Sparkler FAQ

Please find answers to commonly asked questions about Sparkler. If these answers don’t help, you can email us for help: support@playsparkler.org.

Overview

What is Sparkler?

Sparkler is a parent engagement and developmental screening tool available to Connecticut families with 0-5 year olds and to providers serving those families.

How is Sparkler governed?

Sparkler is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.

What are Sparkler’s Mission/Vision?

Mission: Sparkler’s mission is to help parents, caregivers, and providers harness the science of early childhood brain development to help children thrive in the early years and beyond.

Vision:

Equity: ALL families will have easy access to developmental screening, information, referrals, and support for their children.
Knowledge and Action: ALL families will have the tools they need to understand how their children are developing, and to spark healthy early development and connections through play.
Working better together: Organizations will work systematically with each other and with the families they serve to engage and support ALL parents, caregivers, and young children.

What languages is Sparkler available in?

Currently, the app is available for families in English, Spanish, and Chinese (Simplified Characters).

Is Sparkler free?

Sparkler is free to families because it is paid for by organizations (e.g., governments, schools, non-profit organizations) serving families.

How does Sparkler uphold privacy and security?

Sparkler treats families’ data carefully, preserving their privacy and keeping data safe and secure. Sparkler does not sell or rent any of the child’s Personal Information to any third-party for any purpose — including for advertising or marketing purposes. Third-party advertising does not happen in Sparkler. We use the information we collect to provide families with the best Sparkler experience. We ask parents to share information that is necessary to provide them with the correct play content and screenings based on their children’s age. We ask for contact details (such as email and phone number) to contact and support families.

Sparkler is made available to parents and caregivers through Sponsoring Partners, defined in our Privacy Policy. Sponsoring Partners include, but are not limited to, early childhood centers, daycares, schools, school readiness organizations, school districts, health care organizations, home visiting agencies, and social service agencies. These organizations are subject to The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or similar policies that align with the limitations and responsibilities laid out in Sparkler’s Privacy Policy and associated terms of use.

In signing up for Sparkler, parents often consent to sharing their information with the Sponsoring Partner serving them or their family, which gives the partner the ability to see the family’s information, engage with, and support the family.

Here is Sparkler’s Privacy Policy, which outlines how Sparkler protects families’ data.

Does Sparkler have other policies?

Please learn more by reading Sparkler’s policies:

Mobile App Features for Parents and Caregivers

The Sparkler mobile app for families is available on iOS and Android.

What’s on the Sparkler app?

Sparkler’s mobile app offers parents with young children (prenatal – age 5):

Developmental screening (ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2) to check in on a child’s development
A customizable library of 2000+ playful activities
A customizable library of evidence-based tips for parents
Connection with professionals (teachers, healthcare providers, home visitors, care coordinators, etc. who can help)

What ages is Sparkler for?

Sparkler serves parents/caregivers with children from prenatal through age 5. It is an app for PARENTS — meant to guide parents to help them help their children. It is not an app for children. Families will see new content in the app as their children get older.

How can a family register?

Here’s a video of the registration process. Families follow these steps to register:

Download the app from the App Store or Google Play Store.
Open the app on a smartphone or tablet.
Click “create a new account”.
Enter your access code to link up with your program.
Enter your email and password.
Create account: Enter first name, last name, address, ZIP, and phone number.
Create a child profile: Enter first name, last name, pronoun, date of birth (or due date), prematurity if under 2, and picture.
Optional profile questions.
Sponsoring Partners, Privacy, and terms.

Why does Sparkler need the child’s birthday and prematurity if under 2?

Sparkler assigns play content and screenings based on children’s ages. For children under two, the correct screening is determined by the birth date and the child’s prematurity. In order to see the correct screening and developmentally appropriate play content, it’s important for parents to share the correct birth date and prematurity at registration. If a parent makes a mistake, they can change their child’s birth date: Settings >> My Account >> Child’s Profile >> Change Date of Birth.

How long does it take to set up the app?

It takes a couple of minutes to register for Sparkler.

Can families link up with multiple organizations?

Yes. Families can link up with multiple organizations, sharing their info with multiple schools, home visitors, or other organizations.

To add a new organization:

Go to Settings (the gear in the upper right corner of the home screen).
Click on My Account.
Click on the child’s name.
You’ll see the cohort or cohorts your child is part of under “Cohort.”
Click on the name of the cohort(s).
To add, click the blue word “Add” in the upper right corner and type the code into the box, press submit.
Press “back”.
Press “confirm changes”.

