As the loving mother of 2-year-old Emma, Ashley was concerned that Emma was not developing properly. Emma was not walking, talking or even attempting to play with her toys.

When Ashley learned about a program developed by the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and Children's Board of Hillsborough County called the Child Development Infoline (CDI), she called 813-425-GROW and she spoke with Maata, a CDI Care Coordinator. Ashley explained her concerns and let Maata know she was worried and afraid. Maata conducted an ASQ-3 screening over the phone with Ashley and the results showed that Emma scored zeroes in all areas. As a next step to help Ashley & Emma, Maata reached out to the Early Steps program in Hillsborough County where they immediately scheduled an appointment with the family. Within a week Emma was linked to both a speech therapist and a physical therapist.

When Maata followed up two weeks later, Ashley reported that she was actively involved in helping Emma and had already seen small improvements in Emma crawling, grabbing and standing with assistance.  Two month later, Maata followed up to perform a re-evaluation using the ASQ-3 screening. The results showed that Emma improved in all areas.

Today, Ashley says her level of stress has decreased and she has hope for Emma's future. The family is extremely grateful for the help they received through the Child Development Infoline and Maata's efforts in linking her to appropriate services.

The Child Development Infoline is just one way the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay responds to over 160,000 requests for help through the year. If you want to learn more about the help, hope, and healing people receive at Crisis Center, click HERE to sign up for a one-hour lunch-time tour.