Birth to 3 Program: Child Development
Developmental milestones are skills that children gain as they develop and grow. These skills fall into four areas:
- Language/communication
- Social/emotional (forming relationships and understanding and managing emotions)
- Cognitive (learning, thinking, and problem-solving)
- Movement and physical development.
Every child develops at their own pace. However, sometimes a child may not reach a milestone by a certain age. If that happens, supports or services from the Birth to 3 Program could help boost their development.
Below are some tools you can use to track and understand these milestones.
Tips and tools to track child development
- Act Early Wisconsin—Tools and resources to track milestones as your child grows. It also has free materials to aid in child learning.
- Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)—Learn about this screening tool. It is used by health and child care providers to understand child development. You can also learn more about the ASQ for social-emotional health—It helps screen for behavioral concerns.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—Interactive tools such as:
- Checklists
- Charts
- Videos
These can help you track your child’s milestones from age 3 months to 5 years. You can also download a free app to track these changes and get tips and activities on your mobile device.
- Learn the Signs. Act Early—A digital toolkit that includes some of the most popular resources for tracking child development. This includes tools such as:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Milestone Tracker App.
- Milestone checklists.
- Child development fact sheets.
- Why 0-3?—Learn more about a child's brain development between birth and age three, why the early years matter, and how babies and toddlers benefit from family and community connections.
Learn more about child development
- Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive—Find resources to help track your child’s milestones, screening history, and more.
- Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University—This is a video playlist. The videos explain how stress and trauma affect your child’s development.
- Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning—Tools and tips to support your child’s social and emotional development.
- Zero to Three—Find booklets on early development. You’ll also find the interactive Baby Brain Map. The map shows how your child’s brain develops from before birth up to 36 months of age.