Early Childhood Screenings help support and guide parents

As the school year comes closer to an end in the region, community organizations dedicated to supporting children have sprung into action, some having completed their screenings, and some still preparing to screen the infants, toddlers and young children in the area.

Child Find is a national mandate that all schools must have a process for identifying children that may have delays and need special services; it is a part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

This year the Child Find childhood screening was held for Chester-Joplin-Inverness Public Schools and outlying communities April 8, for Havre Public Schools April 14-16, and screenings for the Chinook, Hartland Colony, Zurich, Davey and Cleveland school districts will be held next Tuesday, April 24.

These screenings use the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning to assess motor skills, concepts and language for children 3-5 years old. For birth to 3 years old, the Developmental Profile is used and provided by Benchmark.

Karla Geda, director of Special Education and Federal Projects for the Havre Public Schools, said that if a delay is detected during the screening they can progress with specialized evaluations.

“For example,” Geda said, “if a speech delay is found, (the assessors) will ask permission from the parent for further evaluation and recommend special services.”

Geda said that they want to help and guide parents.

All of the early childhood screenings are free, sponsored events. The Havre screening is sponsored by the district and the Early Childhood Investment Team, while other area screenings are sponsored by Bear Paw Cooperative.

“The ECIT is made up of local service providers who have a vested interest in helping support children 0-8,” ECIT Coordinator Tina Thomas said.

The group tries to help the providers collaborate with interested people to see what services they are providing and to make sure they aren’t duplicating services, she said.

Louise Nissen of Bear Paw Cooperative, said that all the smaller schools belong to the cooperative and the group sponsors the screenings because it would be financially devastating for each school to fund screenings themselves.

Nissen added that the co-op has an Early Childhood Coordinator and a team of people who put the screenings together.

“Every district is included in the screening,” Nissen said.

The screenings organized by Bear Paw Cooperative are staffed completely by volunteers, while the Havre event is staffed by volunteers and district teachers.

Along with the developmental screenings, the Havre screening included vision, hearing and dental screenings, while the Bear Paw Cooperative-sponsored events have vision and hearing screenings. These screenings also provide kindergarten registration for all districts.

Both Geda and Thomas said the event is a one-stop shop. This is especially beneficial for parents who work, Thomas added, because it saves parents from having to take off work for four different appointments.

Geda said that the developmental screening is done by teachers and the health screenings, as well as the informational booths and entrance and exit desks, are manned by volunteers at the Havre screening.

The health screenings this year in Havre were conducted by Optometrist Erica Farmer and the Lyons Club, Audiologist Wyatt Rasmussen and the Bullhook Dental Clinic team.

Farmer, who said she is in her seventh year volunteering at the screening, said it is important to her to volunteer at this event because she and Northern Montana Hospital are dedicated to helping the children in the community and want to help make sure that area children are ready to go to kindergarten.

Geda said she is very appreciative of the community for supporting the screenings, from the volunteers to the Van Orsdel United Methodist Church for letting them use its building, and the Havre Fire Department that did car seat checks across the street at the department while the screenings were going on.

If a family missed the screening or they have a concern about their child, they can contact the school district in their area or their health department. The health department can do health checks and immunizations, but the early childhood screenings, like the ones being held this month that include the developmental screenings plus health screenings, only happen once a year.

Thomas also said anyone who has an interest in helping organize future childhood screenings or who can help in providing services for the children in the Havre community is welcome to attend a meeting, which are held on the second Wednesday of each month. For more information people can contact Thomas at the Quality Life Concepts Havre office at 265-2620 or 390-6619.

Any parents with children 0-5 in the Chinook, Hartland Colony, Zurich, Davey, and Cleveland school districts can bring their kids to United Methodist Church-Wallner Hall Tuesday, April 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the free screening.