CDC Act Early Ambassadors Lead State Teams to Support Recovery and Strengthen Resiliency, Behaviors, and Resources of Children, Families, and Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Full Description: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early. (LTSAE) program and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities are in the second year of a collaborative project to provide support to early childhood state/territorial systems during COVID-19 response and mitigation efforts. Act Early Ambassadors lead state teams to address the many challenges to early identification of developmental delay/disability especially for those disproportionately affected by COVID-19.

The program bolsters the 4 steps of early identification of developmental delays/disabilities:
(1) parent-engaged developmental monitoring,
(2) developmental and autism screening,
(3) referral, and
(4) receipt of early intervention services for children birth to 5, across early childhood systems.

LTSAE aims to improve early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities so children and families can get the support they need by encouraging learning the signs of healthy development, monitoring every child’s early development, and taking action when there is a concern. In this presentation, Act Early Ambassadors from 4 state teams will share experiences in collaborative efforts with state partners:
- Maternal and Child Health Title V programs,
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C early intervention systems and Part B Section 619 preschool programs,
- Head Start/Early Head Start programs,
- Maternal and Child Health programs such as the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs, and
- state chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics, among others.

Panelists will describe the role of inter-professional work in support of parent-engaged developmental monitoring. They will share practical ideas about embedding free LTSAE resources into professional and community systems with emphasis on how these materials support programs in meeting their performance standards and requirements for family engagement, screening, and early identification of needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic when individuals, families, community programs, and state service systems experienced additional significant challenges, the ability to pivot from existing patterns to new strategies became critical. This presentation will highlight ways different states responded to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The capacity for those in existing systems to work more closely together and to support their respective work helps build resiliency into infrastructure, and ultimately supports resiliency in families. Panelists will use lessons learned from our collective work to address the AMCHP conference theme of "Reflecting on our Past, Shaping our Future" as we look towards sustainability of new relationships and strategies that improve maternal and child health outcomes. This session involving interdisciplinary partnerships will be appropriate for a varied audience.

Abbreviated Description: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early. program and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities are in the second year of a collaborative project to provide support to early childhood state/territorial systems during COVID-19 response and mitigation efforts. Act Early Ambassadors lead state teams to address the challenges to early identification of developmental delay/disability. In this panel presentation, Act Early Ambassadors from 4 state teams will share experiences, in collaborative efforts with state partners. Panelists will describe the role of inter-professional work in support of parent-engaged developmental monitoring. As this work relies on interdisciplinary partnerships, this session will be appropriate for a varied audience.