WIC Works Resource System
U.S. Department of Agriculture
CDC’s Developmental Milestone Checklist Program for WIC
The Developmental Milestone Checklist Program for WIC, developed through a collaboration with WIC programs nationwide and CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early. program, helps WIC providers engage families in monitoring their children’s development from 2 months through 5 years of age and support them with timely referrals when developmental concerns are identified.
This family-friendly program can be integrated into a WIC visit in less than 5 minutes:
Post Environmental Graphics – Use these engaging graphics on the walls and floors of the clinic to introduce developmental milestones.
Administer Checklists – Refer families to the milestone checklist during certification and mid-certification visits, or whenever there is a question or concern about a child’s development. During virtual visits, staff can encourage parents to complete the checklist within CDC’s Milestone Tracker app.
Make a Referral – Review the checklist and make a referral if there are any missing milestones or any concerns. Use these talking points to help guide your conversation about child development with families.
The Learn the Signs. Act Early. program offers a variety of free, research-based, family-friendly resources to make it easy and fun for families to track their child’s milestones.
Use these resources to support child development in WIC:
Milestone Checklists for WIC (available in both English and Spanish)
Online Milestone Checklists: Checklists available by age
Talking Points to Get the Child Development Conversation Started
Additional resources WIC staff can use to help promote developmental monitoring, such as posters, children’s books, booklets, growth charts and more.
View and share the Milestones in Action photo and video library content with WIC families by clicking the buttons below:
For more guidance on how to use Learn the Signs. Act Early. materials in your WIC clinic, visit the Developmental Milestone Checklist Program for WIC Program Staff page.
