Developmental Milestones – Is Your Child On Track?

By: Angy Talbot (EFCE Blog Writer)

All children go through developmental stages – typical and expected changes in the areas of language, cognitive, physical, and social and emotional development.  These stages build upon one another, and children progress through each phase.  A developmental milestone is a skill or ability that a child achieves by a certain age . For example, one developmental milestone is learning to crawl. Most children learn this skill or meet this developmental milestone between the ages of 7 and 10 months. Milestones develop in a sequential fashion. This means that a child will develop some skills before he or she can develop new skills. Children begin to babble or make sounds before they say their first word.  Each milestone that a child acquires builds on the last milestone developed.

Children develop skills in five main areas of development:
1. Cognitive Development
This skill is the child’s ability to learn and solve problems. For example, this includes a two-month old baby learning to explore the environment with hands or eyes or a five-year old learning how to do simple math problems.
2. Social and Emotional Development
This skill is the child’s ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and self-control. Examples of this type of development would include: a six-week old baby smiling, a ten-month old baby waving bye-bye, or a five-year old boy knowing how to take turns in games at school.
3. Speech and Language Development
This skill is the child’s ability to both understand and use language. For example, this includes a 12-month old baby saying his first words, a two-year old naming parts of her body, or a five-year old learning to say “feet” instead of “foots.”
4. Fine Motor Skill Development
This skill is the child’s ability to use small muscles, specifically their hands and fingers, to pick up small objects, hold a spoon, turn pages in a book, or use a crayon to draw.
5. Gross Motor Skill Development
This skill is the child’s ability to use large muscles. For example, a six-month old baby learns how to sit up with some support, a 12-month old baby learns to pull up to a stand holding onto furniture, and a five-year old learns to skip.  (Minnesota Department of Education)

Early years are the foundation for growth and development. Children are constantly learning, right from birth.

How can you help your child meet these developmental milestones?

• Give your child lots of love and attention. No matter what a child’s age, holding, hugging, and listening are important ways to show your child they matter.
• Interact with your child by talking, singing, playing, eating, and reading with your child. Your child will grow up feeling special and important to you. You will also learn a lot about your child’s interests and skills.
• Read, read, and read. Research has shown that children who are read to by their parents have a larger vocabulary than other children. Reading also provides children with new perspectives about the world we live in.
• Learn some simple parenting skills for helping your child to learn how to interact with others and manage feelings.
• Establish routines with your child from eating to bedtime.
• Limit TV time and video time to no more than 1-2 hours of educational viewing per day for children over 2 years old.
• Ask for help when you need it from your family, friends, partner and your child’s doctor or nurse practitioner. Parenting is wonderful but it is not always easy.

Does your child meet the developmental milestones?

Here is a list of Developmental Milestone resources including charts and websites, which can be used to track and check your child’s development:

Minnesota Department of Health
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/cfh/program/cyshn/milestone.cfm

Center of Disease and Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html

Help Me Grow – Is Your Child On Track?
http://helpmegrowmn.org/

PBS – The ABC’s of Child Development
http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc/

RTI for Kindergarten Readiness-Helping Children Early in the Classroom

By: Ms. Angy, ECFE Blog Writer/Discovery Learning Teacher

RTI stands for Response to Intervention and is used to reach the needs of all children by providing early instructional interventions.  In Discovery Learning, when children need extra support the teaching team (lead teacher, ECSE teacher, MRC Representative and Classroom Assistant) in the classroom works together with the child in more explicit and purposeful teaching.  One way we administer our interventions is to begin with individual assessments.  By assessing children quarterly and when needed, we’re able to keep track of children’s progress and see areas of need and growth.  One example is in our literacy assessments.  Children are tested or bench marked on letter names, letter sounds, alliteration, rhyming, and picture naming in the fall, winter, and spring.  With the help of the Minnesota Reading Corps, children are progress monitored throughout the school year.  After the very first assessment in the fall, children who need some extra help will begin working with the classroom teacher or MRC representative to provide extra literacy support in small groups or one-on-one.  After each literacy goal is achieved, a new goal is implemented until the child is at benchmark in each area of literacy.

Another form of RTI in the Discovery Learning classrooms is the Response to Intervention and the Pyramid Model.  “The Pyramid Model provides a tiered intervention framework of evidence-based interventions for promoting the social, emotional, and behavioral development of young children” (Fox et al., 2003; Hemmeter, Ostrosky, & Fox, 2006).  The model describes three tiers of intervention practice:

• Tier 1:  universal promotion for all children
• Tier 2:  secondary preventions to address the intervention needs for children at risk of social emotional delays
• Tier 3:  tertiary interventions needed for children with persistent challenges

One of the great advantages of working with RTI in our ECFE/SR program is the resources that are available to us.  With the Pyramid Model (formally TACSEI) and High Five (ISD 728) a team is available to guide the staff and families in RTI interventions from behavior specialists, parent educators, coaches, and a school psychologist.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in a description of RTI in our Discovery Classrooms.  There is so much being done daily in our environments for the achievement of every child’s academic and social-emotional success.  With the implementation of RTI:  early identification of children’s challenges is recognized, student’s are provided with instructional support, and children’s progress is monitored and assessed regularly.  I hope it is reassuring to know that our program will do what is needed to ensure that every child will be successful and prepared for kindergarten.

For more information on RTI go to the Center for RTI in Early Childhood website at: www.crtiec.org   To find information on Tier 2 and Tier 3 social emotional/behavior interventions, go to the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning at http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/ and for information on the Minnesota Reading Corps go to: www.minnesotareadingcorps.org

What are your thoughts on RTI interventions in preschool?

Early Childhood Screening

By: Laura Orwoll (Early Childhood Screening Office – ISD 728)

The early childhood years from birth to the start of kindergarten are an important time of rapid learning and growth. Early Childhood Screening is a quick and simple check of how children are doing between the ages of 3 and 4 years. It identifies, at an early stage, possible learning or health concerns so that children can get needed help before starting school.

Having worked in the screening program for the past 4 years, I have seen many children and families benefit from this program. Below are some common questions regarding Early Childhood Screening. Please call to make an appointment if your child is age-eligible or if you have further questions.

Who is required to be screened?
All children living in School District 728 who are at least 3 years old need to participate in this FREE screening. Screening is required by the State of Minnesota prior to Kindergarten entrance. A health and developmental screening from Head Start, Child and Teen Checkups or your health care provider may meet the school requirements. Please call the screening office for more information.

What is the ideal age for screening?
The ideal age for screening your child is between 3 and 4 years old. Waiting until the year before school entry may be waiting too long. Screening can detect possible learning or health concerns that can be addressed before they start Kindergarten.

Is the program required?
Yes. Minnesota state law requires that your child be screened prior to enrollment in a public school. Children are not permitted to enter a public school without Early Childhood Screening and up-to-date immunizations.

If you are planning to send your child to a private or home school, the law does not require screening, however, we still encourage you to participate. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to find out how your child is developing.

What happens during screening?
A trained professional will check your child’s:
• Thinking, Language and Communication skills
• Social & Emotional Development
• Vision & Hearing
• Height & Weight
• Large & Small Muscles
• Immunization shots status
The parent(s) attends the entire screening process with their child. The parent(s) will then participate in a family factors interview to review the screening process and talk about any concerns that they may have and to learn about area resources. Please allow 1 to 1-1/2 hours for the screening process.

How do I make an appointment for Early Childhood Screening?
Contact the Early Childhood Screening office at (763) 241-3525 to set up an appointment.
You can also stop by the ECFE office Monday-Friday at The Handke Center, 1170 Main Street, Elk River, MN using Door 6.