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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Head Start/Early Head Start has partnered with the Greater East St. Louis Innovation Zone and other Metro East agencies to offer the first community-wide free developmental screening for children, ages one month through five years. 

The screenings are offered from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday-Friday through July 2 at Vivian D. Adams Early Childhood Center, 501 Katherine Dunham Place, East St. Louis. Other developmental screening partners include East St. Louis School District #189, Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House and More at Four Preschool.

The community-wide effort is funded through the Illinois Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge.

Illinois designated Greater East St. Louis as one of seven Innovation Zone communities with strong leadership and collaborative relationships along with an interest in serving the highest need children. Janice Moenster, of Children's Home + Aid in East St. Louis, serves as the Race to the Top coordinator. 

The Greater East St. Louis Innovation Zone has more than 40 community stakeholders that come together to better align policy, practice and investments across sectors. Thedevelopmental screening is one of the collaborative approaches.

“Developmental screenings help determine where a child is in regards to his or her speech, hearing, cognitive development and more,” Moenster said. “If a child has a developmental delay, the earlier the child receives help, the more likely that child is to succeed in school. 

“In the past, all of our partners have had developmental screenings for children,” Moenster continued. “What is unique about these screenings is that for the first time the community has come together to support a common goal for children and is offering screenings in one central place.

SIUe Head Start/Early Head Start Program Director G. Lynnie Bailey added, "Families can discover if their child is developmentally on target, learn about the services available for children in the East St. Louis community and determine which early childhood education setting best meets their individual family’s needs.”

In one room, Chea Wyatt, an SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start teacher, is collecting data from Shamona Neal, the mother of seven-month-old Jer`kyre Neal. Wyatt and April Sturgill are screening children from infancy through age three.

“We want to know such things as if the child can say ‘Da-Da,’ sit up, hear his mother’s voice and respond to it.” Wyatt said.

"Parents are their child's first, best teachers and listening to the parent's observation of their child is crucial when assessing a child's development," Bailey said. 

In another room, Derrice Scruggs, an instructor at Vivian D. Adams, hops on one leg and asks three-year-old Jaden McGuire to imitate her. She also wants to see if and how Jaden can gallop.

“Jumping and skipping helps with children’s large muscle motor development,” Scruggs said. “It strengthens their legs, which can be weak and keep them from doing such things as pedaling a bicycle or climbing the steps on a slide.”

“These may sound like simple things to us,” said Robin Neal, an instructor at Vivian D. Adams working with Scruggs, “but children today don’t skip any more.

“They don’t ride Big Wheels, and many cars are motorized.”

“Exercising little muscles are also important,” Scruggs added, “which is why we want to see how a child holds a pencil and have them use scissors to cut.” 

“Our children are our most vital resource,” said Lena Edley-Dye, principal at Vivian D. Adams. “We want them to have the best we can give them.”

Photos:

April Sturgill, of the Greater East St. Louis Innovation Zone, holds Jer`Kyre Neal, seven-month-old son of Shamona Neal. 

Derrice Scruggs, an instructor at Vivian D. Adams, asks three-year-old Jaden McGuire if he can hop on one leg. 

Janice Moenster, director of the Greater East St. Louis Innovation Zone, reads with Ja’Myae Thomas.