Newborn Screenings Can Prevent Problems
Interactive Tools to Track Child Development
Parenting is a tough job. We can help.
How can you help your child grow, learn and be healthy?
Parenting is a tough job and hard work. The Union County Health Department through the Help Me Grow program and Early Head Start is here to help you as a parent. We will help you with specific questions you may have about your child’s development, how to help your child learn, and how to insure your child is healthy. We can also connect you with other resources that help you make the best choices for your family.
Here is how we may be able to help you?
- During your pregnancy: We can provide information about how your child is developing, what you can do care for yourself and your child, how to prepare your home for your expected child.
- Developmental Screenings: We provide developmental screenings for your child from birth to age five. We screen for speech development, motor skill development and your child’s social emotional development. Developmental screenings help you know how your child is developing and helps assess if additional resources might be needed.
- Developmental Evaluations: We can help your family connect to additional services if there is an ongoing concern about your child’s development. A developmental evaluation will assist your family in receiving services for specific areas of concern about your child’s development. A developmental evaluation may assist your child in qualifying for Part C services under the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
- Helpful Parenting Tips: We can provide for you helpful age appropriate parenting tips on every area of your child’s development. We have parent education resources from a variety of resources and curriculum. The staff will provide material to meet your family’s need.
- Connecting to your community resources: If there is a concern about your child’s development we can help connect you to the resources in our community that will help you meet your child’s needs. Our goal is to make sure that your family knows the resources in the community to ensure your child is growing, learning and healthy.
- Someone to ask questions and talk to: Every parent receives advice from multiple directions. We listen to your concerns and frustrations and will seek answers for your questions.
How does the Health Department program work?
- Home Visiting (preferred but not required): We prefer to do our screenings, evaluations and education in the natural environment of the child. This is where the child is most comfortable and where the child spends most of their time learning.
- Parent Education: While we draw on a number of resources for our parent education, our staff uses Parents As Teacher as their main resource. The material is personalized for each visit and provides valuable ideas of activities you can do with your child.
- Individualized Family Service Plan or a Family Plan: Every family will have an Individualized Family Service Plan or a Family Plan that will assist in providing services for you family. The plan will list the goals you have for your child, what services or activities and resources will be utilized to assist you to meet that goal and ongoing follow along to see if the goal is being met.
Parenting is hard work. We are here to help you by providing screenings, education and resources for you and your family. If you are interested in discussing how we may be able to help you and your family please call us at 937-642-2053.
