WIC Developmental Milestone Checklist Program from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Developmental Milestone Checklist WIC Program Implementation Guide A Guide for Implementing the WIC Developmental Milestone Checklist Program from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/WICGuide CS309789 Developmental Milestone Checklist WIC Program CONTENTS Introduction .....................................................................................................................................................................................1 What is Developmental Monitoring? ..................................................................................................................................2 About CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. ............................................................................................................................3 How Developmental Monitoring Helps WIC Staff ....................................................................................................4 The Missouri Model ...................................................................................................................................................................5 How to Monitor Development ...............................................................................................................................................7 Identifying Program Champions ........................................................................................................................................8 Recruiting Clinics & Training Staff ......................................................................................................................................9 Component 1—Environmental Graphics ......................................................................................................................10 Component 2—Administering Checklists ....................................................................................................................11 Four Simple Steps ....................................................................................................................................................................13 Linking to Nutrition Education .........................................................................................................................................14 Component 3—Making a Referral ....................................................................................................................................15 Helping Families Follow-Up ...............................................................................................................................16 Tracking Success .........................................................................................................................................................................17 Share and Celebrate Your Success ..................................................................................................................................19 Implementation Tools and Templates for the WIC Milestone Checklist Program ....................................20 Implementation Resources for WIC Clinics A. Developmental Milestone Checklists with Next Steps ..........................................................................21 B. Printing Specifications for Environmental Graphics ...............................................................................23 C. Installing Environmental Graphics ...............................................................................................................24 D. Deskside Reference Guide ..................................................................................................................................25 E. Implementation Checklist for Clinics ...........................................................................................................27 F. Frequently Asked Questions ..........................................................................................................................28 G. Organization of Materials for Easy Access ..................................................................................................30 Implementation Resources for State WIC Agencies H. Implementation Checklist for WIC State Agencies ..................................................................................31 I. Content Checklist for Program Webpage ...................................................................................................33 Top Photo: baby giggling with mother, Photo 2: WIC volunteer interacting with a child., Photo 3: Four preschool-age children hugging and smiling Introduction Find this content in an accessible format at: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/wicguide/ WIC Developmental Milestone Checklist Program WIC providers know that how a child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves for his or her age are important signs of a child’s healthy growth and development. When a child’s development is delayed, WIC providers also know the value of a timely referral to support both the child and family. The WIC Developmental Milestone Checklist Program, developed in collaboration with WIC staff and tested in WIC clinics, helps you engage parents in monitoring their children’s development and support them with timely referrals when needed. The Program has 3 core components: zzEnvironmental Graphics—Engaging graphics on the walls and floors of the clinic introduce milestone monitoring in a fun and friendly way. zzAdministering Checklists—Staff invite the parent to complete a parent-friendly milestone checklist during certification and mid-certification visits, or whenever there is a question or concern. zzMaking Referrals—Staff review checklists and make referrals if there are any missing milestones or other concerns noted. Simple messages and easy-to-use tools are integrated seamlessly into your clients’ regular visits, typically taking less than 5 minutes per visit. This guide provides all the guidance you need to get your WIC Milestone Checklist Program up and running. Why WIC? Find this content in an accessible format at: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/wicguide/why- monitor-development-in-wic.html zzWIC staff are likely to encounter children with developmental disabilities becausedevelopmental disabilities are common—affecting about 1 in 6 children—even if they are not always readily apparent. zzChildren with nutritional risk factors are at increased risk of developmental delay and need close monitoring. Early identification can open the door to services and support that can help the child gain skills and help parents better support their child’s needs. zzNutrition and development go hand-in-hand. Tuning in to their child’s development can help parents be more responsive to and supportive of their baby’s feeding cues, boost parents’ feeding confidence, and lead to positive feeding interactions. zzWIC staff can benefit from the tools and resources provided by this program when talking with parents about their child’s development, especially when parents raise a developmental concern. zzMaking referrals for potential developmental delay supports the WIC framework of monitoring children’s growth and development and making referrals to community resources. zzWIC staff have reported that this Program engages parents, educates and empowers staff members, and leads to completed doctor referrals. The guidance provided in this guide is based on the WIC Milestone Checklist Program designed and tested by the University of Missouri in partnership the Missouri Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program, and supported with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. WIC Developmental Milestone Checklist Program Implementation Guide 1 What is Developmental Monitoring? Find this content in an accessible format at: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/wicguide/developmentalmonitoring.html WIC Staff are well-positioned to engage, educate, and empower families to track their child’s developmental milestones and take action to help their child when there’s a possible concern. Supporting families is what WIC does best! First, What are Developmental Milestones? Developmental milestones are skills that most children achieve by a certain age. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. Skills such as smiling by 2 months, walking with help by age 1, and waving “bye-bye” by 18 months are some common developmental milestones, though there are many more. Children develop at their own pace, so it’s difficult to tell exactly when a child will learn a given skill. However, age-specific developmental milestones give a general idea of the skills to expect. The milestones included in CDC’s developmental milestone checklists reflect what MOST (estimated between 75%-90%) children achieve by a given age. What is Developmental Monitoring? Developmental monitoring is tracking when or whether a child reaches the milestones that are expected by his or her age. It is something parents and other caregivers can do, on a regular and ongoing basis. Doing so provides important information about a child’s developmental health. Using CDC’s developmental milestone checklists makes it easy! Why Monitor Developmental Milestones? Monitoring developmental milestones using a simple milestones checklist helps parents know what skills are “Referrals to First Steps, our early typical at their children’s ages and what to expect next. It also helps them to know when to act if they have a intervention program in Missouri,