Author: Admin
Play ActivitiesScreening
January 25, 2023 by Admin 0 Comments

Q&A with Bethanne: How to Support Families with Ongoing Screening and Promotion

Sparkler spoke with Bethanne Vergean, who leads family and community engagement for Sparkler Connecticut and is the Learn the Signs Act Early ambassador for Connecticut, about the importance of ongoing developmental screening and promotion in the early years. 

What is developmental screening and why is it important?

Developmental screening is a quick snapshot of your child’s developmental progress. Screening helps parents and providers to better understand children’s early growth and learning: Which skills have they developed? Which ones might need a little more practice or support? It’s estimated that 1 in 7 children are affected by developmental delays or other related challenges, but only about 1 in 5 of those kids gets identified before school begins. The earlier and the more that we screen, the better we can get at identifying which kids might need early interventions. 

What is developmental monitoring? How is it different from screening?

Developmental monitoring is done by families and caregivers every day as they watch their child play, speak and move. Screening is a more formal process, using a validated tool like Ages & Stages Questionnaires, but both are important. We’re so excited to be sharing Sparkler with Connecticut families because it brings together monitoring, screening, and ongoing promotion, making it easier for families to track and support their children’s development in the early years.

You're the Learn the Signs. Act Early. Ambassador for the state of Connecticut. What is Learn the Signs?

Learn the Signs is a program from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that aims to improve early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities so children and families can get the services and support they need as early as possible. Learn the Signs shares checklists of the skills that most children develop at each age in early childhood. Parents can find these checklists in Sparkler’s app under Tips for Adults to check on what skills their children should develop between birth and age 5.

How early should families complete an Ages & Stages Questionnaire?

As early as possible! The first ASQs are for two month old babies! Ideally families will complete these questionnaires throughout their child’s early years to understand their development, celebrate the milestones they achieve, and have the info they need to support them.

Should all families complete ASQ? Or just families with concerns?

Everyone! Studies show that people — even experts — aren’t great at identifying delays if they are not using screening tools. When everybody screens, parents and providers have the information they need to know who might need extra support! The exception to this rule is families who have children who are already diagnosed with delays. If a child is already receiving early interventions, there’s no need to complete more screening. (Families can still use Sparkler to find fun learning activities to play together, regardless of a diagnosis!)

People say "repeat screening" or "screening over time" is important. Why? How often should families be doing this?

Children learn and grow so much — and so quickly — in the early years! The skills they develop in the first five years help them get ready for everything that comes later — succeeding in school, navigating friendships, playing on teams. Screening early and often throughout early childhood helps families understand and support their children’s learning along the way. 

Families tend to enjoy completing the questionnaires. I've always thought it's because it helps them celebrate all the things their kids CAN do! How have you seen parents react to the ASQ over your career?

Yes! Screening helps parents learn what their children can do. When they try the skills in the ASQ — like walking up steps or drawing straight lines — parents are often surprised at all of the amazing skills that their kids have developed. Completing the screening can also help parents articulate questions or concerns they have, setting up really valuable conversations with their teachers or other providers. 

How can parents use Sparkler to promote learning in an ongoing way after completing the screening?

PLAY! Plain and simple play is the most powerful tool we have to help children learn and grow in the early years. Playing games, pretending, creating, going on adventures, singing, talking: all of these playful moments in children’s days are helping them develop important skills. Parents can use Sparkler to find thousands of play activities that can help them play and learn with their children.   

How can families use Sparkler to tap into the network of support available to families in the state of Connecticut?

Connecticut is the birthplace of Help Me Grow, a national system of early support that helps parents with young children. One important part of Help Me Grow is having a centralized access point for parents — a hub where families can get information and tools to help their kids if they have concerns in the early years. In Connecticut, that access point is 211 Child Development — and Sparkler connects parents directly with 211. If a parent asks a question in Sparkler’s two-way chat, they can get follow up and support from a care coordinator at 211; if they have a concern about their child’s development and are looking for what to do next, they can reach out to 211 through Sparkler. By putting Sparkler in parents’ pockets, we’re expanding access to the support that all parents need and deserve. It’s hard to be a parent. We never have all the answers! Sparkler is a tool that makes it easier for parents to access the answers and help they need. 

