AMCHP Announces Act Early State Systems Grants RFA
September 16, 2011
Requirements
All states and territories that have an active state team focused on early identification and that are not currently funded by a HRSA State Autism Implementation Grant, are not currently participating in the HRSA/CDC LTSAE campaign implementation grants, and do not currently have an Act Early State Systems Grant (funded in January 2011) are eligible to apply.
The funding announcement can be accessed here, and applications are due on November 2, 2011. An informational call for interested applicants will be held in early October 2011 (exact date TBD).
Grant applicants will be required to conduct specific activities related to partnerships and collaboration, implementation of activities and evaluation. Possible activities include: supporting the state team in their effort to improve coordination and awareness of early identification and early intervention services for children with ASD/DD; improving early identification by systematizing dissemination and integration of LTSAE materials in state public health programs; and developing and implementing an evaluation plan to assess the outcomes and impacts of outreach and education activities.
Background
The goal of the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." health education campaign is to improve early identification of ASD/DD so children and their families can access the services and support they need. The campaign educates parents, health care professionals and child care providers about developmental milestones, the importance of monitoring developmental milestones in young children, and the importance of acting early on developmental concerns. Milestone checklists, parenting tips, and other materials and resources are available free for download. These materials can be customized with state or local contact and resource information for use in state programs. Act Early Summits, held in collaboration with HRSA and AUCD in 2008-2010 around the country, furthered the LTSAE campaign by convening teams of key state early intervention leaders, including parents, state public health agencies, medical providers, educators and personnel from academic institutions. The Summits were designed to strengthen the capacity of states to respond to the increasing demand for coordinated early childhood systems to address the needs of children with ASD/DD.
To access your Act Early State Plan or find information about the Act Early Regional Summit Project, visit the AUCD website and click on the "Learn the Signs. Act Early." icon.
The funding announcement will also be posted on the AMCHP and AUCD websites and distributed through relevant listservs. For more information, please contact Treeby Brown at Treeby Brown or Melody Cherny.
Through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), AMCHP will provide 10-15 grants of up to $15,000 each to public health entities such as: Title V, WIC, Early Head Start, Home visiting programs, or Other public health programs to 1) Integrate "Learn the Signs. Act Early." (LTSAE) materials and messages into programs that serve parents of young children, 2) Support the collaboration of Act Early State Teams, and 3) Evaluate progress.
AMCHP will provide ongoing technical assistance, disseminate resource materials, and link grantees to other states and experts in autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities (ASD/DD).
