Increasing Developmental Screening and Promoting Social Emotional Development in Florida

Cross Sector State Stakeholder Group (CSSSG)

The CSSSG in Florida is the Florida Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) Impact Project Advisory Group. Project HOPE will build upon their previous and current efforts to promote equity and reduce disparities among young children. The state of Florida is one of twelve states participating in the Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network (ECCS CoIIN), an initiative funded by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) and led by the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ).  The ECCS CoIIN aims to identify ways to improve early childhood systems, resources and coordination across sectors so that all children can achieve optimal and equitable early childhood developmental health outcomes. The Florida ECCS Impact Project Advisory Group is led by the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions (FAHSC), who administers the Florida Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) initiative and is responsible for the oversight and successful implementation of the Florida ECCS Impact Project. The Florida CSSSG is comprised of representatives from the following organizations:

• Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions (FAHSC)
• Florida State University (FSU) Autism Institute
• Florida Association for Infant Mental Health (FAIMH)
• A Family Network On Disabilities (Family Voices State Affiliate Organization & Family-to-Family)
• Miami Children’s Initiative
• ECCS State Parent Leaders
• Lake Maggiore Shores (LMS) Neighborbaby Initiative
• Executive Office of the Governor
• Achieve Escambia
• Help Me Grow Florida
• Florida Head Start Collaboration Office
• Florida International University
• Florida Department of Health, Children’s Medical Services and Early Steps State Office (Part C)
• University of South Florida (USF), College of Public Health
• Florida Department of Education, Office of Early Learning
• Early Learning Coalition of Orange County
• The Arc Gateway
• FSU Prevention and Early Intervention Policy
• Champions for Children, Inc.
• Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Welfare and Office of Child Care Regulation
• Overtown Children & Youth Coalition
• Florida Department of Health, Maternal and Child Health
• Association of Early Learning Coalitions
• Escambia Early Learning Coalition
• Ounce of Prevention Fund of FL, Florida Children’s Initiatives and Healthy Families Florida

Ghia Kelly (gkelly@fahsc.org ) is the primary point of contact for Project HOPE in Florida.

Equity Issue and Community of Focus

The Florida CSSSG has committed to focus on increasing developmental screening and the promotion of social-emotional development in young children. Florida has worked diligently over the past year to promote social emotional health as well as improve the social emotional supports for children. They have found through their state and community level work that many early childhood providers are not screening for social-emotional health concerns and many areas lack services to address the social-emotional needs of young children. To ensure community voice informs this work, Florida has partnered with the Parramore Kidz Zone, a place-based initiative in Orlando that primarily focuses on African-American children living in poverty. Through partnerships with the Early Learning Coalition of Orange County, Community Coordinated Care for Children, Inc., Orange County Head Start, the University of Central Florida, and child care providers, Parramore Kidz Zone aims to “move the needle” on the percentage of Parramore children who are deemed to be “ready for kindergarten” by the time they start school.