YOU have been working on early childhood in Connecticut for a long time! Can you tell us a little bit about your background?

I have been working in Early Childhood for 20 years! Early in my career I experienced working with families and young children by providing Health and Developmental screenings. This opportunity brought me such joy to work with families and guide them on the development of their children. Being the Learn the Signs Act Early Ambassador, I have had the opportunity to travel around the state and provide training to healthcare professionals, state agencies, home visitors, and early childhood programs. It is even more exciting now that I can share my work as an Ambassador and being a part of the Sparkler team to ensure that families have greater access to the information and resources they need to help their children.

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Play Activities
January 25, 2023 by Admin 0 Comments

New Year, New Content in Sparkler!

Sparker’s library of play activities is always growing, and we’re excited to let you know that we have added some Toddler and Preschooler activities about everyone’s favorite topic: dinosaurs! Families can find these activities under PLAY in their app … and providers can find it on the Dashboard Library tab. Here are a few highlights:

Fossil Match

Families can click here from a mobile device to open the activity in the Sparkler app! Here’s how to play:

  1. Fossils are the remains of animals or plants that lived a long time ago. Let’s make our own fossils and play a matching game.
  2. Let’s make five balls of playdough, and press a different small toy into each ball to make an impression.
  3. Close your eyes while I mix up the “fossils.” Observe the fossil impressions closely — can you match the toy with the impression that it made in the dough?
Dino Menu
Families can click here from a mobile device to open the activity in the Sparkler app! Here’s how to play:
  1. Different dinosaurs ate different things — carnivores ate meat and herbivores ate plants. 
  2. Let’s pretend to make a meal for your dinosaur. What does your dino have to eat today?
  3. Let’s add ingredients to the bowl, mix it up, and serve our dinosaurs!
Print Investigator
Families can click here from a mobile device to open the activity in the Sparkler app! Here’s how to play:
  1. Paleontologists are scientists that study dinosaurs. They can learn about how dinosaurs moved and how fast they moved from fossils of their footprints, called “Trackways.”
  2. Let’s go on a family walk and make footprints in the water, sand or mud. Let’s move in different ways: walking, running, or tiptoes. How will our footprints change as we move differently?
  3. Now, let’s circle back. Which print goes with which feet? Can you guess how they were moving by looking at their footprints?

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ParentingScreening
January 21, 2023 by Admin 0 Comments

Q&A: How to Support Families with Ongoing Screening and Promotion

Sparkler spoke with Zulema Rubalcava Barron, the Developmental Screening Manager at Support for Families of Children with Disabilities in San Francisco, about the importance of ongoing developmental screening and promotion in the early years. 

What is developmental screening and why is it important? 

Developmental screening is a snapshot in time of your child’s developmental progress. It’s like taking a picture of your child and being able to see how much they’ve grown from the last time you took their picture, except with a screening, we can see your child’s developmental strengths and which skills might need more practice or support. Every child is unique and that’s why it’s so important to use the information from the screening to be able to help your child and their individual strengths and skills continue to grow and learn.

How early should families complete an Ages & Stages Questionnaire?

I love talking about the wealth of information that families can find in the Sparkler app! The Sparkler app has so many great learning activities at your fingertips that are so easy to do with your child. The questionnaires are great but using the “Play” tab to get ideas of how to play together will not only promote your child’s development but will also create timeless memories of having fun, as a family (and while they’re learning too)! There are also so many amazing parenting tips on the “Home” page, so that, as a parent, you can also continue to learn and grow your own parenting practices. 

Should all families complete ASQ? Or just families with concerns? 

The great thing about these questionnaires is that they’re meant for every family, even if you think your child is doing great. Like I mentioned before, all children develop at their own pace and all children can benefit from support at times. The ASQ gives you great individualized information about your child’s development, so that we can celebrate their success and provide support where (and when) they most need it.  

People say “repeat screening” or “screening over time” is important. Why? How often should families be doing this? 

