Children 1^ST

Georgia's Welcome for Every Child.

The Mission of Children 1st

The mission of Children 1st is to identify children who are at risk for poor health and developmental outcomes, so that needed interventions can be made to ensure the optimal health and development of the child.

The Overview of Children 1st

Children 1st is the “Single Point of Entry” to a statewide collaborative system of public health and other prevention based programs and services. This system helps parents provide their young children with a healthy start in life. It allows at-risk children to be identified early and gives them a chance to grow up healthy and ready for school. Participation is voluntary and there are no financial requirements for enrollment into the program.

The Goals of Children 1st

The four primary goals of Children 1st are:

1. To promote early identification of all children with conditions (medical or socio-environmental) that place them at risk for poor health and/or developmental outcomes;
2. To serve as a single point of entry to connect with other public health programs and community services;
3. To assist families in recognizing and addressing needs that affect their capacity to provide healthy, safe and nurturing environments for their children; and
4. To generate data necessary for planning, policy development and service delivery at the state and community level, and improve the health and developmental outcomes of Georgia’s children.

The Core Functions of Children 1st

Children 1st has five key functions:

1. The identification of all births in Georgia;
2. The screening of all births and children up to age five;
3. The assessment of children and families at risk;
4. The referral/linkage of children and families with risk conditions to appropriate services; and
5. The monitoring of individual children from birth to age five with risk conditions.

Children 1st Screening and Referral Form 

Guidelines for Completing Screening and Referral Form 

Linkages

Children 1st collaborates with local hospitals, pediatricians and other health care providers, schools, community-based organizations, and other agencies to ensure healthy development of newborns and young children.

The Electronic Birth Certificate assists Children 1st in identifying newborns with or are at risk for poor health and development. In addition to this system, many health and community providers refer families to Children 1st by submitting a Children 1st Screening and Referral Form to the local Children 1st District Coordinator. Guidelines for Completing Screening and Referral Form provide instructions to complete this document.

Children 1st refers families to other public health programs including Babies Can't Wait (BCW) and Children's Medical Services (CMS). Linkages to Medicaid/PeachCare™ are made as appropriate. Families access services from agencies such as Healthy Families Georgia, Family Connection Partnership and Head Start. Beginning in 2001, Children 1st partnered with Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention (UNHSI) to monitor newborns identified for follow-up hearing screening and intervention as necessary.

Statewide Implementation

Children 1st is currently implemented in all 159 counties in the state. A Children 1st District Coordinator is present in all of the 18 public health districts to provide a system of support for all families from birth. While highlighting health, the scope of Children 1st encompasses the total child and family unit, including environmental and social needs.