The Departments of Health and Human Services and Education have partnered to launch Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive!, a coordinated effort to encourage developmental and behavioral screening and support for children, families, and the providers who care for them. Birth to Five: Watch Me Thrive! will bring communities together around four core missions:
- Celebrating developmental milestones
- Promoting universal developmental and behavioral screening
- Identifying possible delays early
- Enhancing developmental support for families
The Importance of Developmental and Behavioral Screening
As many as one in four children through the age of five are at risk for a developmental delay or disability. Early identification allows communities to intervene earlier, leading to more effective and cheaper treatment during the preschool years, rather than expensive special education services in later childhood.
This initiative draws heavily on previous developmental and behavioral screening efforts by consolidating materials from a wide array of federal agencies and their non-federal partners. As part of this initiative, we have published a list of research-based developmental screening tools appropriate for use across a wide range of settings. Select your appropriate audience from the list below to view a tailored guide for use with the compendium that addresses the importance of developmental and behavioral screening, how to talk to parents, where to go for help, and how to select the most appropriate screening tool for the population served as well as the provider implementing the screening.
Click here to access developmental and behavioral screening guides for Early Care & Education providers, Early Intervention/Special Ed providers, Child Welfare, Home Visitors, Behavioral Health, Housing & Homeless Shelter Providers, Primary Care Providers, Communities, and Families.