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.

Two adults watching a baby playing with baby toys outside.
 

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

Glossary

 
Last revised May 18, 2023