Past Tips of the Week

Would like to wish you and yours a very happy, safe and prosperous holiday season! Thank you for all that you do for WV children and families. Happy Holidays!

Come Grow with Us is WV Birth to Three's statewide initiative to support quality early intervention services for children and families. Stay Up to Date with the latest Come Grow with US initiative by checking the link on the Birth to Three website.

http://www.wvdhhr.org/birth23/comegrowwithus.asp

Looking for some webinars, articles and/or handouts on how to support children and families with understanding Social Emotional Development? Check out this website: http://www.veipd.org/main/sub_socio_emot_dev.html

The Early Childhood Resource Lending Library contains numerous resources for parents, educators, students, service providers and the general public. To see what resources are available, visit the Virtual Loan Library at:

https://vll.cedwvu.org/

Activity Notes must be fully completed BEFORE a parent signs it. This includes the date, start and end time of service, and the activities completed at that visit. Asking parents to sign a blank or incomplete Activity Note is against WV Birth to Three policies and procedures.

The Transition Resource Information Form has been updated (9/2015). Get your copy here.

Check out this blog for some helpful tips on writing specific, measurable, and individualized IFSP outcomes.

Do you support a family who needs additional information on Acid Reflux or GERD in young children? Refer to this handout from Zero to Three.

September is Newborn Screening Awareness Month! Newborn screening identifies conditions that can affect a child's long-term health or survival. Early detection, diagnosis, and intervention can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential. Learn more from the CDC at:

http://www.cdc.gov/newbornscreening/

AND from WV DHHR at:

http://www.wvdhhr.org/nbms/

WV Birth to Three billing procedures requires that documentation originals be in the child's record at the RAU prior to billing.

Come Grow with Us is a 5 year plan that provides next steps for the design, implementation and monitoring of key strategies for insuring that all children make developmental progress and are ready to learn. To learn more click here: http://www.wvdhhr.org/birth23/comegrowwithus.asp

Having trouble opening/reading .pdf files from the WVBTT website or Covansys website? Fixing that issue may be as simple as changing a setting on your computer.

Click here for step by step assistance

Check the Date of Birth and spelling of the child's name for each child before completing documentation. It is essential that the early intervention record contain accurate information on each child. Double checking your documentation also helps the RAU to accurately maintain the child's records.

WV has had its fair share of weather related emergencies this summer. If your child with complex medical needs relies on medical technology on a daily basis, you need to be prepared.
Click here for some things to keep in mind.

Confidentiality is crucial in this field! Reminder - Do not make comments on social networking sites about families; team members or specific situations/issues.

Have you seen baby bottles with sweet tea or sippy cups filled with Mountain Dew? As we all know, healthy teeth for babies and toddlers is vital. Check out the following links for tips to offer families on tooth decay prevention and oral health programs in WV.

Tooth Decay in Young Children: You can prevent it

IFSP services should be provided at a child care provider location only if there has been an identified concern with daily routines and activities in that setting. Consultation with the classroom teacher should be the focus of the intervention in that setting, not one on one time with the child. The family is always an integral part of interventions to achieve IFSP outcomes.

Don't forget to stay hydrated while you are out doing home visits!

Click here for some helpful facts

As vacation season approaches be sure to remember to have an "away message" on your voice mail and e-mail which includes the date of your return.

Early Care Share West Virginia is the "go-to" website designed to share information, cost savings, and management resources to help early childhood professionals learn new information and manage their programs. Join this FREE site at:

http://www.earlycaresharewv.org

During transDuring transition planning, the team should be developing Child and Family Centered Outcomes to support skills the child needs to be successful with transitions, as well as skills the family will need to assist their child with transitions and the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.

2015 Home Visitation Conference is scheduled for April 28^th -30^th 2015. Click here for
Conference Materials
Registration Form

Spring is a time of change and bright new beginnings. Please visit "Standard Documentation Forms" to see updated changes to WVBTT Assistive Technology forms and click here for personnel changes that have taken place at the state office.

The "WVBTT Service Coordinator Request to Release Child Records" form is used to facilitate collaboration with other agencies, programs, health care providers who are not part of a child's WV Birth to Three evaluation/assessment or IFSP team. Service Coordinator's must submit this form each time you are requesting the RAU to release any portion of a child's record. Click here for form!

March 21, 2015 marks the 10th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder. Click here to read more.

Signed up for a Birth to Three webinar and want an easy way to be reminded of the training? When you register you can click the "add to calendar" link and it will automatically be added to your outlook calendar!

Make sure to document every call, text, e-mail, letter or form sent as part of your non face to face activities on your Correspondence/Phone Contact Log

WV Birth to Three has Regional Technical Assistance (TA) Specialists available to assist with any questions regarding training, billing, documentation, or other areas of concern as you work with WV Birth to Three. Click for a map of the TA Specialist serving your area.

As winter approaches we all know that snow and ice is going to find its way into our forecast. There may be instances when inclement weather is significant enough to prevent scheduling or cause cancellation of a visit. Family reasons or inclement weather, are not considered out of compliance for Federal reporting purposes as long as there is appropriate documentation in the child's record to substantiate these reasons. Please remember missed appointments must be made up within 90 days. To read the full policy and download the Missed Appointment form click here