To delete an organization:

Go to Settings (the gear in the upper right corner of the home screen).
Click on My Account.
Click on the child’s name.
You’ll see the cohort or cohorts your child is part of under “Cohort.”
Click on the name of the cohort(s).
Swipe right to left and press “remove” to remove one of the cohorts, and confirm you want to remove the cohort.
Press “back”.
Press “confirm changes”.

Where does Sparkler’s play and parenting tip content come from?

Sparkler’s play and parenting tip content was created by experts in early childhood education and development. Some content is original and some is adapted from local or national partners. For example, Sparkler offers adaptations of “ASQ intervention activities,” created by Brookes Publishing (the publisher of the ASQ) as well as summaries of the CDC’s Learn the Signs, Act Early milestones.

What is the Ages & Stages Questionnaire?

Sparkler licenses the Ages & Stages Questionnaires from Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc., the publisher of the ASQ. It makes the ASQ available to families who sign up linked with a partner organization that is paying for the screening to be available to families. Learn more about the ASQ.

Can parents link with each other?

Yes. Mom and Dad, Parent and Caregiver, Parent and Grandparent, etc. can link with each other in Sparkler. This allows two grown-ups involved in a child’s life to collaborate. Only the primary account holder (the first parent who created the child) will see the screening and messaging, but all linked caregivers can see and contribute to the child’s history of play with Sparkler.

To link:

Go to settings.
Go to My Account.
Press “Add New” in the upper right.
Invite an Adult.
Follow the steps!

Can parents have multiple children in their account?

Yes, a parent can have multiple children (prenatal – 5) in Sparkler. They can add (or delete) child profiles in App Settings. You can add a new child any time: Settings >> My Account >> Add New >> Add a Child. If your child is in a different cohort than his/her sibling, be sure to enter a new cohort code to link with the new program.

How does messaging work?

Under “Connect” parents can receive (or send) messages to Sparkler and their provider who they are linked with in Sparkler. When a provider sends a message, the parent receives it as a push notification. The parent’s response goes to the dashboard, where the provider can see/respond.

Does a family need wifi to use Sparkler?

A parent/caregiver must be online to initially download the Sparkler app and to receive messages or upload a new ASQ, but they can play and take ASQs while offline.

How can a family switch from English to Spanish or Spanish to English?

If you are using English and want to see the app in Spanish, click the gear in the upper right corner to access settings. Tap on “Language” in the menu. Switch languages and confirm to see everything in the app in the other language.

Sparkler Dashboard Features for Providers

What is Sparkler’s dashboard?

Schools/home visitors/family resource centers/healthcare providers/other professionals can use Sparkler’s Dashboard to monitor and engage with families. They can:

Download data & reports
Understand individual families’ engagement/needs
Send and receive messages
Identify play activities/parent tips to support early childhood development

Providers sign into the dashboard here: https://app.playsparkler.com/dashboard/login

How does a Sparkler program partner get access to the Sparkler Dashboard?

Sparkler participating programs will be provided logins and passwords. If you need help, ask your supervisor or email support@playsparkler.org.

How do I sign into the dashboard?

First, be sure that you’re using a modern Web browser like Chrome or Safari, ideally using a laptop or desktop computer. You can also access the dashboard from the browser on your iPad. Go to the following URL: https://app.playsparkler.com/dashboard/login.

Your name is your email address and the password is something you have set that’s unique to you. Please be sure to check the second box so that you affirm your commitment to upholding Sparkler’s privacy policy and terms of service. Checking this box is required to sign in. If you forget your password, please click on “Reset Password” to reset.

Which families/children do I see on the dashboard?

You have access to the families you work with. If you’re a teacher, you should see the children in your classroom. If you’re a home visitor, you should see your families. If you’re a school leader or supervisor, you might see multiple cohorts representing the different groups you oversee.

How do I see high-level trends in Sparkler?

On the main dashboard screen, you can see overall numbers for the families you oversee. You can use the small arrows in the white rectangles to show different lengths of time so you can easily see trends within the week, month, or longer periods.

On this screen, you’ll see:

The number of parents in your cohort/group who have created accounts and the number of child profiles they have.
How engaged your families are with PLAY in Sparkler. Play is when a family finds an activity, and presses the blue “We Did It” button.
Play card ratings: if the family has completed an activity and pressed “We did it,” they have the option of rating the activity.
At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see ASQ trends, as well as an overview of follow-ups in your program following screening.

