Developmental Screenings/Assessments: Ages & Stages and the Sparkler App

The Ages and Stages Questionnaire is a widely used developmental tool used by parents and early childhood providers to help identify how a child is doing developmentally. Our goal is to expand the use of these screenings and connect families to support services if needed. Thanks to a grant from the State Department of Education’s Office of Early Childhood, SC2C has promoted the use of the Sparkler App, an educational tool for parents with children ages 0-5.  The app uses the Ages and Stages Questionnaire screening to identify children’s developmental progress, provides tips and activities for parents to do with their child, and includes both chat-based consulting and connections to other providers. SC2C is coordinating the effort to get this tool to parents and partners with Children’s Learning Centers, Family Centers, St. Joseph’s Parenting Center, All Our Kin, Abilis, and Inspirica to provide this resource to parents.

Learn More About Sparkler

PreK to K Transition

The transition from early childhood to kindergarten is a big step for children and families. The 0-5 CAN has worked to make connections between early childhood, preschool and kindergarten to support this transition. The Kindergarten Readiness brochure shares a common understanding of what it means to be ready for kindergarten for both families and providers. The Prekindergarten Transition Summary (PKTS) is completed by preschool teachers across Stamford on incoming kindergarten children. This summary includes social and developmental information on children and is shared with kindergarten teachers. It is a tool that assists teachers with classroom placements and provides the opportunity for teachers to have baseline knowledge about their incoming class. The 0-5 CAN plays an instrumental role in coordinating the city-wide completion of the PKTS form, working with publicly funded and private preschool programs. Each year SC2C partners with SPS to host Kindergarten Insight Day to share and discuss the data with kindergarten teachers and preschool staff.  

Professional Development

The 0-5 CAN coordinates annual professional development opportunities for preschool and early education staff across the city. These workshops complement professional development opportunities offered at individual child care and preschool sites and focus on best practices and trends in early childhood education.  They also provide an opportunity for networking and shared learning which is critical for early childhood teachers.

Family Engagement and Partnerships

The 0-5 CAN coordinates opportunities to engage with the community, parents with young children, and parent support programs. This includes the Stamford Early Childhood Fair in collaboration with the City of Stamford, educational opportunities for parents, and the Greater Stamford Parenting Partnership (GSPP). The GSPP is a collective of support services for families living in the Stamford area including home visiting, parenting classes and developmental screening. Our mission as a collective is to increase parental support through home visiting and parenting classes in order to have our parents be the best they can for their children. 

Learn More About Home Visiting Program

Learn More About New Parent Resources

Learn More About 2022 Stamford Early Childhood Fair