Child Education

Developmental Milestones

These are resources you can give your client to help ensure their child is on course for development. Many first-time parents would appreciate these resources. Each child develops at their own rate, but developmental milestones can ensure that your child is learning and growing without delay. These milestones can involve physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and communication skills such as walking, sharing with others, expressing emotions, recognizing familiar sounds, and talking. If your client expresses concern over their child's development, encourage them to contact their pediatrician or another professional for more information. Remember, "Normalcy is a range, not a point."  Each child develops at his or her own rate!

Early Speech Milestones

The window of opportunity for language development occurs within the first two years of an infant’s life. Most children learn skills between the age of 12-18 months, a child who takes longer to learn a skill may have a language problem. Children's language development relies on:

• Their natural ability to learn,

• How much talking she hears during the day,

• How people respond to what he or she says or does,

• Other skills that he or she is hearing at the same time. 

Early Motor Skill Development Milestones

A child with motor impairments has trouble moving in a controlled, coordinated, and efficient way. If your client's child seems to be delayed in developing fine or gross motor skills, he or she will likely undergo an assessment and may require physical or occupational therapy to catch up.

Early Cognitive Development Milestones

Cognitive development refers to the way your baby begins to think, remember, imagine, gather and organize information, solve problems and develop judgement. Cognitive development is critical to the child's growth because it describes how the child's brain develops. The Shaken Baby Syndrome Express Sheet offers information on how improper holding of your child can impact their cognitive development. 

Early Dental Development Milestones

A child's dental health and hygiene  is a important factor of their overall dental health as an adult. Baby teeth hold space for permanent teeth, facilitate speech and nourishment and are important to your child's ability to eat and smile! The Baby Bottle Tooth Decay Express Sheet offers great resources on nutritional information and factors that may impact your client's baby's dental development. 

Baby, Baby Do You Hear Me?

This is a program provided by the State of Maryland to identify hearing-impaired infants. It includes a checklist for the stages of hearing, language, and speech development for children from birth to 5 years.

Education & Literacy Resources

COVID UPDATES

Pratt Library is offering sidewalk service pickup, books by mail, & drive in wifi. There is in person service at this point (11/8/21) More information at Pratt Library Covid-19 Updates. 

The Federal National Institute for Literacy estimated that 36% of Baltimore’s adult population is in need of basic literacy skill development. The ability to read and write are nearly integral for one’s ability to not only obtain a job, but to apply for one. A child's ability to read allows for them to succeed in school, learn about the world, function in society and gain employment. Children who are not exposed to pre-literacy development are at a severe disadvantage.

Influence of Home Environment: Children's emergent literacy skills flourish in environments where it is valued and emphasized. Literacy skills begin around the age of one as a social interaction between a child and caregiver. Ways to promote this in the home are:

• "Book sharing," a conversational approach to reading as opposed to traditional "reading" of books.

• Parents reading to children

• Alphabet in the house

• Drawing is encouraged

*If client interested in ESOL classes for their child, please see the ESL/ESOL tab under Adult Education and scroll to the bottom of the page. The Esperanza Center is offering family classes for children grades 5-9 and their adult family members to learn English together at low costs and online. See link for more information.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

For children 0-5, free books are sent through the mail from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library! Most places in Baltimore are eligible, but check eligibility and register through Imagination Library Website! 

Eligibility

• • • Children 0-5 in a participating area

    • Eligibility can be checked on the website

How to Register

• Register on the Imagination Library Website

Maryland Book Bank

Receive free books from the MD Book Bank by registering children. Must include their age, grade level, and special boo interests. MD Book Bank will then mail a pack of books! 

Eligibility

• • • Children must be enrolled in Baltimore City Public Schools OR a Title I Baltimore County Public School

How to Register

• Register at the MD Book Bank Website under "Story Kits" 

Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program

COVID UPDATES

Use this resource if your client suspects that their child may be developmentally delayed, or needs financial assistance covering bills for treatments that specifically addresses their special needs. The Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program (MITP) directs a family-centered system of early intervention services for young children with developmental delays and disabilities, and their families. By recognizing each family's concerns and priorities and focusing on each child's strengths and needs, the MITP assists families of children with special needs during the first four years of the child's developmental journey. The MITP offers:

• Support

• Information

• Coordinated information

• 24 Local Infant and Toddler Programs 

These programs are composed of local departments of education, health, social services, and other public and private providers. Services may include: audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, transportation, speech-language pathology, family training, special instruction, assistive technology, health services and home visits. All referrals are done online.

Eligibility Criteria (at least one of the highlighted ones must be met)

• Not older than 36 months

• Reside in Maryland

• 25% developmental delay in one or or more of the following areas: cognitive (early learning), communication, physical development (fine and gross motor skills), social-emotional skills, and adaptive (self-help).The Infants and Toddlers Program will conduct the appropriate evaluation, at no cost to the family, with the parent's consent.

• Atypical development/behavior in a certain skill for their age

• Diagnosed condition such as, but not limited to, down syndrome, visual or hearing impairment, elevated lead levels, extreme prematurity (birth weight <1200 grams), epilepsy, etc.

Steps

1) Ask your client if they think their child will meet at least one of the highlighted eligibility criteria or if they suspect that their child may be developmentally delayed in any capacity. Emphasize that even if they have the slightest suspicion of this that they should strongly consider this program for their child because the earlier the child starts the better.

2) If yes, then guide your client to this website so that they can create an online account to make a referral online or to this website if they want to call a local program to make a referral over the phone. If they choose the latter, help them find the closest program to where they live by going to that same link.

3) Once an account is made, help your client make an online referral for their child and complete a short questionnaire 

4) After a referral is submitted, your client can log in to view the status of the referral and can track when the referral was received, read, and processed by the local Infants and Toddlers Program (If a referral is unable to be processed for any reason, your client will receive an email update and can log in to the online referral system to view a message from the local Infants and Toddlers Program with information and instructions for next steps.)

5) Tell your client they should expect to receive a call from the local Infants and Toddlers Program staff to talk through next steps, explain the family's rights, begin to gather information about the family's concerns, and schedule a developmental screening or evaluation to determine eligibility.  After eligibility is established, early intervention providers will work with the family to complete an in-depth child and family assessment, to identify outcomes, services, and supports needed and to create a plan of action, called the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP).

** Mention to client that the MITP has 45 days from the date of the referral to complete evaluation and assessment, determine eligibility, and develop an Individualized Family Service Plan

General phone number: 1(800) 535-0132

Website: https://referral.mditp.org/MDITP.html

Find your client's local program here.