New screening process helps match Butler County families with supports available in their community
All In For Kansas Kids Quality Subgrants equip communities with resources to help ensure every child thrives!
Butler County is home to an estimated 3,788 children under age 5. There are currently 38 licensed child care programs in Butler County. Child Start, Inc. recognized an opportunity to work with providers to learn how to understand and use Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) results with families as part of early intervention to determine the child’s needs and match them with available supports.
The Solution
The Quality Care Program was created to help develop rapport, trust, and relationships with the families of four child care providers, supply the materials and personal support to begin implementing the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®-SE) for all children in their program, support parent events, and Mini Learning Experiences.
ASQ screenings are an effective, efficient way for professionals to check a child’s development, help parents celebrate their child’s milestones and know what to look for next, and determine whether follow-up steps are needed. It’s also an essential first step toward identifying children with delays or disorders in the critical early years, before they start school.
The Outcome
This multi-year project has been underway for seven months and is already seeing promising results. To date, the program has partnered with local providers to complete 28 developmental health screenings with children. Parents and providers have reported successful implementation of the screening process and strategies for ensuring quality care for their children.
“I found the ASQ’s to be extremely helpful to pinpoint the things that the kids need to work on. As a provider you try to cover the basics and this really just breaks down exactly what those are and what each child needs help with on an individual level versus group.”
~Ashley B, provider
Contact
To learn more about the Quality Care Program in Butler County, email Tanya Bulluck, Early Childhood Connections/CCR&R Program Director at Child Start, Inc. at tbulluck@childstart.org.
What’s Next?
In addition to increasing access to and understanding of these developmental health screenings between providers and families, the Quality Care Program will utilize the data collected to help address additional needs identified in the county through free training programs for early childhood professionals.
