On the Path of Collaboration:Community-based

Developmental Screening in Southwestern Alberta

Marian Biggins Early Intervention Specialist

Palliser Regional School Division

Cheryl Skaien Early Childhood Coordinator

Lethbridge Family Centre (Parent Link Centre)

Mark Moland Developmental Screening Coordinator

Chinook Health

The Partners

The Context

How it Began• An overview of developmental screening

during the last several years

RCMP Barracks in Fort MacLeod (1874)

The Focus of the Collaboration

Format: What does it look like?

What were the results?• 28 screening sessions were held in 20

communities across the region during March and April 2007

• 703 children completed ASQ

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Lethbridge #51/Holy Spirit Palliser/Holy Spirit Horizon/Holy Spirit Westw inds Livingstone/Holy Spirit

2005

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2007

Referrals by Year

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Speech LangaugePathology

Occupational Therapy Physiotherapy Infant PreschoolDevelopment Education

Audiology

2006

2007

Engaging Families

• The process of planning together

• What we learned from the 2006 survey

• Interesting examples of creative engagement

How did you hear about this event?

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Preschool informed Stay and Play

Preschool registrant Parents as Teachers

CHR Newsletter Call from school

School Called Kindergarten Teacher

Stay and Play Phone call

School registration PAT and Preschool

Parents as Teachers School Phone call

PAT Family Hub regis Pre school registrant Sign outside Huntsville

Hub and school Phone call

Teacher Phoned School Teacher

Internet Kinder Staff

Billboard Call from CHR staff Preschool teacher

Register for prescho Kinder Reg

Daycare Teacher

PPP Telephoned

Stay & Play

School Registration Stay and Play

Phone call Hiway billboard Phoned school

Daughter-in-law Preschool Registrati

Preschool Regis

works at school wifes work

Preschool Reg Leisure Giude Family Hub

Stay and Play Stay and Play School Staff

Preschool Teach.Ph

Stay & Play

We talk of building bridges

High Level Bridge in Lethbridge, Alberta

“Getting into the Gap”

Writing on Stone Provincial Park

Not Always Easy

• Different mandates

• Different levels of resources

• Time to coordinate

• Confidentiallity/Inforamation sharing

• Decision making and accountability

Benefits of Collaboration

• Parents can access a continuum of services and are able to make personal connections with service providers

• Creativity – taking the best and sharing it across the region

• Sum is greater than the whole

Our Experience – Parent Comments

• There is certainly more that just myself to rely on to help my child become an invaluable part of the community by starting him off on the right path. Thank U.

• Learning what areas need development prior to starting pre-k (and tools to improve those areas).

• Great handouts. Concern for children very evident.

• I found out my son could draw a person. I didn’t know he could. But at the screening he was asked to draw a person and he did (wow). I was so happy.

Our Experience – Partner Comments

• I felt there were huge benefits to all involved by doing this as a community partnership. There was great networking and connections made between all.

(Parent Link Centre Staff)

• Parents feel more comfortable in approaching us to say, “Yes, my child does need some help” or “who do you know that could help?” (Educator)

• I got to make contact with 30 caregivers, some of whom I reassured that their children's fine motor skills were not only age-appropriate but also strong; others whom I gave information on areas of concern AND the impact that these areas might have on refinement of fine motor skills and what they could do about it now. (Children’s CARE Services Occupational Therapist)

Our journey continues…Our journey continues…