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Tom
Anderson, Family
Resource Worker, Southwest Family Room—Way to Grow,
Minneapolis
Chris Hansen, Early
Childhood Special Education Teacher, Carver Scott Educational
Cooperative
Lola Jahnke, Public Health
Social Worker/Follow-Along Program Statewide Coordinator, Follow
Along Program and the Minnesota Children with Special Health
Needs (MCSHN) Programs at the Minnesota Department of Health
Joan Mick, Behavior
Specialist Central Center for Family Resources, Proactive
Intervention Program Anoka County
Terrie Rose, Coordinator,
Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler
Development, Institute of Child Development, University of
Minnesota
Martha Schermer, Social
Worker, Children's Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis
Gary Schwery, Therapist,
Psychomotrist, Associated Clinic of Psychology
Carol Siegel, Clinical
Director, Washburn Child Guidance Center, Infant/Toddler Program,
Minneapolis
Cindy Toppin, Vice
President, Lifetrack Resources/Early Head Start, Ramsey County
Renee Torbenson,
Parent/Infant Specialist, Minneapolis Early Childhood Family
Education (ECFE)
Kristen Wheeler,
Coordinator, Community Support Program, Central Center for Family
Resources, Anoka County
Family Resource Worker, Southwest Family Room — Way to Grow, Minneapolis
Way to Grow is a community-based organization which initiates the systemic change necessary to promote family-friendly communities and the school readiness of all children. Recognizing that parents are the primary teachers of their children, Way to Grow coordinates informal and formal support systems to assist parents in meeting their children's growth and developmental needs from conception through age six.
• City of Minneapolis
• Federal money
• State money
• United Way
• Private organizations
We are an agency of the Youth Coordinating Board of the City of Minneapolis. There are currently nine sites in the eleven planning districts providing services specifically tailored to their particular neighborhood.
We refer participants to existing resources and services to support them in preparing their children for school and also offer a limited range of direct services.
Way to Grow began 10 years ago.
Our site was founded six years ago.
All Minneapolis families with children ages 0 to 6 years. Universal access.
Through support groups, classes, and one-to-one contact, our site provides services to approximately 200 families and infants.
City-wide, Way to Grow has approximately 75 service providers. Our site has seven service providers.
We receive referrals from Minnesota Visiting Nurses Association (MVNA), Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE), other human service agencies, direct outreach by staff, and self-referral.
We are a universal access program. Participants must currently be pregnant or have children.
There are no educational requirements (post-high school). Each new employee completes a six-week training before providing one-to-one services.
Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Carver Scott Educational Cooperative
Early identification and intervention services for children with special needs and their families
Local, state, and federal education funding
• Collaborative team approach
• Home-based and family-focused
• Team members that include: early childhood special education teacher, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, child behavior specialist, teach of hearing impaired, parents, child care providers, social workers, nurse, interpreter
• Early assessment
• Identification of children's strengths and developmental needs
• Home visits
• Collaboration with early childhood family education
• Community health nursing
• Consultation to area child care centers
Thirteen years with the school district. Services prior to 1987 were county-based.
Birth to three-year-olds, children with special needs.
10
Phone call to a central intake and referral program — First Step. Families are also referred by hospitals, physicians, public health nursing, social services, child care centers.
Early childhood/special education criteria needs to be met for intervention services. Assessment is available for any family/child with concerns about development.
B.A. and M.A. in special education and child development, occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, and communication disorders. Licensure in education.
Public Health Social Worker/Follow-Along
Program Statewide Coordinator,
Follow Along Program and the Minnesota Children with Special
Health Needs (MCSHN) Programs at the Minnesota Department of
Health
Early identification of infants and toddles who are at risk for developmental delay or health issues, through a periodic monitoring and tracking system.
• Minnesota Department of Health, Title V
• Local tax dollars
• Medical Assistance (M.A.)
• Special Education funding through Part C (for children ages birth to three)
• Private funding
• Insurance
• Local and state partnership
• One method of child find
• Population-based core public health activity
• Easy to implement
• Cost-effective
• It works
• Voluntary
• Families like it
It was started 12 years ago in southwestern Minnesota and has expanded statewide.
Families of children birth to three who are at risk for developmental delay or health issues.
Prevention, screening and referral = all.
• Staff in 84 counties and two reservations
• Minnesota Department of Health and MCSHN = 2
• Part C Early Intervention Team = 5
Families are referred by hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU), physicians, Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), WIC, Public Health, and by self-referral.
Some counties use specific risk criteria; others enroll anyone who is interested.
Public health nursing, B.A., masters, child development, health education
Behavior Specialist Central Center for Family
Resources,
Proactive Intervention Program Anoka County
Lower the number of Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) referrals for behavior, maintain current child care placement, and provide for success
Local Collaborative Time Study (LCTS) money from school districts funneled through the Children and Families Council
Collaborative team approach
Being able to work directly with children, staff, and parents to help the child be successful and to help staff and parents become aware of community resources that are available.
Three years, six months
All children birth to five years of age or first day of kindergarten. However, most are between the ages of three and five.
Three. However, we have teams that give us additional support.
Parents call if the child is struggling. Also, child care staff can make referrals.
If the staff has been through the Proactive Intervention Program training, we can work in the setting with the child or work to get the staff trained.
Varies greatly.
Coordinator, Irving B. Harris Training Center
for Infant and Toddler Development
Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota
The Irving B. Harris Training Center for Infant and Toddler Development is a University/community partnership with a twofold mission: to serve as an information resource for the University and community and to maximize the ability of professionals and organizations to better serve infant and toddler populations.