The first five years of a child’s life are so important! These years are building the foundation for your child’s future growth and learning, so it’s important to check in periodically, especially in those first three years, when children are learning and developing so rapidly!  There are different recommendations about how often we should ask families to fill out these questionnaires, but I don’t see any harm in letting families fill them out as often as they want. In general, you can’t screen too much, but you can screen too little; my hope is that families complete these questionnaires at least twice a year, if possible. 

Families tend to enjoy completing the questionnaires. I’ve always thought it’s because it helps them celebrate all the things their kids CAN do! How have you seen parents react to the ASQ over your career? 

Most families I’ve worked with tell me that they really like answering the ASQ’s because, not only do they learn more about their child, but also learn more about child development and the milestones children reach as they grow. Families often tell me that they continue to learn so much just by observing their child playing after completing an ASQ because they now have a better sense of what to look out for and how to continue to support their child’s development. I’ve also had families tell me that they’re so grateful they did this because they thought their child was developing typically, but after filling out the questionnaire they were able to see that their child was delayed in meeting some of their milestones and were able to get support from their teacher, pediatrician, professionals, etc., to the benefit of their child.  

Do you have any tips for a provider having a conversation following screening with a parent who does have concerns about their child’s development?

Always start with strengths! Every child has things they’re doing really well, even if there are concerns in other areas, and it’s important that families hear what those strengths are before talking about the concerns. Be specific about the concerns and let families process the information in whatever way works for them; that might look like giving them more time, less time, more information, less information, etc. And, also remind families that as their provider, you’ll be walking alongside them to support them throughout the process of finding out more information about their child’s development or looking for resources that can support their child. 

How can families use Sparkler in an ongoing way to support learning after completing a screening?

Always start with strengths! Every child has things they’re doing really well, even if there are concerns in other areas, and it’s important that families hear what those strengths are before talking about the concerns. Be specific about the concerns and let families process the information in whatever way works for them; that might look like giving them more time, less time, more information, less information, etc. And, also remind families that as their provider, you’ll be walking alongside them to support them throughout the process of finding out more information about their child’s development or looking for resources that can support their child. 

Support for Families helps families who have concerns to access evaluations or needed services. Can you tell us a bit about that care coordination piece and what supports there are for families in San Francisco with developmental concerns? 

We’ve been around since 1983, helping families who have children with developmental delays or concerns, disabilities, and/or special health care needs in San Francisco by proving information, education, and parent-to-parent support. We have an amazing team of care coordinators and family resource specialists that speak multiple languages who partner with families to navigate the different systems that provide evaluations or other services. We typically get referrals from all different sectors, like early childhood educators, health care settings, or other community agencies, but families can also self-refer themselves and call themselves if they have any questions or just want to explore resources. We also have fun family events, parenting play groups, support groups, parent workshops…the list goes on!

How can Support for Families help programs that are using Sparkler and ASQ with their families? 

We’ve been partnering with the Department of Early Childhood (DEC, also formerly First 5 and OECE) to help sites with their developmental screening systems, including using Sparkler. We have a variety of trainings on the ASQ and ASQ:SE, talking to families when concerns arise, and other trainings that support educators on everything from promoting self-regulation to supporting sensory needs to using visual aids, etc. We know that as we start screening, children who need a little more support will be identified and we want to make sure that this process is supportive for everyone — families and the providers who serve them. You can find all our supports on the Support for Families website.

You’ve been doing screening/early intervention for a long time! Can you tell us a little bit about your background? 

I’ve been working with families for most of my career, as an early interventionist at first, but have been working on making sure there is universal access to developmental screening in San Francisco for more than 16 years now, with different projects, but always with a focus on making sure that families have all the support they need to help their child grow and learn. 

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Play ActivitiesPlaying
December 28, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

2022’s Top Sparkler Play Activities

What have Sparkler families been playing in 2022? 

We looked at all the plays of the year to find the most popular learning activities families have done over the last 12 months using Sparkler. 

Roll, Toss, Bounce — a Sparkler activity that invites parents and children (babies through age 5) to pass a ball back and forth to grow focus and muscles — came in at #1. How is this building focus? Encouraging children to take turns and continue the game of back and forth helps to learn focus!

