Kathleen Daly, MSW Candidate, BA, Riley Child Development Center
Indiana LEND
Stephan Viehweg, ACSW, LCSW, IMH-E(IV), RCDC Indiana LEND
Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for
Children, Indianapolis, Indiana
Learn The Signs. Act Early: Community Integration Project
Goal
Objective
Methods
To collaborate with key state-level stakeholders to incorporate
the Center for Disease Control
and Preventions (CDC) Learn The Signs. Act Early.(LTSAE)
prevention materials, promoting
awareness of developmental milestones and
the benefit of early intervention into library
systems
Create partnerships with Indiana libraries and their
consumers
Gain understanding about relevant infrastructure and various
funding sources
that impact library programming
Initiate meaningful conversations to enhance awareness about
healthy child
development
Implement CDC materials into the State of Indianas Library
system
Contacted 8 librarians at the community and state level who
create, plan, and implement
childrens programs throughout Indiana
Engaged in unstructured interviews regarding the following
topics:
Library funding sources
Populations served through current library programming
Current barriers, challenges, and gaps in programming or ability
to reach target populations
Collaborated to develop a strategic plan for implementing the
LTSAE materials into library
programs
About the Act Early Initiative Project Outcomes
References
Conclusion
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015).
Learn the signs. Act early. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/actearly
While state infrastructure and other library funding
sources present unique challenges to incorporating
the CDCs LTSAE, creative partnership and collaboration have made
it possible to begin the
process of raising awareness and affecting change
in local communities around the topic of early
identification and intervention.
Areas that should be considered in the future
include:
Considerations of future funding streams to personalize print
materials
Further attention to addressing at-risk or hard to reach
populations
Development of quantifiable outcome measures and data collection
methods to decipher new
areas for program growth and improvement
State of Indiana Library Blogpost highlighting LTSAE and direct
link to CDC website
Invitations to present webinars and workshops at local and
statewide library related meetings and
conferences
Interest in printing Amazing Me and other LTSAE materials
personalized to local and statewide
communities
LTSAE materials to be listed in OCLC online database which
facilitates easy online
cataloguing for libraries statewide
Wider dissemination of LTSAE materials statewide to rural and
urban communities
In October 2004, the CDC unveiled its national Learn the Signs.
Act Early. campaign, which focuses on
raising awareness about healthy early childhood developmental
milestones and underscores the importance
of both tracking a childs development and engaging in
conversations with healthcare providers to discuss possible
intervention strategies if there are concerns.
Through the use of complimentary, user-friendly tools and
materials, parents, caregivers, and professionals
have the ability to create a collaborative partnership to ensure
that children who demonstrate developmental
delays can be identified early and begin accessing services and
supports they might need.
(CDC, 2015)
