HAH, HCCDC, and SIU Medicine are making Little Leaps in Child Development

Hillsboro Area Hospital, the Hillsboro Community Child Development Center, and SIU Medicine are partnering up to perform research on the developmental outcomes of children that, with each "Little Leap," will provide the foundation necessary for Hillsboro's children to build the brightest futures. The results of the "Little Leaps" research is essential for the growth of society and is especially important for a community like Hillsboro since developmental deficiencies are more prevalent in rural areas than urban. We want to put an end to that.

What is the research about? 

All parents worry about doing the right thing for their child. However, society, technology, changes in the economy, employment, the environment and a host of other issues have challenged families in new and never before encountered ways. These have challenged some extremely vital methods of relating to the child that previous generations did not experience. The methodology will assure the way that interaction with children covers the essentials that maximize the physical capacity of the child's brain at a critical time when it is growing at its fastest. The methodology has proven to be effective in different environments. What is unique in Hillsboro is that this is now being introduced in the rural environment in a different setting.

How will the program work?

The team will use the documentation that the HCCDC teachers already complete. SIU School of Medicine will provide the parents and teachers with bags of toys throughout the year. These bags will be for the parents to keep and use to play with and interact with their child. The bag will include information on what educational domain the toy is targeting and how to use it to stimulate the child. To learn more, read our FAQ sheet!

 

Featured below are some of the Little Leap participants whose banners will be in the Fusion and HAH parking lot starting December 2018.