The following post lists the top baby activities and the top activities for toddlers and littles (through age 5). 

How many of these top activities has YOUR family tried in 2022? 

Top Baby Activities
  1. Fall Songs
  2. Fall Walk
  3. Sensory Pumpkin
  4. The Wheels on the Bus
  5. Tummy Time
  6. Face Time
  7. Stop, Drop, and Roll
  8. Kiss, Kiss
  9. Spa Day
  10. Lullaby
Top Toddler & Little Activities
  1. Roll, Toss, Bounce
  2. Throw and Catch
  3. Playground Fun
  4. Read Together
  5. Paint Your Pumpkin
  6. Dance it Out
  7. Pumpkin Spice Dough
  8. Heart Yoga
  9. Ball Drop
  10. Smell Detective

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Play Activities
December 13, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

Featured Holiday Play

There is so much to celebrate this month! Here are a few Sparkler activities to help children explore, celebrate, and learn this holiday season:

Night Walkers

This activity is great for all ages.

  • Let’s have an adventure and take a walk after the sun has set! What will we see?
  • Let’s look for the moon and stars, or other lights as we walk. Let’s use a flashlight to light our way. 
  • How does our neighborhood look and sound after dark? Is it the same as or different from the way it looks in the daytime?
Wrapping Paper Collage

Best for: Toddlers and Littles, but babies can explore paper, too, with help from their grown-ups.

  • Let’s make art with newspaper or with leftover wrapping paper from a holiday gift!
  • Let’s tear or use scissors to cut shapes out of the wrapping paper. 
  • Let’s glue the wrapping paper shapes onto the paper, cardboard, or an empty box to create a beautiful collage!
Snowflakes
  • Let’s make shaving cream snowflakes! 
  • On a cutting board or other surface that is OK to get messy, let’s spread out a layer of shaving cream. 
  • Now, with your finger, draw lines, dots, and other shapes to create a snowflake in the shaving cream. Erase it and try again!

You can share these activities with families via the Sparkler dashboard, or families can discover them within the mobile app. 

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ParentingPlay Activities
December 13, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

The Gift of YOU!

‘Tis the season for giving gifts. As children grow into toddlers and preschoolers living in our highly commercialized world, their natural curiosity and drive to play may lead them to want more and more and MORE. 

Children’s drive to connect with their primary caregivers is stronger than the need for any toy on the shelf. Sparkler’s new parent tip — The Gift of YOU — highlights several low- and no-cost gift ideas for young children. These include: 

  • Homemade coupons for their favorite activities. Children can redeem their coupons for special playtime with their grown-up.
  • Make something special like a car or play fort out of a large cardboard box (check appliance stores for free large appliance boxes!)
  • Create a scavenger hunt through your home or neighborhood and look for items together.
  • Create a dress-up box with your old hats, scarves, purses, ties, and other accessories.

You can share these tips with families through Sparkler from the Library tab of your dashboard. You’ll find more tips and tricks for a free, fun holiday season — full of love and play in the app. 

 

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Family SupportNews
November 16, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

How 211 Supports Families & Programs Through Sparkler CT

All families and providers using Sparkler can access the knowledge and connections of the care coordinators at 211 Child Development. Many families use Sparkler to link up with and get support from their schools and programs; they can also reach out to 211 to get additional answers and support. Likewise, programs can reach out to 211 to discuss the right approach for a particular family or help a family access early intervention or other services.

“The Sparkler app and the support I’ve received from 211 Child Development have made a big difference for me as a parent of a four year old with behavioral challenges,” said one New Haven mom about her recent experience.

This parent shared that her son was having a hard time managing his emotions and behaviors at his preschool.

She completed the ASQ:SE-2 using the Sparkler mobile app to learn more about her son’s social and emotional development.

“Completing the assessment on Sparkler was quick and easy,” she said.

A care coordinator from 211 Child Development, who got in touch with the mother, reviewed the screening results; talked through areas of concern; sent useful materials; encouraged the family to set up an evaluation for preschool special education; and directed them to community-based behavioral health service providers. 

