Have you booked your free hour-long appointment with an early childhood consultant?
Ages and Stages Day is coming up Thursday, April 6, at Webster Elementary.
In partnership with early childhood professionals, FAN is offering families the opportunity to get a snapshot of their child’s development.
Parents can pre-register for a free hour-long appointment with an early childhood professional to go through the Ages and Stages questionnaire. The questionnaire is completed by the consultant and the parent as they observe the child playing. Parents can ask questions about and receive information on topics like feeding, walking, talking, behaviour and sleep routines.
The Ages and Stages screening tool is made up of 21 different questionnaires that correspond to the age of a child.
Developmental milestones that a child may demonstrate are different depending on the age they are at.
“As parents we all have questions at different stages of our child’s growth and development. These clinics give parents a way to measure and track their children’s development and feel confident that their child is on track,” says FAN executive director Christy Anderson. “The beauty of the Ages and Stages tool is that it is play-based, so the screening is fun for the child.”
What happens when a parent has concerns about an area of their children’s development? Anderson states, “If there is an area of concern brought forward during the screening process, the nice thing about Ages and Stages clinics is that parents receive immediate information about how to further support their child. If a parent has a concern about their child’s speech, for example; they are given contact information for the speech therapist and what the intake process for that service is.”
Early years professionals can also suggest activities that a parent can work on at home with children who may show a slight delay in a particular area of development. Many times, including developmental age-appropriate activities in the home is just the ticket to overcoming a small hurdle before it becomes a big bump.
The free services available during this Ages and Stages clinic are dental checkups and general developmental screening. Appointments are booking up quickly. Call FAN today to book yours: 1-855-368-3707.
FAN is grateful for the continuing support of Teck Metals — Trail Operations, Columbia Basin Trust and School District 20.