Project Description:
Connecticut Family STARS (Screening, Tracking and Referral Systems) is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Activities in the project are conducted in partnership with the CT Part C, Home Visiting, and Head Start Programs in the CT Office of Early Childhood. CT has procedures in place to screen and refer infants and toddlers for further developmental evaluation, but there are no referral and tracking systems. The purpose of this project is to build state and community capacity to develop, demonstrate, evaluate, and replicate a model interagency system to identify, screen, refer, and track infants and toddlers at risk for, or having a delay or disability. The demonstration program is following an implementation framework using an iterative approach to model development of a comprehensive statewide, coordinated identification, screening and tracking system for all of infants and young children, The model will utilize elements that include a parent to parent outreach and mentoring system, the Ages and Stages Developmental Questionnaire completed by parents and health care providers, and a phone app for families to track their child's results and subsequent referral and enrollment into the intervention system, or a developmental monitoring system. The project has four main objectives: (1) Gather data on existing practices and systems for identifying and tracking at-risk infants and toddlers in CT; (2) Develop a demonstration project with stakeholders to test and refine the system; (3) Conduct a community-based demonstration to put the system into practice; and (4) Validate and adapt the demonstration practices to ensure they are effective and replicable. The evaluation will focus on both system performance and outcomes for children and families and result in a state and local model to identify and track infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
Keyword(s):
Developmental Disabilities, Early Childhood – Developmental Health (including developmental screening), Early Childhood – General, Health Equity, Maternal Health – General, Medical Home, Mental/Behavioral Health – General , Early Childhood – Newborn Screening, Preventive Services, Social Determinants of Health, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation, Developing & Disseminating Information, Continuing Education/Community Training, Demonstration Services
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Child Care-Related Activities, Health-Related Activities, Quality of Life
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Urban, Specific Groups
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
Single-County, Mulit-County, State, National
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
