Diagnosis
Children 1st
The mission of Children 1st is to identify children who are at risk for poor health and delayed development 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. Families may be referred to Early Intervention when their child qualifies for services and to Children’s Medical Services for treating medical conditions. When families qualify for financial help, they will be referred to Peachcare and Medicaid as well. Children 1st partners with Newborn Screening to get families help as soon as possible.
The Goals of Children 1st
- 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;
- To serve as a single point of entry to connect with other public health programs and community services;
- To assist families in recognizing and addressing needs that affect their capacity to provide healthy, safe and nurturing environments for their children;
- 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
- The identification of all live births in Georgia
- The screening of all births and children up to age five
- The assessment of children and families at risk
- The referral/linkage of children and families with risk conditions to appropriate services
- The monitoring of individual children from birth to age five with risk conditions.