“I would never have gotten him the services he needed so quickly without this guidance from 211 Child Development,” the mother shared. “Everyone I spoke with at 211 Child Development was supportive, kind, and extremely helpful. My only regret is that I did not sign up for Sparkler or call 211 Child Development earlier.”

Expanding Access and Support

211 Child Development started as a central call center to broaden access for Connecticut families in 2002 — more than 20 years ago. Today — in our mobile, digitally enabled modern world — 211 is working closely with Sparkler to expand access using mobile technology.  

All families in Connecticut who are signing up for Sparkler are agreeing to share information with 211 Child Development — a specialized unit of United Way of Connecticut that supports children’s healthy growth and development, starting from pregnancy. This enables Sparkler CT to have 211 as a partner in supporting both families who use Sparkler to link directly with 211 (using the statewide access code CT); it also enables 211 Care Coordinators to support programs working with families using Sparkler.

Support for Families AND Providers

Care Coordinators work with families and programs to understand families’ needs and concerns; connect families with statewide and local services; and follow up to ensure the families’ needs have been met. More specifically, 211 can link families to local community-based services and resources such as home visiting, parenting education, parent to parent supports, behavioral health supports, and advocacy.  It can also help parents understand and track their child’s development the Ages & Stages Questionnaires, which are available through Sparkler (as well as online and on paper).

In Connecticut, 211 Child Development serves as the central access point for: 

  • Birth to Three (for families of infants and toddlers under 3 with significant developmental delays or disabilities);
  • Early Childhood Special Education (for children 3-5 who might need special education services); and
  • Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs (for children and youth with chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions). 

Any message from a Family sent via the two-way messaging functions in Sparkler will be seen by 211 Care Coordinators — so families can use Sparkler to reach out to 211 Child Development. Families or providers can also call the 211 Child Development direct line at 1-800-505-7000 to speak with a care coordinator. Business Hours are: Monday through Friday from 8 AM – 6 PM, except holidays. Messages can be left 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and calls will be returned promptly.  Referrals can also be made to 211 Child Development by fax or online here.  

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Play Activities
November 11, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

Featured Gratitude Sparkler Content

It’s time for pumpkins, apples, falling leaves — and saying “Thank you!”

How can families learn about saying “Thanks” as we approach Thanksgiving?

Sparkler offers families tips for parents as well as 2,000+ off-screen play-based learning activities, organized by themes and skills. Each Sparkler activity is designed to inspire active learning through play, because children learn best when they are free to explore, experiment, and engage their whole bodies. 

We regularly share lists of featured activities with our program partners to help you identify activities you might want to share with families via our Library (or use in your classrooms) to promote development. This month, we are highlighting Thanksgiving and gratitude activities! Providers who are using Sparkler can find and share these activities directly from the Library tab in your Sparkler dashboard.

Tips for Parents

Growing Gratitude

November is Gratitude Month! The Tip for Adults titled “Growing Gratitude” offers parents these five tips to help their child develop Gratitude and Kindness. 

  1. Try saying, “Thank You” instead of, “Good Job” to their child.
  2. Make giving a habit and talk about how their tiny acts of generosity impact others.
  3. Modeling gratitude by saying, “Thank you” to your neighborhood helpers.
  4. Less is more: donate or put excess toys out of sight for a while.
  5. Say “No” or “Not Today” to their child sometimes.

Read more in the app! You can find and share this parenting tip under the Library tab on the provider dashboard. 

Featured Play Activities

G-G-Grateful Song (all ages)
  • I’m thankful for the trees and for our home … and for YOU! What are you thankful for? 
  • Let’s use the track for “G-G-Grateful” to compose our own Thanksgiving song about the people, places, and things we’re grateful for. 
  • Let’s sing it together to share what we’re thankful for!
Cornbread Chef (18 months – 5 years old)
  • Cornbread is a food that some families share on Thanksgiving. Let’s bake our own together. Let’s preheat the oven to 400ºF degrees. Now, let’s work together to measure and mix all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl: 1 cup cornmeal, 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp baking powder, 4 tsp sugar. 
  • Now let’s work together to measure and mix the wet ingredients: 1 egg, 1 cup milk, ¼ cup oil or melted butter. Then let’s mix wet and dry together. Finally, let’s mix in 1 cup of corn kernels. 
  • Let’s pour the batter into a greased baking pan and I’ll put it into the oven for 20-25 minutes (15-20 minutes for muffins). Let’s share our cornbread!

