Parents eagerly anticipate those big moments—the first smile, the first word, the first step. Those are just a few of the many, many developmental milestones your child will reach in the first five years of life. While babies develop with amazing speed, it’s also important to remember all children do so at their own pace. What should you look for at 3 months? At 12 months? By the time your child turns 4? The following links give families a guideline of what to expect—as well as warning signs that there may be a developmental delay.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Academy of Pediatrics
A child’s development covers many different domains: cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor, and social/emotional skills. The Early Childhood Investment Corporation has put together a guide for parents that focuses solely on the social and emotional development of children birth to five years old. Click here to download the Social & Emotional Health and School Readiness.
Every state in the country has an early intervention program for young children who are experiencing a developmental delay or who have a diagnosed disability. In Michigan, it is called Early On, and it services children from birth to 36 months (3rd birthday).
Early On can provide a FREE in-home evaluation, and if needed, a service coordinator is also provided for free. To learn more, go to www.1800earlyon.org or call 1-800-EARLY-ON.
FREE services may also be available to children three years or older who have a developmental delay or diagnosed disability. To learn more about that, call your local school district.
What is a medical home? It’s your child’s doctor’s office or clinic. It’s where to take your child for:
Every child needs a medical home! It offers the very best care for your child. Because the staff knows your child, they can:
When your child is sick or hurt, call your medical home. You can call 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Call for help, advice, or an appointment.
Only go to the emergency room if your child could die or risk their health if they do not receive help NOW! If it’s not an emergency, call your medical home.
The Children’s Healthcare Access Program, an initiative of First Steps, is working to connect families to a high quality medical home.
Is your family feeling stressed or overwhelmed?
Are you worried about your child’s behavior?
Are you fighting with your partner or child?
There is help!
Why would my child and I talk to a counselor?
Services available to families and children in Kent County include:
Are you interested in learning more about mental health services for you and your child?
Ear infections are one of the most common childhood illnesses. They can be very painful—keeping both children and parents from a good night’s sleep. Even though ear infections are often uncomfortable, they are usually not serious. You can almost always wait until morning to call your child’s doctor’s office or clinic.
Symptoms of an ear infection:
Before you call the doctor, there are several things you can do at home to help relieve the pain of an ear infection.
You can learn more about dozens of health topics for you and your child at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital website.
If you have specific questions about asthma, you can learn more at the Asthma Network of West Michigan. The Asthma Network provides intensive case management to low- and moderate-income children and adults with asthma. It also provides education to those caring for individuals with asthma—physicians and nurses, school and child care personnel and family members.
Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Asthma Network of West Michigan are First Steps’ partners in the Children’s Healthcare Access Program.
Are you looking for quality care for your child? If so, you aren’t alone. More than 60% of all infants, toddlers and preschoolers in Kent County have both parents in the workforce and are cared by someone other than their parents or guardians.
The Early Childhood Investment Corporation has launched a new system of online early learning resources called Great Start CONNECT, including a new statewide database of the 14,000 licensed/registered child care and early education programs in Michigan. Click here to learn more about Great Start CONNECT.
So what should you look for when selecting care for your child? Kent Regional 4C and the West Michigan community developed standards for child care and early education. Included among them:
The Caregivers:
The Environment or the Program:
The Partnership with Parents:
The National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies suggests the following five questions for families to ask before selecting care:
Why should I consider preschool for my child?
Preschool is an important step to prepare your child for future success. A high quality preschool can help get your child ready to read and ready to learn. Research shows children who attend a quality preschool program often have better social skills (such as being able to follow a routine and get along with others), better test scores and are less likely to repeat a grade.
There are two tuition-free preschool programs in Kent County: the Great Start Readiness Program and Head Start.
Head Start is for 3- and 4-year-old children. Families must meet income guidelines. To learn more about Head Start, contact Michigan Family Resources online or at 616-453-4145 or 800-472-6994.
The Great Start Readiness Program is for eligible 4-year-old children. Most school districts in Kent County, as well as some community agencies, have a GSRP preschool program. If you would like to learn more, contact your local school district.
The first day of kindergarten is one of the most exciting days in a young child’s life, but it can also be a bit scary and overwhelming. There are many things you can do to help your child get ready for kindergarten. The Michigan Department of Education has a few suggestions:
In Michigan, children must turn 5 on or before December 1 to enroll in kindergarten. You may have a lot of questions as your child starts school. Should you consider Young 5’s or developmental kindergarten? What will your child do in kindergarten? How can you help your child become a reader? The Michigan Department of Education has put together a series of “parent guides” to help answer those questions.
Your baby is born ready to learn. The first three years of life are the most important for brain development. When you talk, read and sing to your child, you’re helping to build a healthy brain. Through play, your child learns how things work, how to solve problems and how to get along with others.
How can you turn everyday moments into learning opportunities?
There are many online resources with suggestions of simple, fun things you can do to help your child learn to talk and read. These are just a few:
Play Grow Read! campaign at the Kent District Library
There are many opportunities to get together with other parents and children to share stories, songs and play. Most libraries in Kent County regularly offer free story times and playgroups for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
To learn more and for a schedule of activities, go to:
Bright Beginnings, a partnership of the Kent ISD and its constituent districts, offers a number services to families with children birth to kindergarten entry. Bright Beginnings playgroups are provided free of cost throughout Kent County. For more information and a complete schedule, go to Bright Beginnings.
Are you wondering what kinds of services and programs are available for your family? The Child and Family Resource Council’s “Family Resource Guide” includes resources for:
You can find the “Family Resource Guide” online.
Looking for activities for you and your children? Grand Rapids Family Magazine publishes a monthly calendar that can be found online.
There are a number of educational and fun websites with games and activities for preschool-age children. Here are a few popular sites you may want to check out with your child. While some of them do sell products or subscriptions, all of these sites also include many FREE activities.
PNC Grow Up Great PNC Grow Up Great is a 10-year, $100 million school readiness initiative to help prepare children from birth to age five for success in school and life. The site is a collaborative effort of PNC and Sesame Street and includes wonderful activities and resources for young children and their families.
Starfall This site concentrates on reading and learning letters. There are many online storybooks as well as literacy-based games.
Sproutonline An extension of the PBS Sprout cable television channel, this site features characters like Elmo, Thomas the Tank, Angelina, Bob the Builder, and Barney. It includes games, videos, crafts, and activities.
Preschool Activity Box This site has ideas for crafts and other activities for families to do with their young children.
Sesame Street This site has educational games, videos, and other activities for toddlers and preschoolers—all with their favorite Sesame Street friends.
Nick Jr Dora, Diego, and other Nick Jr. characters are featured on this site full of games, crafts, and recipes.
Playhouse Disney Games, music, stories, and other activities are all part of this site based on the characters of Playhouse Disney—Mickey, Handy Manny, and the Little Einsteins.
Lil Fingers Lil’ Fingers is a storybook site for toddlers with educational games, storybooks and printable coloring pages.
American Library Association The American Library Association has compiled a list of kid-friendly websites that promote literacy and learning.