Assuring Better Child Health & Development

New parents: it’s never too early to support your baby’s development.

Every baby grows at their own pace, but tracking developmental milestones can help you celebrate new skills and know when to ask questions.

By 2 months, many babies:
💛 Look at your face
💛 Make sounds other than crying
💛 Move both arms and both legs

The CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. Resources make it easy to follow your child’s development from 2 months through age 5, with milestone checklists and tips for every stage.

Explore developmental milestones by age:
https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/index.html

You know your child best! If your baby is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills they once had, or you have concerns about their development, trust your instincts and act early.

Talk with your child’s doctor, share your concerns, and ask about developmental screening.

Happy Father’s Day!

Research shows that positive relationships with fathers and father figures support children's social-emotional development, confidence, language skills, and overall well-being. At HealthySteps, we know that strong relationships are the foundation of healthy development.

Through everyday moments like playing, reading, talking, and simply being present, dads help build the secure, nurturing connections children need to thrive.

This Father's Day, we celebrate all the fathers and father figures who show up for children every day. Your presence matters, and your impact lasts a lifetime. 💙

June 14th is National Children's Day! 🩷

This Sunday, we celebrate children and the joy, curiosity and potential they bring to our families and communities.

Supporting children’s healthy development from the beginning helps set the foundation for lifelong learning, wellbeing, and success. It also sends an important message: you are loved, valued, and supported every step of the way.

Have you noticed any developmental concerns in a child you know? Whether it’s a question about communication, sleep, feeding, behavior, social-emotional development, or adjusting to life with a new baby or toddler, support is available.

Through HealthySteps, families with children ages 0-3 can receive personalized support from child development experts embedded within pediatric care. HealthySteps Specialists partner with families to address concerns, celebrate milestones, and connect children and caregivers to the resources they need to thrive.

At ABCD, we support more than 30 HealthySteps pediatric practices across Colorado, helping families access developmental support and strengthening systems of care for young children.

Visit our website to find a HealthySteps provider near you!
https://www.coloradoabcd.org/our-work/healthysteps/about-healthysteps-colorado

Last week, ABCD welcomed our technical assistance partner, Carla Freeman from the Georgia Health Policy Center, for a series of visits across Colorado's Eastern Plains and Southwest regions. Team members gathered in Fort Morgan, Durango, and Walsenburg to connect with local partners, tour communities, engage in meaningful conversations, and learn directly from the people and organizations serving rural families.

As we approach the end of Year 1 of our Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Rural Health Outreach Grant in July, these visits provided an important opportunity to reflect on our progress and deepen our understanding of the unique strengths, challenges, and behavioral health needs in rural communities.

Over the past year, ABCD's HealthySteps Rural Health Consortium, composed of partners from across the state, has worked together to build relationships, gather community input, and explore opportunities to expand access to early childhood behavioral health supports.

Through conversations with families, providers, and community leaders, we're learning what it takes to create sustainable, community-driven solutions that meet the needs of children and families where they live.

We're grateful to our consortium members and community partners for sharing their time, expertise, and experiences, and we look forward to continuing this work together in Year 2.

Alee Kuzniarowicz (NHP)
Sadie Fritzler (High Plains Research Network)
Sherri Amen (CommonSpirit Health)
Melissa Buchholz (HealthySteps State Director)
Carla Freeman (Georgia Health Policy Center)
Kara Van de Grift (HRSA Grant Project Director)