Halton Region launches: Is Your Child on Track?

Halton Region recently launched its “Is Your Child on Track?” campaign to raise awareness about the importance of observing early child development and responding right away to any concerns.

One of the tools available through the campaign is a simple developmental checklist, called the Nipissing District Developmental Screen (NDDS). It helps parents and caregivers track how a child is developing at various stages, from one month to six years of age. The campaign, however, emphasizes 18 months of age as a critical time to track child development because it is a period of growth when key developmental skills emerge.

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and that’s really what this campaign is about,” said Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr. “We are using the Week of the Child to show that Halton Region can help our young succeed. We mail out the checklist to all Halton families with a child approaching that age. We also have staff available every weekday to answer questions about child development, regardless of the age of their child. Just give us a call, we are here to help.”

The Region’s posters, professional articles, training presentations and other awareness-raising strategies about early identification stress the key message of “don’t wait and see”.

“Early intervention can dramatically improve child outcomes and have long-lasting benefits, not only for the child and his/her family, but also for the community at large,” said Dr. Bob Nosal, Halton’s Medical Officer of Health. “’Is Your Child on Track?’ is about engaging more parents, childcare providers and healthcare professionals to act right away when a developmental concern is identified at an early stage – especially around 18 months of age.”

He went on to cite the many positive results early intervention can have:

• children have higher self esteem
• parents are more confident in knowing how to respond to their child’s behaviour
• parents can better advocate for their child and can help him/her stay on track
• earlier access specialized services
• parents are reassured by the support they receive to ensure their child reaches his/her full potential
• children are better prepared for starting school and have more success throughout their education

For more information about the “Is Your Child on Track” campaign, or about early childhood development in general, call Halton Region at 311 or 905-825-6000, or visit our website at www.halton.ca.

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