Resources for Families, Parents & Caregivers

Local Resources Central Directory for Families

The Central Directory of Early Intervention Resources provides information by county for resources such as social services, mental health services, regional centers, and family resource centers.

Developmental Milestones Checklists for Babies and Young Children

  • CDC’s Milestone Tracker App | CDC Milestones matter! Track your child’s milestones from age 2 months to 5 years with CDC’s easy-to-use illustrated checklists; get tips from CDC for encouraging your child’s development; and find out what to do if you are ever concerned about how your child is developing.
  • This set of age-based handouts includes a “What to Expect” chart for each age range, frequently asked questions, a research summary, and information about common parenting challenges for each age and stage.
  • This checklist is developed by Pathways.org. It lists the milestone checklist by age and within four topics: motor, sensory, communication, and feeding.
  • Stanford’s quick reference of developmental milestones is sorted by age and topics based on gross motor, fine motor, communication/social, and cognitive/adaptive development from birth to 5 years.
  • The Whole Child has created a guide that shows the ages by which most young children develop certain abilities. Information is sorted by Physical, Language, Social and Emotional categories.
  • Help Me Grow Minnesota has created a site that explains how babies develop at their own pace and each milestone shows a range of skills that is typically seen in infant development. The site explains how babies may not meet every milestone but can still be progressing normally. The milestone tracker comes in different languages.
  • Healthychildren.org by the American Academy of Pediatrics lists 10 Physical, Social, Emotional & Cognitive Milestones to Watch for as the child grows.
  • John Hopkins developmental milestones provides parents and caregivers examples of how they can support their child’s learning, development and emotional security with lots of positive interaction and age-appropriate activities that practice specific skills.

Highlights

Early Start Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The California Early Start FAQ has been created to answer frequently asked questions related to access and referrals, services and supports, eligibility, and transition after age 3. If you need additional information about Early Start services or if you have additional questions call (800) 515-BABY or e-mail us at earlystart@dds.ca.gov.

Black Maternal Health Week

Dr. Nadine Burke Harris Video:

Autism

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability characterized by social communication and interaction challenges, as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. For more information go to Autism – CA Department of Developmental Services

Early Start Neighborhood:

The Early Start Neighborhood provides a virtual community for Early Start professionals, partners, parents and caregivers seeking information, resources, training, and technical assistance on early intervention, Part C requirements, implementation, and evidence-based practices.

Community Resources Infographic:

Reasons for Concern Brochure:

This brochure is a collaborative effort between the Department of Developmental Services and the California Department of Education. The brochure is designed to facilitate finding and identifying young children who may benefit from early intervention or specialized education services and to encourage appropriate referrals regarding these children to Early Start and special education preschool services. It can be ordered through the Publications Order Form.

For free downloadable resources please go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website and choose from a variety of resources: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/freematerials.html#toolsfortrackingmilestones-2017

For more information regarding Early Start services and referrals, please contact the Early Start BabyLine at 800 – 515 – BABY (800 – 515 – 2229) or earlystart@dds.ca.gov

Early Start Publications:

Some of the Early Start free materials may be downloaded from this webpage, or you can email the completed Publications Order Form PDFto earlystart@dds.ca.gov


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Last modified: December 29, 2021