Module 1:
Your Important Role in Monitoring Children's Development

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Learning Objectives

Graphic of a child reaching for his parent.

Why monitoring children's development and identifying developmental concerns early are important

Graphic of adult sheltering a child with his arm.

Why early care and education providers have a unique and important role in developmental monitoring

Graphic of early care and education provider and two children.

How developmental monitoring can be easy with support from CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." checklists and resources

An early care provider plays with two children.

Learning Objective 1
Why monitoring children's development and identifying
developmental concerns early are important

The most important reason for monitoring each child's development is to find out if a child's development is on track. It is important to act early if there are signs of potential development delay because early treatment is so important for improving a child's skills and abilities.

Developmental disabilities are surprisingly common

If you have not already had a child in your care with a developmental delay or disability, chances are, you will. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 1 in 6 children has a developmental disability¹. Children with developmental problems are at increased risk for poor outcomes in many areas important to health, well-being, and success in life.

Developmental disabilities increase a child's risk for poor school performance, frequent absences from school, and repeating a grade, as well as for having more health problems.

Most children with developmental delays are not identified early enough for them to benefit from early intervention services; you can help change that.

Although about 1 in 6 children has a developmental disability, less than half of these children are identified as having a problem before starting school. This is a problem that you can help solve¹. Too often, adults don’t recognize the signs of a potential developmental disability, they are not sure if their concern is warranted, or they don’t have resources to help make their concern easier to talk about. But pinpointing concerns and talking about them is very important to getting a child the help he or she might need.

Early treatment is important

Because early treatment can make a big difference in a child’s ability to learn new skills, it is very important for children with developmental disabilities^{2, 3}. Speech therapy, physical therapy, and other services are available in every state for free or at low cost to parents.* However, if a developmental concern is not identified early, parents can't take advantage of these services.

*Parents refers to the primary caregivers of children in your care.

An early education provider plays with two children.

Warning: Authorized by law, early treatment, known as intervention, is available in every state and territory of the United States. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires it. Part C of IDEA serves children under the age of 3 and Part B serves children ages 3 - 22. That's why you'll sometimes hear early intervention for very young children referred to as Part C or for school-age children, Part B.

If you monitor the development of each child in your care, you can identify children who might need services and support and help their parents get it for them as early as possible. You will also be able to reassure parents when their children’s development is on track.

It's important to understand the difference between developmental monitoring and developmental screening.

Developmental Monitoring

Done by parents, teachers
Ongoing process - begins at birth
Sample tool - "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Milestone Checklists

Developmental Screening

Formal process
Recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics at 9, 18, and 24 or 30 months
Uses a validated screening tool
Done by medical professionals and may be done by teachers with special training
Sample tool - Ages and Stages questionnaire

Both

Look for developmental milestones
Important for tracking signs of development and identifying concerns

Developmental monitoring means observing and noting specific ways a child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves every day, in an ongoing way. Developmental monitoring often involves tracking a child’s development using a checklist of developmental milestones.

Developmental screening is a more formal process that uses a validated screening tool at specific ages to determine if a child's development is on track or whether he or she needs to be referred for further evaluation.

Both developmental monitoring and developmental screening should be done for all young children; however, this course focuses on the easy and important practice of developmental monitoring. If you already conduct developmental screening in your program this course will help you learn ways to encourage families to monitor their child’s development and how to communicate with families about the development of children in your care.

An child shares her doll with an early education provider.

Learning Objective 2
Why early care and education providers have a unique and important role in developmental monitoring

In caring for and teaching children, you are in a perfect position to see how they play, learn, speak, act, and move alongside others of their age.

An infographic showing that 12.5 million children would fill 174 Superdomes.

Twelve and a half million children under the age of 5 in the United States are in some type of child care ⁴. As large numbers of busy parents go off to work, you are on the front lines of watching how children grow and develop.

Have you ever stopped to think just how important your role is in the lives of these young children?

The first years of life are so important for a child’s development. Early experiences make a difference in how young children’s brains develop and can influence lifelong learning and health. You spend a great deal of time with young children and are instrumental in determining many of the kinds of experiences they will have.

