Daniel A., Thurston County
Regular developmental screenings from 0-5 years of age can help your child get the best possible health care. Screenings can happen in a variety of places—from doctors’ offices to preschools to child care programs.
Now you can use your free Strong Start account to save your child’s completed developmental screening records in a secure online location.
If your child’s doctor, teachers, and child care providers give you screening results, you can also easily enter and save those in your online Strong Start account.
With Strong Start:
- You control the information that is being entered.
- Your child’s health care provider can access records and enter screening results, too. You control who else can access the information.
- You and your child’s doctor make shared decisions about next steps and any needed support.
- Your child won’t miss screenings and will avoid duplicate screenings.
- You’ll have an online record you can use to find out if your child is eligible for certain programs.
- You won’t have to keep track of paper copies once you save them in Strong Start!
Getting Started
Ready to use Strong Start? Check out the Strong Start Registration Guide for Parents and Guardians (PDF). This guide lists the steps to create your Secure Access Washington (SAW) account and link it to your Strong Start account.
Already a SAW user? Simply add Strong Start from the list of available services. It’s that easy!
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for Parents and Guardians
- What is a developmental screening?
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A developmental screening checks how a child is growing and developing. It is a way to find out what typical milestones and skills they reach as they grow, and when. Typical skills and milestones include sitting up, taking first steps, and their first words.
A screening is a set of standard questions based on the child’s age. You can complete these questions by observing a child doing the activity, or by reporting on their ability to complete it.
Screenings help celebrate a child’s milestones and explore any concerns. They may also help connect parents and guardians with resources to continue supporting the child’s growth.
- Who completes a developmental screening?
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Parents and guardians can complete developmental screenings online or on paper, then discuss the results with their health care provider or an early care and education (ECE) provider. Health care or ECE providers may also conduct the screening, with the parents or guardians.
The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is best completed by a health care provider or child development professional, with the parents or guardians, to avoid false results.
Learn more about the screening tools included in Strong Start:
- Do I complete the screenings in Strong Start?
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No, screenings are not completed in your Strong Start account. You use Strong Start to record information from a screening that has already been completed. You can add details like date and location of the screening, the results, and if there was a concern or a referral for further evaluation or services.
- My child seems to be doing fine. Aren’t developmental screenings done only for concerns?
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Experts recommend screening all children at specific intervals. Not all developmental concerns are immediately obvious, and if your child needs extra support, it will be most effective at an early age.
- Will my child’s completed screening result be automatically recorded in the Strong Start system?
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No, the child’s developmental screening result will not be automatically recorded. Either you or your health care provider should enter the information. Recording it in your Strong Start account will create a lifetime record of the child’s developmental screenings.
- If I have multiple children under 5, do I need to create more than one Strong Start account?
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No, as a parent, you will create a single Strong Start account that allows you to set up profiles for each child. You can save information and developmental screening results for each child in their individual profiles.
- Who has access to my child’s screening information?
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Only authorized users can access the child’s screening information. If you and your health care provider are authorized users, then you will be able to find, add to, and edit the child’s information. You can also share it with the child’s care provider or learning center, but only you or your health care provider will be able to log in as users to the Strong Start system.
The WA Department of Health’s Strong Start team will access the data system to provide system support to parents and providers. We will also use non-identifiable data to gather information for reports.
- Can I restrict my child’s provider access?
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Yes. As a parent or guardian, you control the permissions through your Strong Start account. You can use the child’s “summary page” to remove a provider’s access. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact us at StrongStart@doh.wa.gov.
- What if a developmental screening finds that my child isn’t meeting all the milestones?
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Depending on the type of concern, your provider may refer you to a specialist for further assessment. They might also recommend activities you can do at home to help the child’s development. For example, if they are not talking yet, your provider may connect you to a speech and hearing specialist. They may also recommend ways you can help the child start saying their first words.
- I still have more questions or need support
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Please email StrongStart@doh.wa.gov with your questions about the Strong Start system.
Community Resources
Searching for early care and education supports? Connect with these community partners for resources.
- Free child developmental screening for all kids under 5.
- Connections to services and supports that are close to home like parenting classes, infant and toddler supplies, and medical clinics.
- Activities and games that support healthy growth and learning.
- If your child needs extra support, Help Me Grow WA can provide connections to resources and specialists who can help.
- Additional family supports such as food assistance resources and free or low-cost health insurance.
Visit Help Me Grow Washington Resource Finder or call the Help Me Grow hotline to speak with a Family Resource Navigator: 1-800-322-2588. Services are available in multiple languages.
Washington Communities for Children (WCFC) is a network of coalitions, organizations, and individuals who come together to improve child and family well-being. Ten regions across Washington state, with hundreds of partners, make up the network. Many members have experience with developmental screening and support. WCFC works collaboratively to strengthen how families access resources and support their child's development.
WCFC offers a space for early care and education providers across the state to connect and learn from each other. Meet our Statewide Networks!
Visit the Washington Communities for Children website to learn more or get connected to a regional coalition.
- Child care referrals, early learning resources, and connections with community resources for families across Washington.
- Mental Health consultation to child care providers and the families they serve. Learn more about Holding Hope consultation.
- Supports for the ASQ screening implementation for child care providers and caregivers.
- Training and coaching supports for on-going child assessment practices for child care providers.
- Help for families experiencing homelessness, needing help paying for child care, and seeking care options to meet a child’s or family’s specific needs.
- Resources for child care providers, including professional development, coaching for quality improvement, business supports, and advocacy.
Not finding what you’re looking for in your Child Care Aware online search? Call the Family Center to speak with a child care expert: 1-800-446-1114. Services are available in multiple languages.