I talked with a former Escambia County professional who worked in health care and managed childhood development programs for over a decade. She said early childhood screening for developmental issues is definitely needed in Escambia County. However, she doubts Help Me Grow will work as a collaborative because it would lead to turf wars over funding and who gets the patients.
“I looked at the Help Me Grow model and saw potential as long as it took early childhood screening to the areas that needed it the most,” she shared. She added that a 2-1-1 phone line is ineffective because many developmental issues go unnoticed by parents, so they don’t recognize the need to call.
She recommended massive screenings at schools, churches, and community centers in the pockets of poverty – ages birth to three, not eight as ECT wants. “There are so many very simple screening programs that can be done, and you make them open to every family.”
She believed that Early Steps is best equipped to run the screenings because they have federal and state guidelines that they must follow. Possibly, ECT could fund some case managers to help parents get their infants to the right providers after the screening.
“This could be very, very good if done correctly and not trying to let every agency have a say, which dilutes the program.”
From the Florida Department of Health: “Early Steps is Florida’s early intervention system that offers services to eligible infants and toddlers, age birth to 36 months, who have or are at-risk for developmental disabilities or delays. There is no income requirement to qualify for the program, and although families may choose to allow access to insurance or Medicaid benefits, families are not charged for services.”