Choose your role and learn more:
Developmental screenings check how a child is growing and developing. These are a set of standard questions based on a child’s age to find out how they:
- Communicate and understand language
- Move and use their muscles
- Think and learn
- Interact with others
Screenings happen in a variety of places—from homes to doctors’ offices to preschools to child care programs. Parents can complete developmental screenings by observing a child doing the activity or by reporting on their ability to complete it. Health care and early learning providers may conduct them, too.
Why are developmental screenings important?
- Children’s brains grow fastest between birth and age 5. It’s important to track how they’re developing.
- Some developmental delays aren’t easy to spot. Early and regular screenings help find them sooner.
- If there are concerns, you can get help early to support your child’s development and help them thrive.
- Developmental screenings help you celebrate your child’s growth and how they are meeting their milestones.
Introducing Strong Start: A Simple Way to Track Your Child’s Development
Strong Start is a free, secure, online system for families living in Washington. Parents, legal guardians, and providers can use it, too. Users can:
- Store all developmental screening results in one place.
- Easily share results with authorized providers and other care givers.
- Families, health care, and early learning providers can make decisions together to help children thrive.
Why Use Strong Start?
- It is free and available statewide.
- Safe and confidential. Your and your child’s information is completely secure and private.
- Supports children birth to age 5 by helping track a child’s development through critical early years.
- Creates a lifetime screening record that parents can share with providers and early learning partners.
Create Your Strong Start Account:
- Create a free Secure Access Washington account: Visit SecureAccess Washington (SAW) to create your account. Do you already have a SAW account? You can skip ahead to step 3!
- Add Strong Start as a service: Log back into your SAW account and select Strong Start from the list of services.
- Create your Strong Start profile: Complete your Strong Start profile and start saving completed screenings in one place!
Questions?
Email us at strongstart@doh.wa.gov. You can also call 833-887-0195 (toll-free; available in English and Spanish).
Popular Resources
- Learn the Signs, Act Early
From birth to 5 years, children should reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. Find free tools to help you track and celebrate your child’s milestones! - Conversation Roadmap – for providers
Seven simple ways for providers to talk with parents and caregivers about their child’s development and plan for any developmental needs. - The Community Resources section on our Parents and Guardians webpage lists organizations that offer connections to other services and needed supports.