Abstract
Developmental TIPS (Tracking Infants Progress Statewide) is a project that performs statewide developmental follow-up of infants from the major neonatal intensive care units throughout Nebraska. Developmental TIPS enrolls infants who were in the neonatal intensive care unit for at least 48 hours, regardless of the child's perceived risk for neurodevelopmental disability. The goals of this program of developmental tracking are to standardize the system of follow-up in the state and to gather outcome data on this population of young children. This project supports parent-child interactions and promotes the child's health and safety within the context of universal screening and monitoring. It is a collaborative project among hospitals, the Nebraska Department of Education, the Nebraska Health and Human Services Division, local health and education providers, and families. The results suggest a high rate of referrals for low-, moderate-, and high-risk infants. This follow-up system has helped to support the Child Find efforts of the state by providing ongoing screening that maximizes early identification of developmental problems. The purpose of this article is to describe this comprehensive follow-up model that is an integral part of the state Child Find system and to report on the children being followed.