Success by 6 is an early childhood initiative that works to ensure that all Kankakee County children 0-6 have the positive and enriching experiences and positive parent-child relationships necessary to begin school ready to succeed. In June, the Success by Six Healthy Beginnings action team launched the Family Support Bus partnership with help of Bourbonnais School District 53 and Easterseals. The Bourbonnais School District offered their family support bus as a mobile site to host developmental screenings for children ages 0-5. The Easterseals staff have been a huge support in providing the screeners for the program along with Aunt Martha’s and First Taste programs.

The goal is for the bus to visit various libraires, community centers, and events throughout Kankakee and Iroquois Counties to bring developmental screenings to more families across both counties. This aligns with Success by Six’s strategic plan to “Increase the number of children who are screened for developmental delays and refer children with delays to specialized services.”

The bus made its first appearance at the Kankakee Farmers’ Market on June 10 at the Success by 6 Early Childhood Fair. At that event, 23 children were screened. We followed up with another June date in Iroquois County at the Central Citizens Library in Clifton. The bus features an open layout which allows for the screening to take place comfortably and discreetly on the bus. After the screening is performed, it is reviewed with the parents and recommendations can be made if further intervention is required. The program took off with another July date at Edward Chipman Library in Momence, and multiple events in August. So far, the bus has visited 10 locations and screened over 85 children.

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