Developmental Screening for STARS to Quality Programs

The Early Childhood Services Bureau’s initiative to implement developmental screening in early care and education programs will identify and support individual child development, promote family engagement, and enhance program quality. The developmental screening resources on this page will help you identify the right developmental screening tool for your program, develop or improve your screening process, take advantage of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s information and resources, and prepare for positive communication with families.

Valid and Reliable Developmental Screening Tools

Although any valid and reliable developmental screener will meet the STARS criteria, the state is supporting Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ).  Child Care Resource and Referral Agency Family Engagement Coordinators will support ASQ:SE-2 tools to start and will add ASQ-3 in the future. While funding allows, programs can receive the following ASQ supplies from the Early Childhood Services Bureau (ECSB):

  • ASQ-3 starter kit including:
    • 21 photocopiable paper masters of the questionnaires and scoring sheets
    • CD-ROM with printable PDF questionnaires
    • ASQ-3™ User's Guide
    • ASQ-3(TM) Quick Start Guide
  • ASQ-3 Learning Activity books with more than 400 developmentally appropriate learning activities
  • ASQ:SE-2 Questionnaire kit including:
    • 9 photocopiable paper masters of the questionnaires and scoring sheets
    • A CD-ROM with printable PDF questionnaires
    • The ASQ:SE-2™ User's Guide
    • ASQ:SE-2(TM) Quick Start Guide
  • ASQ:SE-2 Learning Activity books with more than 90 developmentally appropriate social-emotional learning activities

The Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ®-3) pinpoints developmental progress in children between the ages of one month to 5 ½ years. Its success lies in its parent-centric approach and inherent ease-of-use.

Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®:SE-2) is a parent-completed, highly reliable system focused solely on social and emotional development in young children.   

Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning™ Fourth Edition (DIAL™-4) is a global screener for assessing large groups of children quickly and efficiently.

The continuum of resources developed by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) support the healthy social and emotional development and resilience of children and the adults who care for them.  DECA-Infant and DECA-Toddler are included in the DCRC resources. 

Brigance developmental screeners use observation, interviews, and child performance to pinpoint understanding in the domains tied to early development and school or kindergarten readiness.  For children ages 3 and up, a pediatrician or other child development professional must administer the BRIGANCE screens.

Mullen Scales of Early Learning is a developmentally integrated system that assesses language, motor, and perceptual abilities, measures cognitive ability and motor development quickly and reliably.

Appropriate for all children ages birth to 7 years, 11 months, the Battelle Developmental Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-2) is an early childhood instrument based on the concepts of developmental milestones.

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development is an assessment instrument designed to measure motor, cognitive, language, social-emotional, and adaptive behavior development in babies and young children.

The Learning Accomplishment Profile™ (LAP) is a flexible, adaptable, and easy-to-use suite of products that make ongoing assessments a breeze in one observation-based tool.

Talking with Families

Talking with families about their child’s development can be something to look forward to.  It can also be a conversation you would prefer to avoid.  Preparing yourself with what you need to say and how you are going to say it can turn a dreaded conversation into a reason to celebrate. 

The Communication Tip sheet offers language you can use when communicating with families about positive or concerning screening results. 

The Sharing ASQ Screening Results with Families resource has language to help you prepare to share screening results with families and can be partnered with any developmental screener.

Other Resources