State Initiative
Delaware Bill Ensures Access to Developmental Screening for All
Beginning in July 2023, all child care programs will be required to provide annual developmental and social emotional screening to children under the age of five who are not enrolled in kindergarten.
Delaware Governor John Carney signed HB202 into effect this month, expanding access to developmental screenings for all young children attending licensed child care programs across the state. Beginning in July 2023, all child care programs will be required to provide annual developmental and social emotional screening to children under the age of five who are not enrolled in kindergarten. Developmental screening programs identify children whose development may deserve closer observation or assessment and children who may be at risk of later developmental problems. According to the State of Babies Yearbook, only 26% of Delaware infants and toddlers received developmental screening, below the national average of 32.5%. This new law will increase the chances that children who may be eligible for early intervention receive the services they need as early as possible. To learn how other states and communities are approaching screening policies, read Recommendations on Developmental Screening Follow-up Practices and Policies for Federal, State, and Community Level Stakeholders.
Read more about:
You might also be interested in
-
Article
DC Council Passes the Child Wealth Building Act and More!
Earlier this month the DC Council unanimously passed the Fiscal Year 2021 city budget, securing significant wins for babies and their families. Of note were two economic initiatives for families with…
-
Article
Connecticut Baby Bonds Aim to Tackle Poverty and Advance Racial Equity
Connecticut recently became the first state in the nation to create trusts, “Baby Bonds”, for children born in the state who live in families with low income.
-
Article
Missouri to Launch New Office of Childhood
This January, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, along with the Missouri Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education, Health and Senior Services, and Social Services, announced a new state Office o…
-
Article
Rhode Island Celebrates Big Wins for Babies
The 2021 Rhode Island legislative session wrapped up with several impressive wins for babies and their families.
-
Article
Continuing the Rally for Paid Family Medical Leave in States
ZERO TO THREE and CLASP recently hosted several states at a virtual joint economic security convening. Among other presentations, participants heard from Andrea Paluso of Family Forward Oregon about …
-
Article
Minnesota Public-Private Partnership Embraces Family, Friend and Neighbor Care
A strong public private partnership and focus on racial and health equity in Minnesota has allowed for expansion of an innovative approach to supporting family, friend and neighbor (FFN) providers ac…
Explore More Delaware Focused Resources & Initiatives
-
Article
Delaware Takes on the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge
In December 2011, Delaware was awarded a four-year Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) grant and proposed the following targets to improve its early learning and development (ELD) syst…
-
Article
Delaware’s Efforts to Provide Developmental Screening
When the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health indicated that only 10.9% of children were screened as part of well-child visits in Delaware, the Delaware State Legislature passed legislation requ…
-
Article
Delaware Provides Financial Incentives to Child Care Providers Serving Infants
Read this brief summary of the full report, "Modeling Quality Costs for Delaware Stars: Report on the Program Cost of Quality."