One of 10 such centers in the United States and Israel dedicated to the training of professionals in the infant/family field, the center is supported by Irving Harris.
The Harris Center is dedicated to both prevention and intervention in working with infants, toddlers and families. The goal is to provide accessible information and training that promotes effective, responsible, and caring environments for very young children.
The Harris Center engages numerous projects designed to help parents, professionals, and policy-makers provide optimal support for the healthy development of infants and toddlers. These activities include: conducting workshops, public forums and conferences relevant to current topics in child development; Training of Trainers program providing leadership training programs for professionals in the infant/family field; service and research programs enhancing the development of infant, toddlers and families.
The Harris Center was created in 1996.
Professionals, community members, policy makers, parents, care providers, educators, graduate students, and undergraduate students are served in local and national training activities. In addition, infant, toddlers, parents and siblings are served in service programs.
Several service programs are associated with the Harris Center.
Most of the Harris Center activities are conducted by dedicated individuals who have a Ph.D. in child development and years of practical and research experience. The Harris Center also partners with a wide variety of professionals from public health nursing, early childhood education, and social work.
Social Worker, Children's Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis
Champion children with special health needs and their families.
Insurance reimbursement
We serve medically fragile, chronically ill children and their families as well as children with acute medical needs.
26 years
Pediatrics
Varied.
Therapist, Psychomotrist, Associated Clinic of Psychology
Psychiatric and counseling services; Rule 29 services.
• Insurance
• Private pay
• Grants
Multidisciplinary team approach.
In-home early intervention services.
The program is in its second year.
Preschoolers of Dakota County.
50-70 families.
Two directly; organization has 45 professionals.
Referral from early childhood/local school district.
Approximately 50% early childhood special education eligible.
• Doctoral level psychologists
• Training in child and family services
• Each having 11+ years of in-home experience
Clinical Director, Washburn Child Guidance Center, Infant/Toddler Program, Minneapolis
• Strengthening relationships between parent and child
• Preventing child abuse and neglect
County
Nonprofit mental health agency that provides comprehensive services for children and families
Psychotherapeutic program for parents with serious mental health needs
This version of Infant/Toddler is 10 months old, but there has been an Infant/Toddler program at Washburn Child Guidance Center for approximately 20 years.
Low income, high need, high risk parents and children
Child Protection Services (CPS), pediatricians, Way to Grow, self-referral, etc.
Have children between 0-36 months, although exceptions can be made for children 36+ months who are functioning below their chronological age. Pregnant women are eligible as well.
M.A.- or Ph.D.-level
Vice President, Lifetrack Resources/Early Head Start, Ramsey County
Early Head Start seeks to enhance very young children's development and promote healthy family functions and self-sufficiency.
Federal Head Start
• Collaboration with Ramsey Action Programs (RAP) Head Start
• Lifetrack Resources
• Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
• Partners with public health and mental health
Weekly home visiting, focusing on child development, health and nutrition, community resources, and family-to-family support
September 1999
Income-eligible families in Ramsey County who are pregnant or have children ages zero to three.
40
5
Referrals from public health, child protection, Head Start, other community resources, and self-referral.
• Income eligible
• At risk
• B.A. in child development,
social work, or related fields
• Experience with families with
young children in a home setting
Parent/Infant Specialist, Minneapolis Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
Minneapolis ECFE builds and supports the skills and confidence of parents and strengthens families by providing safe and educational environments that promote the healthy growth and development of families with children pre-birth to kindergarten. Specifically, the hospital-based collaborative programming strives to offer education and support to parents of newborn infants as they begin their new relationship and help connect parents with parent support and education programs located in their community.
ECFE is funded through state-legislated dollars.
ECFE is a universal access education and support program for parents and their children birth to kindergarten.
Minneapolis ECFE offers a broad range of parent education and support services to meet the needs of the individual community. Classes are offered at neighborhood sites and in collaboration with hospitals, clinics, and social service agencies throughout the community. Specialized programming is offered for Hmong-, Somali-, and Spanish-speaking parents.
The ECFE program has been in existence since 1974. In the past two years, Minneapolis ECFE has expanded its collaboration with the medical community to more effectively reach parents of infants. Classes or individual parent education sessions are offered to parents of newborns during their postpartum stay at several area hospitals.
Parents and their children pre-birth to kindergarten.
In the 1998-99 school year, over 5,000 families (parents and infants) received preventative infant mental health services in hospital and neighborhood-based classes through Minneapolis ECFE.
Minneapolis ECFE has six full-time parent/infant specialists.
Families are actively recruited through a variety of marketing and outreach efforts. Hospital-based classes provide a natural audience for parent education and outreach efforts. Families also access us through agency referrals and word of mouth.
ECFE is a universal access program with a sliding fee scale. Fee waivers are available and no one is turned away because of an inability to pay.
Minneapolis ECFE infant specialists are licensed parent and/or early childhood educators and receive specific infant training for working with parents of newborns. Most infant specialists have a masters degree and several are also licensed ECSE teachers.
Coordinator, Community Support Program, Central Center for Family Resources, Anoka County
To provide support and consultation to parents and providers for children (birth to kindergarten) around social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health issues.
• Anoka County mental health dollars
• Grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families, and Learning
Collaborative mental health clinic
• No referral criteria
• Service can follow child
• Ability to support children and families in any/all settings that children are in
With Central Center, 5 years; previously supported by the Wilder Foundation
Any family or provider within Anoka County, birth through kindergarten
Number of people in agency/organization involved in this type of work:
One full-time, one-half-time
Referrals
No criteria
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