Learn the Signs. Act Early. Ambassadors Community Updates

May 22, 2019

The Milestones Matter Community is a new social media project organized by Act Early Ambassadors. This community targets caregivers and early childhood professionals with resources for supporting the developmental health of all children. Understanding how children develop and acting early by bringing developmental concerns to the attention of a provider are important steps in helping children achieve their full potential. With the goal of educating and sharing information about early child development, the Milestones Matter Community will provide tips, along with parent-friendly tools and resources, to support caregivers and early childhood professionals in monitoring young children's early development.

Through the Act Early Initiative, CDC works with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), and state-level systems focused on advocacy, early intervention, public health, education, and health care to improve the early identification of developmental delay.

Act Early Ambassadors expand the reach of CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities' "Learn the Signs. Act Early." program and support their respective state's work toward improving early identification of developmental delays and disabilities, including autism. There are Act Early Ambassadors in almost every state and territory expanding the reach of this initiative. AUCD's LEND and DBP programs have a strong history of collaborating to achieve common goals alongside Act Early Ambassadors. Many of these programs have found creative ways to engage trainees and fellows with the work of their state's Act Early Ambassador. For more information please contact Danielle Webber at AUCD.