DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES
Developmental milestones are a set of functional skills or age-specific tasks that most children perform within a certain age range.
PLAY
Through play children can develop important life skills that help prepare them for experiences later in life. There are two types of play: structured and unstructured. Structured play requires a child to follow directions or rules, and is guided by an adult. In unstructured play a child can do what interests them and there aren’t any guidelines set in place. Like most things in life, balance is key.
Toddlers should spend at least one hour each day in unstructured play and at least 30 each day in structured play. There is no such thing are too much play for babies and toddlers, because play is how children learn.
EARLY INTERVENTION
Early Intervention is a federally mandated program of coordinated services, through IDEA Part C, that provides support and education to children with developmental delays and their families. Children ages 0-3 exhibiting delays in physical, cognitive, communication, and social/emotional development are eligible for services. The goal of Early Intervention is to help children with developmental delays as soon as possible so they can reach their fullest potential.
RESOURCES FOR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT
*Also consult your child's pediatrician.*
AGES 0-3
*Early STEPS* Children grow at an individualized pace, but research shows that a child's first three years are the most important time for learning. Getting help early puts your child on the right path to learn and develop at their full potential. Early Steps is Florida's early intervention system that offers services to infants and toddlers (birth to thirty-six months) who are felt to be at risk for developmental delay.
AGES 5 AND UP
When your child is in school and showing early signs of learning issues or you think he/she needs help, you can ask for a special education evaluation from your child's school.
The school may also have other ways to identify struggling students which is called early screening.
One example is response to intervention (RTI). This is a process many schools use that includes screening for all kids. You can help your child by understanding how the school screens kids for learning and attention issues. Here are some questions you can ask.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
HELP ME GROW
The goal of Help Me Grow Florida is to promote healthy development for every child in our state. Help Me Grow (HMG) is a unique, comprehensive, and integrated statewide system designed to address the need for early identification of developmental and/or behavioral concerns, and then to link children and their families to community-based developmental and behavioral services and supports.
Help Me Grow is an effective system because its efforts revolve around uniting a community to address the need for early detection through surveillance and screenings of children and building connections to community-based services and supports to address their needs.
FAMILY NAVIGATOR PROGRAM
Strengthening and empowering families through support, connection and education. Family Navigator Program. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Department of Pediatrics,. Mailman Center for Child Development. Family Navigator Program: 305-243-5330. Email: mailmanfamnavigator@miami. edu.
UM MAILMAN CENTER
The Mailman Center for Child Development is an academic center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine that addresses concerns of individuals with developmental disabilities and children with special health care needs through: Research; Clinical service; Training for professionals; Parental workshops ...
PARENT TO PARENT
Parent to parent is a community-wide, tax-exempt, non-profit organization that provides information, educational training and support to families who have children and adults with disabilities and/or special needs. The majority of the Board of Trustees and staff of Parent to Parent of Miami is comprised of specially trained parents, families and professionals who have a family member with a disability.
HELP ME GROW
THE GOAL OF HELP ME GROW FLORIDA IS TO PROMOTE HEALTHY DEVELOPMENT FOR EVERY CHILD IN OUR STATE. HELP ME GROW (HMG) IS A UNIQUE, COMPREHENSIVE, AND INTEGRATED STATEWIDE SYSTEM DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE NEED FOR EARLY IDENTIFICATION OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND/OR BEHAVIORAL CONCERNS, AND THEN TO LINK CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES TO COMMUNITY-BASED DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTS.
HELP ME GROW IS AN EFFECTIVE SYSTEM BECAUSE ITS EFFORTS REVOLVE AROUND UNITING A COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS THE NEED FOR EARLY DETECTION THROUGH SURVEILLANCE AND SCREENINGS OF CHILDREN AND BUILDING CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY-BASED SERVICES AND SUPPORTS TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS.
RAISING HAPPY KIDS
We often hear parents say: "I just want you to be happy." The definition of happinesscertainly varies person to person, but at the heart of this wish, we want our children to experience delight, to feel loved and to love others, and to be strong and resilient in the face of life’s challenges. Here are 10 simple actions we can take to create a positive, safe and happy environment for our children, one that is infused with inspiration, wonder and joy.
PARENTS' GUIDE
New parents experience a lot of firsts and at times it can be overwhelming. Not to worry; Pathways.org is here to help! We try to make all this information a little easier to find and understand. Our Parents’ Guide videos cover important areas of child development including: Tummy Time, communication, motor skills, feeding, sensory, and play. All these areas of development are important towards building important skills that your child will benefit from and use throughout their whole life.
CONTACT US
Please contact us for additional resources and we will email you direct links and/or PDFs. Please let us know if you have any questions. We are happy to answer any questions and support you any way we can.