Who Needs It? (for children 18 months – 5 years)

  • Let’s look through our home for items to donate to someone else. We can look in the closet, in your toy bin, and on the bookshelf. (Toddlers can simply drop donations into a box!)
  • Let’s sort our items into two categories: items to keep and use and items to donate for someone else to use. 
  • When we’re done, let’s count the number of items to donate. Let’s deliver the items to a local charity!

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Play Activities
October 12, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

Fall Featured Sparkler Content

It’s time for pumpkins, apples, and falling leaves! How can families learn through play during this special time of year? 

Sparkler offers families 2,000+ off-screen play-based learning activities, organized by themes and skills. Each Sparkler activity is designed to inspire active learning through play, because children learn best when they are free to explore, experiment, and engage their whole bodies. 

We regularly share lists of featured activities with our program partners to help you identify activities you might want to share with families via our Library (or use in your classrooms) to promote development. This month, we are highlighting activities that celebrate autumn! You can find and share these activities directly from the Library tab in your Sparkler dashboard.

Fall Walk (for babies 0-18 months)
  • Let’s go on a walk outside and look for signs of fall!
  • The air feels cooler! The sun is rising later in the morning! Birds and butterflies are migrating south! The leaves are starting to change from green to brown, orange, yellow, and red! Acorns and leaves are falling off the trees! Let’s see if we can spot any squirrels eating acorns and getting ready to hibernate for winter!
  • How many signs of fall can we spot as we walk around outside together?
Leaf Creatures (for toddlers 18-36 months)
  • Let’s find fall leaves outside or make some out of paper!
  • Let’s pretend that our leaves are leaf creatures! Let’s use markers, paint, or stickers to make faces on our leaves.
  • Let’s play with our leaf creatures! What should we name them?
Pumpkin Spice Dough (for children 18 months – 5 years)
  • It’s pumpkin season! Let’s make some pumpkin spice dough to play with and smell!
  • Let’s mix one 15 oz. can of pumpkin purée with 2 cups of corn starch. If it’s still sticky, we can add more cornstarch until the dough forms. Let’s sprinkle some pumpkin spice into our dough.
  • Let’s poke, squish, and squeeze our dough. Let’s roll the dough into balls like little pumpkins. We can add rolling pins, cookie cutters, plastic animals, or anything else that you like!
Spooky Season
  • In addition to the featured play activities, we have a special parent tips unit called Spooky Season, which offers tips on how parents/caregivers can keep kids feeling safe and secure, even during this sometimes spooky time of year. 

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Newssocial emotional
June 22, 2022 by Admin 0 Comments

Pyramid Model: New to Sparkler

Sparkler is excited to announce that four new units adapted from the Pyramid Model — a social and emotional learning framework used widely in Connecticut — are now available to all CT Sparkler families. 

These new units include: Challenging Behaviors (addressing challenging behaviors like hitting, biting, whining, and tantrums); Big Feelings (helping children label and understand their emotions); Social Creatures (helping children practice social skills like sharing and caring for others); and Routines & Schedules (how families can use routines and schedules to support children’s development). 

Each unit provides a brief overview in English or Spanish for the parent/caregiver and then provides some practical tips they can use to support their child.

The Pyramid Model is a framework of evidence-based practices for promoting healthy social and emotional development for young children. Pyramid, which is used widely in Connecticut, offers high-quality resources to promote family engagement. Please find handouts from the “Backpack Connection Series” on the Pyramid website for more resources you can share with families. 

Connecticut providers can find and share these units with families under “Tips” in the Library from your Dashboard. Here’s how: 

  • Go to the Sparkler Dashboard
  • Sign in using your credentials
  • Go to Library
  • Tap on Tips
  • Search for the units by name
  • Send to one or more parents who could benefit

If there is additional content that you would like to see in Sparkler, please let us know! Email support@playsparkler.org anytime to share your ideas!

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