Why are more ASQs pending than I have children in my program?

For each child, two ASQs are available: One to be completed by the parent and one to be completed by a teacher/provider. So if zero families and zero teachers had completed their current ASQ-3s, you would see: 2 x (# students) = # of ASQs available.

How do I send/receive messages on Sparkler?

Go to the CHILDREN tab and click on Bulk Send to send a message that goes to each of the families you serve or to individual accounts. You can make the message customized to their child’s name with brackets. For example, if you write: “Ask [Child] what [his] favorite part of the story was?” a parent might see: “Ask Mia what her favorite part of the story was?”

If you type the message in English and Spanish, the parent will see it in the language turned on on their Sparkler app. Learn how to use MESSAGING in Sparkler.

How can I tell if a parent writes back?

On the CHILDREN tab, check the box called “Show only unread messages.” You can also scroll all the way to the right and press the down arrow to sort by most recent under the column called “Last message From Family.”

How can I use the Library?

You can use the Library to find activities and tips that meet families’ needs. If you are serving a child of a particular age, you can find activities for that age child. You can also filter by the skill you want to work on with the family. Learn more from this video webinar.

How can I use the ASQ Dashboard?

On this part of the dashboard, you can download reports for families or you can download CSV files of all of your families’ results. You can also filter the table and/or complete a facilitated ASQ with one of your families.

What am I supposed to do if a family completes a screening?

When a family completes a screening using Sparkler’s mobile application, their provider who is responsible for following up should follow these 6 steps:

Program: Receives ASQ results notification (via email).
Program: Review the child’s results and consider your recommendations.
Reach out to — and connect with — the family to talk through results and recommend next steps.
Complete follow-up form in Sparkler’s dashboard to record your recommendations.
Share the ASQ results & your recommendations electronically with the family (via dashboard by pressing the blue “envelope” on the Child’s ASQ profile).
Share suggested activities/tips via Sparkler’s Library with the family to help them address any areas of concern.

More About the Mobile ASQ in Sparkler

What is the ASQ?

Sparkler offers a convenient digital version of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, a research- and time-tested developmental screening tool. ASQ helps parents and the people serving them learn about children’s strengths, celebrate progress, and access support if needed. Learn more about the ASQ on Sparkler’s website.

Why is the ASQ recommended?

Developmental screening can help parents, caregivers, teachers, healthcare providers, and others understand and support children’s early development. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends developmental and behavioral screening for all children at 9 months, 18 months, and 24 or 30 months. Learn more from the AAP.

How do parents find the ASQ in Sparkler?

When parents first create their account, they will see the first ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 that their child is eligible for. They’ll access it by clicking the icons at the top of Sparkler’s home screen.

What if a parent doesn’t see an ASQ?

A parent/caregiver might not see an ASQ for different reasons:

They already completed the current ASQ.
They signed up NOT using a code or with a partner that does not pay for mobile screening.
The child is under 2 months old.
The child’s prematurity affects the correct ASQ to administer until age 2.

If a family is not seeing the ASQ and you still aren’t sure why, please reach out: support@playsparkler.org.

What does the ASQ measure?

Here are the five areas of development that the ASQ-3 asks parents to answer questions about:

Communication: Your child’s language skills, both what your child understands and what he or she can say.
Gross Motor: How your child uses their arms and legs and other large muscles for sitting, crawling, walking, running, and other activities.
Fine Motor: Your child’s hand and finger movement and coordination.
Problem Solving: How your child plays with toys and solves problems.
Personal-Social: Your child’s self-help skills and interactions with others.

The ASQ:SE measures a child’s social and emotional development. It asks parents to respond to questions about seven core behavioral areas.

Why is early intervention important?

Developmental delays, learning disorders, and social-emotional problems are estimated to affect 1 in every 6 children. Only 20 – 30% of these children are identified as needing help before school begins. Studies have shown that children who receive early treatment for developmental delays are more likely to graduate from high school, hold jobs, and avoid teen pregnancy. Learn more from the CDC.

How is the ASQ Scored?

If a family completes an ASQ on Sparkler, the questionnaire is scored automatically and immediately, according to the rules for ASQ scoring. Rules for scoring ASQ-3. Rules for scoring the ASQ:SE-2.