Kansas Initiative for Developmental Ongoing Screening project offers resources for systems change


LAWRENCE — Kansas early childhood advocates and the communities they serve have a new website and online toolkit to help improve the lives of the state’s youngest residents. The Kansas Initiative for Developmental Ongoing Screening (KIDOS) provides best-practice training and coordinates the expansion of developmental and social-emotional screenings of children from birth to 3 years old.

The KIDOS project is a collaborative effort between the Kansas Department of Health & Environment (KDHE) and the Center for Public Partnerships & Research (CPPR) at the University of Kansas; KDHE serves as project manager, with CPPR providing project coordination and evaluation services.

The initiative seeks to expand upon existing efforts and infrastructure in order to effectively coordinate, improve and track developmental screenings and referrals for infants and toddlers across a variety of early-childhood support systems in Kansas, including home visiting, child care and early education settings, families, pediatric health care providers and early intervention services.

A key component of the KIDOS strategy is the recently launched website and online toolkit: www.screenearlystartstrong.org.

“Our project works with communities to build and strengthen their systems and coordination for developmental screenings and referrals across sectors in ways that meet the needs of both families and programs,” said KDHE KIDOS Project Manager Deborah Richardson. “We are committed to providing communities with tools to help them take a closer look at the current status of their early childhood efforts, identify areas of improvement and determine steps to reach the desired outcomes.”

Communities participating in KIDOS will be supported in selecting their own priorities. Depending on the status of current efforts, community priorities may include universal use of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires screening instruments across screening sites, improving information sharing and referral coordination between early childhood and medical service providers, adoption of screening tools in all pediatric health care settings, or all providers and programs participating in the online ASQ screening system.

KIDOS is funded by a three-year, $140,000 annual federal Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) grant awarded to the state of Kansas in July 2013. A work group of key state leaders chaired by University of Kansas Medical Center pediatrician and professor Pamela Shaw provides project guidance.

Development screenings are critical to early detection of developmental concerns and ensure healthy physical, social and emotional development during infancy and early childhood.

More about KDHE

At KDHE, our mission is to protect and improve the health and environment of all Kansans.

Through education, direct services and the assessment of data and trends, coupled with policy development and enforcement, KDHE will improve health and quality of life. We prevent illness, injuries and foster a safe and sustainable environment for the people of Kansas.

More about CPPR
One of the KU Achievement & Assessment Institute’s four research centers, CPPR assists partners with addressing complex social issues through research and evaluation, systems development, professional development, technical assistance and performance management systems. CPPR currently has more than 50 grants in the areas of early childhood, child welfare, child-abuse prevention, K-12 education and at-risk families. CPPR staff members have extensive experience working collaboratively with state, federal and community-based organizations to drive research, build capacity and make big changes possible. Strong partnerships with the Kansas Children's Cabinet & Trust Fund, Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Kansas State Department of Education and the Kansas Health Foundation result in innovations, positive change and support for at-risk children, youth and families across the state.

More about the KIDOS project
The KIDOS project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H25MC00234, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems: Building Health Through Integration, $140,000. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. government.

Tue, 07/28/2015

author

Bill Woodard

Media Contacts

Bill Woodard

Achievement & Assessment Institute

785-864-1680