Get Ready to GROW: Comprehensive developmental checks

Only 20 to 30% of children with health, behavioral, and development problems are identified and receive appropriate interventions prior to entering school. Working along side Children's Institute and a collaborative of child-serving organizations, a new community campaign was created to ensure families are aware of the benefits and availability of screenings.

The Get Ready to GROW collaborative, led by Children’s Institute, features screenings designed to support a child’s doctor by providing complementary information that they would not get during a typical well visit.  In addition to height, weight, vision, and hearing, these development checks look at movement, dental, speech & language, thinking & reasoning, and social & emotional well being, as well as social determinants of health and education.  The free checks are an easy and fun way for families to engage in their child’s development, and leverage state-of-the-art technology to ensure best practices. 

The initiative aims to raise awareness and educate parents about these important screenings.  The advertising acknowledges that parents often see things in their child’s behavior they are unsure of or think will go away with time.  With the help of a screening, they can uncover their child’s strengths and, if a need is identified, take action to ensure their development is on track. 

The GROW community initiative is managed by Children’s Institute but is the result of multiple years of collaborative planning efforts with more than 30 partnering organizations across education, health, and human services.  Each partner provides vital knowledge, services, and funding, with roles including funding, family and community connections, direct services such as screening, child care and medical service provision, and parent navigation support. 

Parents or providers can learn more about Get Ready To Grow or sign up for a free check at www.GetReadyToGrow.org or by reaching out to the GROW team by email at support@getreadytogrow.org or by phone at (585) 295-1008.