepts of position, direction, time, and order; (3) possess talking, listening, and observing skills that will help them learn to read and write; (4) understand numbers and volume; (5) be at an appropriate level of physical development; and (6) possess appropriate social and emotional skills. (MDM)