Fact sheet: Children 1st, No. 37 (Jan. 2001)

January 2001

DHR Office of Communications

Georgia Department of Human Resources

CHILDREN 1ST
Adoption is a social and legal process that creates a new family, giving adopted children the same rights and benefits as those who are born into the family.
Children 1st is a program that works to ensure a healthy start for Georgia's most vulnerable children from birth until they are four years old. During these early years, atrisk children can benefit greatly and develop to their fullest potential by receiving comprehensive preventive health care, specialized care when necessary, and many other associated services.
The Children 1st system is designed to help families of atrisk children get needed assistance and extra support in meeting the challenges of parenthood. Parents whose infants and children are at risk for poor health outcomes are linked to supportive services, such as child care and parent education classes. The Children 1st program is a statewide collaboration coordinated by the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health, Family Health Branch.
Who can adopt a child? Married couples must be at least 10 years older than the child they wish to adopt. Single parents must be 25yearsold or older and at least 10 years older than the child they wish to adopt. A family needs to earn only enough money to cover its own living expenses.
Identifying children at risk About 30 percent of Georgia's children (33,000) each year are born with medical conditions or live in circumstances that can cause health or developmental difficulties. Children 1st seeks to reach all Georgia families with newborns to identify those children and families who might need assistance.
Studies reveal that children between birth and four years of age are more likely to excel in school if early experiences have prepared them to enter the classroom ready to succeed. Children 1st helps to build the healthy foundation necessary for a child to enter school ready to succeed. Children 1st is also one of the few initiatives in

Georgia that addresses methods for preventing child abuse and neglect in stressful family situations, particularly among secondborn and later children. Without the screening, assessments and referrals provided through Children 1st, more fouryearolds would enter school with untreated health and developmental problems that detract from each child's ability to learn.
Last year (FY 1999), 75,986 newborns were screened for health and developmental risks. From these and other screenings, 21,429 newborns and children were identified as needing medical or developmental services. Some newborns (approximately twothirds of those screened) are selected for screening from information on the birth certificates; other children are referred for screening by doctors, nurses, hospitals or various community providers and caretakers. Of those children identified, 10,424 children were linked to primary health care providers for continued assistance. Over 23,000 children were monitored last year for health and developmental status.
Connecting children and families to services When Children 1st identifies an eligible child, a public health nurse or other qualified professional contacts the child's family. The family is offered a home visit and help in finding a primary health care provider or any other needed services. Children 1st staff stay in contact with the child's primary health care provider until the child's fourth birthday to confirm that the child is receiving regular checkups and other necessary medical services.
Gathering statewide data Children 1st collects data from across the state through the information gathered concerning the screened children and specific services required. These data can assist planners in developing programs to improve health, social and educational prospects for Georgia's children.
Community partners The Children 1st program is provided through Georgia's 19 public health district offices, assisted by state staff in the Division of Public Health offices. Children 1st works in partnership with hospitals, physicians, public and private clinics, social service agencies, other child service providers and parents. Children 1st services also are important to Georgia's Family Connection program, whose mission is to improve children's health and education. Through Children 1st, Georgia can continue to demonstrate a firm commitment to the health and development of newborns and young children.
National recognition

Children 1st received the 1994 Association of State and Territorial Health Officers Vision Award for "achieving excellence through innovation" and has been cited by the U.S. Public Health Service in Models that Work: 1995 Compendium of Innovative Primary Health Care Programs for Underserved and Vulnerable Populations.
Children 1st at work The Children 1st program in Cobb County currently is helping twin babies from Haiti who were born prematurely and came to this country with multiple medical problems. The family had no health insurance and few financial resources. Through Children 1st, the children were screened, diagnosed with respiratory and visual problems and referred to health care providers, Medicaid and WIC. The babies are now 18 months old and have improved significantly in their health conditions and in their developmental progress.
Children 1st in Morrow provides services to a Hispanic family of seven requiring multiple medical services. An infant and a 2yearold from this family are enrolled in the Children 1st program. The program also referred the uninsured father to a community clinic where he can pay for medical services on a sliding scale based on income. The mother was referred to and helped by the Public Health family planning program in the area. The family was provided their health information in Spanish, and they were helped to get to English as a Second Language classes.
Recently, during a home visit with a young mother in Dalton, the Children 1st coordinator learned that the mother had dropped out of school because of a rough childhood. She wanted to continue her education so that her child might have a better life. The Children 1st coordinator helped the young mother to contact social service agencies for help with her child and to enroll in a GED course at a community adult learning center. These are just a few examples of the many services provided by Children 1st in each health district throughout the state.
DHR Office of Communications January 2001
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