Welcome to First Steps Forward! We're here to help parents and caregivers learn about developmental milestones for children ages birth to three and the resources available to support your child's growth.
First Steps Forward is produced by Benchmark Human Services, a First Steps System Point of Entry (SPOE) provider in Regions 1 and 2 of Missouri.
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If you feel like your baby or toddler is on their own timeline, you're not alone.
First Steps Forward helps parents and caregivers learn about developmental milestones and the resources available to support each child's growth. Our hosts, Howard Smith and Christina Narasimhan, work for a System Point of Entry (SPOE) provider in Missouri.
In this introductory episode, Howard and Christina tell you what you can expect from the First Steps Forward podcast, and they describe their work in the Missouri First Steps program.
View the Missouri First Steps regional map and find your local provider: dese.mo.gov/childhood
Well, welcome to First Steps Forward, the St. Louis Area podcast. Here we help parents and providers learn about developmental milestones for children ages birth to three and the resources available to support them. I'm your host, Howard Smith.
Christina Narasimhan
And I'm Christina Narasimhan.
Howard Smith
Together, we oversee the St. Louis Area First Steps program in Missouri.
Christina Narasimhan
We connect families with specialists to support each child's growth. Please visit dese.mo.gov/childhood to learn more. The link is in our show notes.
Howard Smith
And today we're talking about just general information about our office and the Missouri First Steps Program. So
the St. Louis Area First Steps Program is a program of Benchmark Human Services. And in 2009, Benchmark was awarded the contract to serve as the system point of entry for First Steps in the Greater St. Louis area. Founded in 1960 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Benchmark supports more than 20,000 individuals with disabilities and mental health needs across the United States. The organization offers a wide range of services, including residential support, case management, mental health crisis response, day services, pediatric home health, autism services, and more. Benchmark began its early childhood program in 1996 and now provides birth to three early intervention services in Missouri, Colorado, Connecticut, Montana, and Virginia.
First Steps is Missouri's early intervention system for infants and toddlers birth to age three who have delayed development or diagnosed conditions that are associated with developmental disabilities. Federal law governing First Steps is part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also known as the IDEA. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is the lead state agency responsible for implementing the First Steps program. First Steps is a voluntary program that provides families the tools they need to help their child be successful.
Children can be referred to First Steps for a variety of reasons, but notably due to a developmental delay or if they have been diagnosed with a condition commonly associated with developmental delays, such as very low birth weight or a child who's under 1500 grams at birth, diagnosed hearing or visual impairments, autism spectrum disorder, chromosomal trisomy, exposure to toxic substances such as fetal alcohol, high lead levels, and other genetic and chromosomal anomalies. We frequently get referrals for children who have communication delays. And so children who are not talking at an age where they're expected to be to begin saying words. And we also have receive referrals for children who maybe haven't started to roll over yet in an age when it is expected for them to roll over or even beginning to crawl or sit.
Howard Smith
So a lot of times uh families can talk about any concerns that they have with their pediatrician. So at routine pediatrician visits, most pediatricians will ask some developmental questions. And so if you have concerns as a parent, that is the time to ask any questions or express any concerns that you may have about your child's development. There are also checklists that are available. You can find them online. If you Google a developmental checklist for infants and toddlers, which will give you simple stages of what to expect within a range developmentally for a child from birth all the way up through ages three to five. So that is a good way to just keep track of how your child is developing. And if you are starting to see concerns, you can reference those checklists and also have those conversations with your doctor or anyone else, any other programs that you may be involved in as far as either parents as teachers, or if your child is in childcare, you can have a conversation with their teachers or director at the child care
center. As you can see from this map, there are 10 First Steps regions in Missouri. Here in the St. Louis area, we have two. Region one, which comprises St. Louis City in St. Charles County, and Region Two, which is all of St. Louis County.
Benchmark has been the contractor for the First Step System Point of Entry in St. Louis since 2009. And as the system point of entry, we employ 70 total service coordinators with an average caseload of 55 families throughout the metropolitan area. In addition, we work with about 300 plus providers who are contracted through the state of Missouri to provide any recommended services. These providers include speech, occupational, and physical therapists, in addition to special instructors, dietitians, behavior specialists, and vision and hearing specialists, to just name a few.
Christina Narasimhan
Here in the St. Louis area, our office is responsible for receiving all referrals, determining eligibility, and developing an individualized family service plan, otherwise known as an IFSP, for each eligible child. Our office is centrally located at 680 Craig Road, Suite 308 in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Our phone number is 314-453-9203. Or we can be reached toll-free at 866-583-2392 extension 3. Your pediatrician very well may make a referral to the First Steps program. However, we also take referrals from parents. And oftentimes pediatricians will recommend a parent give us a call. We do take referrals from parents, from doctors, from other home visitors, such as parents as teachers, NICUs, and other social service agencies in our community.
Our goal through this podcast series will be to provide helpful information about the First Steps program, general child development, including milestones, tips, strategies, and various resources, including those available through the St. Louis Area First Steps Program. Over future episodes, you will hear from First Steps personnel such as directors, service coordinators, and providers, in addition to other community resources. We will touch upon subjects such as speech concerns, behavioral concerns, motor delays, and highlighting specific provider types and specialties, local resources and agencies, and information from our state office in Missouri.
St. Louis Area First Steps is a program of Benchmark Human Services founded in 1960. Benchmark's mission is to help people live as independently as possible, be included in the community, and reach their full potential.
Howard Smith
First Steps Forward is hosted by Benchmark Human Services as contractor for Missouri First Steps in the St. Louis area. We help parents and providers in the St. Louis area learn about developmental milestones for children ages birth to three and the resources available to support them. To learn more about the First Steps Early Intervention Services available in Missouri, please visit dese.mo.gov /childhood. This podcast is edited by Courtney Heiser and Larissa Whitaker. The views expressed on the podcast are our own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for the First Steps program. Follow the St. Louis Area First Steps program on Facebook at St. Louis Area First Steps.
