Welcome!
You have found a great place for support.
Many parents of gifted students find they must supplement at home because their child's voracious appetite for learning is not well-served in school. Parents often "afterschool" with "enrichment" based on their child's interests. For families on a shoestring budget, this may include frequenting the public library and internet searches for information and activities.
Where to start...?
There is a Mensa for Kids Excellence in Reading Award Program, easily found online.
You may wish to look for local support. Some NAGC State affiliates offer conferences or other activities where parents can become acquainted with local resources, including those who perform IQ assessments. You mention both New York and New Jersey in your post. The NAGC affiliate for New York is AGATE (Advocacy for Gifted And Talented Education)
http://www.agatenewyork.org/ The NAGC affiliate for New Jersey is NJAGC (New Jersey Association for Gifted Children)
http://www.njagc.org/ The Davidson Database is a rich source of information:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/db/ You might want to look into the Davidson Young Scholars (
DYS ) program.
Interested parents may want to better understand their children, and the book
A Parents Guide to Gifted Children may prove helpful. Here is one book review:
http://giftedkids.about.com/od/wheretofindhelp/fr/parents_guide.htm Hoagies Gifted Education Page lists many resources.
Library of Congress (loc.gov) has pages of educational resources, including a collection for kids and families.
Some parents find that through gentle persistent advocacy efforts they may convince their school to provide appropriate challenge for their child. Davidson Institute for Talent Development offers several guidebooks, including an advocacy guidebook which shares tips and approaches for successful preparation for advocacy and partnering with schools:
http://www.davidsongifted.org/youngscholars/Article/Davidson_Young_Scholars___Guidebooks_375.aspx Hope some of this helps.
