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Talking Points: The Pediatric Health Practitioner’s Role in School Readiness --

Talking Points: The Pediatric Health Practitioner’s Role in School Readiness --. Enhancing the Content of Well-Child Care Charles Bruner, SECPTAN September, 2005. Five Reasons for Enhancing Well-Child Care. Opportunity : Near universal contact with young children

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Talking Points: The Pediatric Health Practitioner’s Role in School Readiness --

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  1. Talking Points: The Pediatric Health Practitioner’s Role in School Readiness -- Enhancing the Content of Well-Child Care Charles Bruner, SECPTAN September, 2005

  2. Five Reasons for Enhancing Well-Child Care • Opportunity: Near universal contact with young children • Expectation:Ultimate goals for well-child care • Impact: Health’s potential contribution to closing the gap in kindergarten readiness • Interconnectedness:Relationship of health and social/emotional development to cognitive development • Potential: Existence of exemplary and implementable practices and programs

  3. Opportunity • More than any other service providers, pediatric health practitioners see young children and their parents and can identify developmental concerns • 99% of children 0-5 visit a health practitioner at least once during the year • 31% of children 0-5 have a well-child visit/EPSDT screen funded by Medicaid Source: Commonwealth Fund

  4. Expectation Physical Health and Development -- Well-Child Visit Goals • No undetected hearing or vision problems • No chronic health problems without a treatment plan • Immunizations complete for age • No untreated dental caries • No undetected congenital abnormalities • Good nutritional habits and no obesity • No exposure to tobacco smoke Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Development -- Well-Child Visit Goals • No unrecognized or untreated developmental delays (social, cognitive, communications • No unrecognized maternal depression, family violence, or family substance abuse • Parents knowledgeable and skilled to anticipate and meet child’s developmental needs • Parents linked to all appropriate community services Source: Dr. Ed Schor, Commonwealth Fund

  5. Impact Up to half of achievement gap in later grades is already evident in the readiness gap at kindergarten entry. - Rouse, Brooks-Gunn, and McClanahan As much as one-quarter of the readiness gap may be attributable to health conditions or health behaviors of both mothers and children. - Currie Parents play the most important role in preparing their children for school (at least one-half of all impacts on kindergarten readiness), and health services can assist in supporting parents in fulfilling that role. Source: School Readiness: Closing Racial and Ethnic Gaps, Future of Children (Spring, 2005)

  6. Interconnectedness • Three in four children who start school behind cognitively also have physical or social and emotional delays as issues • Children starting behind in more than one area have the most difficulty catching up • Kindergarten teachers report greatest challenge in helping children learn is in dealing with social and emotional issues, not cognitive ones

  7. Potential • Exemplary programs and practices exist that: • Increase pediatric practitioner’s use of developmental screening, provision of anticipatory guidance, and identification of developmental health concerns during well-child visits • Strengthen pediatric referrals to Part C early intervention and other community-based services to address developmental, behavioral, and parenting needs • Link back to pediatric practitioner for monitoring and follow-up at next well-child visit • These programs and practices work because they: • Make sense to practitioners, patients, and referring agencies • Have enlisted pediatric practitioner support and leadership and are implementable in office settings • Do not involve major new costs and often are eligible for Medicaid funding support

  8. Promising Practices in Well-Child Care: A Beginning List • Achieving Better Child Development (ABCD Initiative supported by Commonwealth Fund) • Help Me Grow (Connecticut) • Reach Out and Read • Healthy Steps for Young Children • Bright Futures and Bright Futures MH • Touchpoints • DSM-PC and DC:0-3 Source and Resource: Commonwealth Fund

  9. Useful Websites State Early Childhood Policy Technical Assistance Network -- www.finebynine.org School Readiness Indicators Initiative -- www.gettingready.org Commonwealth Fund -- www.cmwf.org National Academy for State Health Policy -- www.nashp.org National Center for Children in Poverty -- www.nccp.org

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