Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers

Bright Futures at Georgetown University and the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health have collaborated to develop the What to Expect & When to Seek Help: Bright Futures Developmental Tools for Families and Providers. The Tools* focus on supporting healthy social-emotional development, and are available for any caretaker or professional to access and download for free, both in English and in Spanish. The Infancy tool (English version, Spanish version) and the Early Childhood tool (English version, Spanish version) are the most pertinent to those who are parenting or providing services for children receiving Early Start services. These handouts describe what to expect at each stage of social-emotional development, ways to identify both the child’s and the parent’s strengths, some guidance for talking about a child’s development with others, and tips for seeking help.

Visit the Bright Futures website to access these tools and find out more information.

*Please note that the links to resources on the last page of the tools are no longer active. For timely information on early intervention in California, please visit the DDS Early Start webpage at https://www.dds.ca.gov/earlystart/

The ICC-Recommended Early Start Personnel Manual (ESPM) describes core knowledge and role-specific competencies needed for early intervention service provision, incorporating current research and evidence in the field of early intervention. To access the ESPM, CLICK HERE.

This resource is related to the following ESPM knowledge-level competencies:

Core Knowledge (CK):
- CK2: The role of primary social and emotional relationships as the foundation for early learning.
- CK6: The sequences of development and the interrelationships among developmental areas/factors.
Evaluation and Assessment (EA):
- EA4 (EIA): Knows strategies that support parents/caregivers in identifying and articulating their concerns about their infant/toddler’s development and needs.