You are in a unique position to monitor the development of each child in your care. You may be the first one to observe potential delays in a child’s development. Working with groups of same-aged children can help you recognize when children are meeting milestones as expected.

Because you spend your day teaching, playing with, and watching children, you may find yourself at times concerned that a child in your care is not reaching milestones that other children his or her age have, or you may have families ask you if you are concerned about their child’s development.

Watch

The Difference You Can Make: One Mom’s Story

You are a trusted partner and valuable resource to parents

Parents look to you for information on how their child is developing, because you often have good observations about their child's strengths and needs. Many parents may not have the chance to see their child with other children of the same age and may not have experience with any child other than their own. When that's the case, you can be their "measuring stick." Even when parents have their own milestone tracking checklist, they may not fully understand what each milestone looks like. You can help by pointing out or describing them.

For example:

"Today when I was reading to Johnny he pointed to show me the pictures in the book. I was happy to see that developmental milestone at 18 months. Are you seeing him do that, too?"

In addition, because you have this special relationship with parents, they may feel more comfortable talking to you if they have concerns about their children's development. You can provide support to them and their child by helping them think through what they need to do and whom to talk to.

You may already be required to monitor and screen children's development

If you work in a child care center, make sure you know and understand your center’s policies on developmental monitoring, screening, and communicating with families.

Understanding the important role you play, what is required of you, and being equipped with appropriate tools will help you feel more confident in these processes.

You may be required to use a developmental checklist, specific tool for screening, or a curriculum that addresses specific learning behaviors and goals. If required, talk to your supervisor or administrator before beginning to use any new tools.

It’s important to keep in mind that it is never your role to make or suggest a diagnosis for any child.

Your role is to:

Look for and note each child's developmental milestones
Share what you've seen with parents
Encourage parents to talk to their child's doctor if you or they have a concern

A childcare provider helps a child pick a snack.

A childcare provider shares her observations with parents.

A parent discusses their concerns with their child's physician.

A childcare provider serves snacks to the children at her center.

Learning Objective 3
How developmental monitoring can be
easy with support from
CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early."
checklists and resources

You observe children’s development every day in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. You will find that it is easy and quick to monitor and record what you see if you have the right tools.

Monitoring each child's development is easy with the right tools and resources.

If you're not already tracking each child's development, it's easy to get started. Print checklists of developmental milestones for each child's age or use CDC's Milestone Tracker app to better understand whether a child's development is on track.

If you have a concern about a child's development, using these easy tools can help you feel more confident about what you observe. It will also give you an objective tool to use when talking with parents.

Sample pages from the CDC's Learn the Signs. Act Early. program materials.

Using checklists of developmental milestones can confirm for you that a child seems to be developing as expected.

When that happens, you can use the checklists to continue to observe and monitor the child's development and encourage the family to do the same.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers free, easy-to-use tools to help you look for and track developmental milestones.

Milestone checklists are not validated screening tools nor can they be used to diagnose any developmental disability.

CDC's milestone checklists are easy to use and are based on milestones developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. They are reliable and convenient tools for monitoring children's development.

Module 2 talks more about developmental milestones
Module 3 explains the checklists and how to use them, along with other resources for you
Module 4 gives insight on talking with parents about development

Access Free CDC Materials

Learn about CDC's Milestone Tracker app

Key Points:

The most important reason for monitoring each child's development is to determine if his or her development is on track
Most children with developmental delays are not identified early enough to benefit from early intervention
Early intervention can make a big difference in a child's development and ability to learn new skills
If you monitor the development of each child in your care, you can help identify children early who may need early intervention
Developmental monitoring and developmental screening are not the same thing; it’s important to understand the difference
You are in a perfect position to see and track how all children in your care play, learn, speak, act and move alongside others of their age
It is never your role to make or suggest a diagnosis for any child
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers free, easy-to-use, and interactive tools to help you look for and track developmental milestones

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Module 1: Your Important Role in Monitoring Children's Development