Oregon Leads in Innovative Early Childhood Screening

The Six by ’15 campaign aims to raise visibility of ways that states are improving the lives of people with disabilities and achieving the Six by ’15 goals. To that end, we will be posting examples of innovative state leaders on each of our goals, in a new series we’re calling Do This in Your State!

Oregon is leading in innovative approaches to increasing early childhood screening rates. Here’s how Judy Newman, Co-Director of Early Childhood CARES at the University of Oregon UCEDD describes their work:

The developmental screening was originally focused on the START training in doctors offices around the state. The START program is still providing many trainings around the state in addition to other screening efforts focused on medical professionals, childcare providers, and agency staff. Developmental screening is very much a statewide priority. One of the main objectives of the developmental screening initiative is to identify children needing help as early as possible and linking them with needed services and supports in their community. The early learning system, through the newly formed Early Learning Hubs are working to make sure this happens. A very important aspect of ensuring that referrals are made to appropriate services as soon as possible, is having up-to-date and easily accessible information about local services and supports. This is currently being done through our 211 info and 211 info Family a line specifically for parents of young children, Calls and texts are free, live and confidential. The line is staffed by master’s level professionals who also have the benefit of leveraging the 211info network database with thousands of community resources. They respond to inquiries about child development and behavioral strategies, school readiness and success, family stress and anxiety, parent support groups, playgroups, basic family resources.

This brief shares their experiences in working in these areas of screening and services – from building baseline data to tracking through to services. Developmental Screening in Oregon- 2014

Learn how parts of Help Me Grow were incorporated into Oregon’s early detection system (the ABCD & ABCD III projects, the START project, the “211 info” line): Oregon Help Me Grow Replication