Federal Grant Helping Babies On Reservation

Wed., March 13, 1996

From Staff And Wire Reports

A $90,000 Department of Education grant is helping care for newborns and toddlers on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation.

The money pays for a new program called “First Steps” that monitors the development of children from birth to age 5.

Through questionnaires and in-home interviews, workers evaluate children and refer them to speech and health specialists if needed.

The funds are administered by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. At this point, the program is available only to members of Indian tribes.

“We hope to open it up to nonIndian children, possibly by next year,” said Paula Hathaway, service coordinator for the program.

Birth trauma, lack of prenatal care, illness and social problems can slow a child’s development, she said.

Parents interested in more information can stop by the First Steps office at the Head Start building in DeSmet, or call 274-2073.

, DataTimes

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Federal Grant Helping Babies On Reservation

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