The Facts
- Children with developmental/behavioral problems are eluding early detection.
- While programs exist to provide services to young children and their families, child health care providers face challenges in connecting at-risk children with needed services.
- Children and their families benefit from a coordinated, statewide system of early detection and intervention for children at risk.
This online manual offers guidance for exploring, creating, and/or enhancing a single-point-of-access system to connect children at risk for developmental or behavioral problems with community resources.
Table of Contents
- Framing the Issue
- Building Collaboration: The Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition of Partners
- The Call Center
- Community-Based Liaisons
- Data Collection, Evaluation, and Continuous Quality Improvement
- Closing Comments
The material in this manual is based on Connecticut's Help Me Grow initiative, a program of the State of Connecticut's Children's Trust Fund. Help Me Grow is a collaborative among the Children's Trust Fund; The United Way of Connecticut/Infoline; the Connecticut Birth to Three System; the Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs section of the Connecticut Department of Public Health; and Connecticut's State Department of Education's Preschool Special Education Program.
Help Me Grow is a unique program that assists families and providers in identifying developmental concerns in children up to age 8, establishes an inventory of appropriate resources, and helps families connect with these programs and services. Program components developed through this collaboration include: a statewide toll-free telephone number that providers and families can use to access care (Child Development Infoline); partnerships with community-based agencies throughout the state; and child development community liaisons who serve as conduits between the community-based services and the telephone access point.