Early Childhood Resources

PACER Center
952-838-9000

Champions for Children with Disabilities

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New Early Childhood Parent Outreach Materials >>>

Early Childhood Referral Information for Medical Providers

Poster; Do you have concerns about your child's development?

Universal Referral Form: Referral form with a list of fax numbers for Metro area Early Intervention programs

Metro Area Referral Care: Phone contact information for all the metro area Early intervention programs

Cover letter to health professionals: information on reasons to refer to Early Intervention programs

"Why to Refer": a handout for parents and professionals on reasons to make a referral to Early Intervention Programs

PACER English brochure from the Early Childhood Parent Outreach materials

PACER Center has published a series of brochures and accompanying handouts to help school districts tell families of young children about early intervention and early childhood special education services. A grant from the Minnesota Department of Education funded the project.

The materials are in Hmong, Spanish, Somali, and Russian. English versions are directed to American Indian and African American parents.

Brochures:

Handouts:

To assist professionals working in diverse communities, English versions accompany each order of translated publication. There is space for school districts to affix a label providing their local contact information on the back page of the brochure. For more information about ordering the materials, please contact Barb Ziemke at bziemke@pacer.org or by phone at (952) 838-9000.

PACER has also developed strategies for local early intervention outreach and has published three handouts for professionals:

Child Development

American Academy of Pediatrics Developmental Milestones

Detailed information from the American Academy of Pediatrics on developmental stages and common issues from birth to 21 years of age.

Babycenter

This site provides information on development and key issues by age (birth to 8 years). Milestone charts and common questions/issues and resources are provided for each age. In many cases, milestone charts are organized by skills that most kids this age can do, emerging skills that about half of kids this age can do, and advanced skills that a few kids this age can do. There also is a section on what to expect when, with a list of common questions from parents about their children’s development. Considerable information is provided about warning signs for developmental delays.

CDC National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

This information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides bulleted information on the developmental milestones for children from 3 months to 5 years of age and offers developmental warning signs for each age group. The site also offers interactive tools for users to specify certain ages, select areas of development, and examine expected changes in milestones over time.

Child Development Institute

This Child Development Institute site was developed by a clinical psychologist. It includes a wide array of information, including charts on toddler and preschool development across domains and general development from birth to 5 years.

First Signs

This site provides questions and information about warning signs suggesting that a child’s development may be exhibiting some delays relative to more typical milestones. Articles, checklists, and steps to take are provided.

KidsGrowth.com Growth Milestones

This site provides brief paragraphs summarizing what is commonly observed at various ages from birth to 18 years. It includes bulleted descriptions of specific skills in many areas, including development and feeding behavior. The site also provides considerable parenting resources and advice, with content overseen by a medical advisory board.

National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders

This site by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders provides an interactive checklist for users to check off a child’s skills and track development from birth to 5 years. Additional information about ongoing research is also presented.

PBS ABC's of Child Development (general overview)

PBS ABC's of Childhood Development (specific information)

Two different sections from the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) site provide a general overview of development by domain (first link) and specific information for each specified domain and age group (second link) on children’s development and skills from birth to 6 years.

Talaris Research Institute

This site provides a timeline of development of skills in children birth to 5 years, with references for further information. It also provides “Research Spotlights,” many of which combine 60-second video spots with information on key parenting issues and related topics.

University of Maryland Developmental Milestones

The University of Maryland Medical Center provides an overview of common developmental milestones and broad recommendations for play activities at various ages from birth to 5 years.

University of Michigan Developmental Milestones

The University of Michigan Health System provides a detailed list of milestones at various age groups from birth through adolescence. The list is based on one developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and ZERO TO THREE. Additional resources for more information are provided.

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