Bi-annual LES Directors’ Meeting

The Early Steps State Office will be hosting the first 2018 Bi-annual Local Early Step (LES) Directors’ Meeting on July 11, 2018, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm in Jacksonville, Florida. Hotel information has been sent to LES directors via email. The agenda for the meeting will include discussions on Implementation Science, Child Outcomes, and the State Systemic Improvement Plan Professional Development Project. More information will be sent soon about the agenda and additional details regarding the July meeting.

IFSP Summary Information

The Early Steps State Office has been asked to draft a summary document of the IFSP for families, physicians, and others. The attached IFSP Summary identifies the child’s eligibility determination, authorized services, and next steps for the family. It also provides a mechanism to request actions from the physician to assist with timely service provision and linkage with the IFSP team. In addition to gathering feedback on this document, the Early Steps State Office is interested in other ways you share similar information with families and physicians. Please provide feedback on the IFSP Summary, as well as copies of any documents your program currently uses for similar information sharing and/or requests for action from physicians, to Kelly Rogers, at (850) 901-6343, by June 20, 2018.

Fostering Collaboration: Help Me Grow Florida

Help Me Grow is a unique, comprehensive, and integrated system designed to address the need for early identification of developmental and/or behavioral concerns. The goal is to promote surveillance and screening, as well as link children and their families to community-based services and supports. Help Me Grow provides a centralized access point for information, referral and community education. For a map of the counties served by Help Me Grow Florida affiliates, go to: https://www.helpmegrowfl.org/help-grow/accessing-services/.

The Early Steps State Office would like to obtain input from programs regarding their collaboration with local ‘Help Me Grow’ offices in their service areas. Please follow the survey link below to provide feedback no later than Friday, June 22, 2018. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZWQJKG5 .

Early Steps Stakeholder Workgroups

The Early Steps State Office has identified stakeholder workgroups to solicit input on the state plan required in Section 391.308, Florida Statutes, and assist with strategic planning for program priorities. The workgroups will begin their work in June 2018. We look forward to working with our many stakeholders to enhance Florida’s Early Steps system!

AHCA Announces the Award of New Contracts for the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Program

On April 24, 2018, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) announced its intent to award contracts to nine health plans as a result of the re-procurement of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (SMMC) program. You can find additional details about this announcement by clicking the following link: http://b.ahca.myflorida.com/medicaid/statewide_mc/pdf/SMMC_Re-procure_Press_Release.pdf.

Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)

Hearing loss is one of the most common birth defects. Nearly 3 in 1,000 babies are born with hearing loss in the U.S. each year. In Florida, approximately 9,000 babies do not pass their initial hearing screening each year, and approximately 300 are diagnosed with a permanent hearing loss. The Florida Department of Health, Newborn Screening Hearing staff contacts parents and guardians, as well as the physicians of infants who did not pass the initial hearing screening, and encourages these families to pursue additional testing. Early identification and intervention is key for children with hearing loss to enhance language, communication, cognitive, and social skill development, needed to be successful in school and other aspects of life.

All infants that are diagnosed with hearing loss and reported to the Newborn Screening Hearing program, are referred to the Early Steps Program for early intervention. If you have questions about a referral or the Newborn Screening Hearing Program, please call 866-289-2037 https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/childrens-health/newborn-screening/nbs-hear.html

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Special Supplement on Zika)

The AAP has published a special supplement on Zika including articles that offer best practices for addressing the needs of children affected by the congenital syndrome, what to expect as affected infants develop, and extensive care coordination with health care professionals to provide the necessary supports and services for families.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention Developmental Monitoring and Screening Tip Sheet for Parents (Spanish and English)

This tip sheet from the CDC provides parents with information about the importance of developmental monitoring and developmental screening. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/DevelopmentalScreening.pdf

Changes in State Child Outcomes Data: What Do They Mean?

Interpreting year-to-year changes in statewide child outcomes data requires understanding of possible reasons for fluctuations. This new brief is designed to help stakeholders learn what questions to ask to understand year-to-year changes in child outcomes data.

Multicultural Collection of Farm to Early Childhood Education Books

The Food Trust’s multicultural collection of farm to early childhood education (ECE) books highlights children’s books that feature characters from diverse racial and ethnic groups, many of which are authored by writers of color. The list also includes books that are either bilingual or written exclusively in Spanish. These books cover a wide variety of farm to ECE related topics including gardening, farms, cooking, family meals, farmers markets, shopping for food, and more.

ESSO Newsletter may reference and contain links to external sources. The opinions expressed in these sources do not reflect the views, positions, or policies of the Florida Department of Health or Early Steps Program nor should their inclusion be considered an endorsement of any private organization.

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