About the Ages & Stages Screening Hub
LEAP Ahead STL (Learning Everything at Pace) is a collaborative effort working to make sure St. Louis area children (birth to age 5) receive the support they need to enter kindergarten ready to learn. This is a regional effort established to better support developmental, social, and emotional screening along with the coordination of resources and referrals. Through this, we have created a screening hub so that the data collected can benefit children, families, and programs throughout the region.
Overall Screening Snapshot (2019 - 2025)
The first five years are critical for a child’s growth. Early social, emotional, and developmental screening helps identify needs early, so children get the support they need to thrive. It’s a key step in getting every child ready for kindergarten—and for lifelong success.
We began coordinating and tracking screening efforts in 2019. Since that time, we have recorded over 15,000 early childhood screenings.
Number of Screenings per Child
66% of children received 1 or 2 ASQ-3/ASQ:SE screenings (n=5,058)
Types of Screenings Received
Most children received both types of screenings (n=5,058)
Child Demographics
On average, children had their first screening at the age of 2.7 years. Race/ethnicity data were available for 4,649 individuals (92%), of which the largest portion were African American (71%).
Percent of Children Screened by Gender
(n=5,058)
Percent of Children Screened by Race/Ethnicity
(n=4,714)
Geographic Distribution of Children Screened
Zip code data was available for 2,803 children (55%). Among these children, about 66% lived in St. Louis County.
Children's Home Zip Code
For children with zip code data available and living in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, or St. Charles (n=2,663)
Which County Children Screened Live In
For children with zip code data available (n=2,803)
Screening Results After 1st Screening
Most children were developmentally on schedule as measured by the 1st screenings with both the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE.
ASQ:SE Results by Domain (n=4,275)
ASQ-3 (Developmental)
ASQ:SE (Social & Emotional)
ASQ-3 Results by Domain (n=4,489)
Communication
Gross Motor
Fine Motor
Problem Solving
Personal Social
ASQ Result Differences by Gender
Across all domains, male children had higher rates of “concern” compared to their female counterparts.
Sample Size Within Each Domain
- ASQ:3 Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving, and Personal Social:
- Male: n ranges from 2,303 – 2,306
- Female: n ranges from 2,181 – 2,183
- ASQ:SE: Male: n=2,198; Female: n=2,077
Percent of Participants Scoring "Concern", by Domain and Gender
Communication
Gross Motor
Fine Motor
Problem Solving
Personal Social
ASQ:SE
ASQ-3 Result Differences by Race/Ethnicity
Note the smaller sample sizes for Hispanic or Latino, Other, and Asian populations. There were a few responses with Middle-Eastern or Native American selected, but less than 1% each.
Percent of Children with At Least One Domain Scored “Concern”, by Race/Ethnicity
(n=4,195)
2025 Screening Snapshot
The first five years are critical for a child’s growth. Early social, emotional, and developmental screening helps identify needs early, so children get the support they need to thrive. It’s a key step in getting every child ready for kindergarten—and for lifelong success.
We began coordinating and tracking screening efforts in 2019. Since that time, we have recorded over 15,000 early childhood screenings.
Number of Screenings per Child
84% of children received 1 or 2 ASQ-3/ASQ:SE screenings (n=1,599)
Types of Screenings Received
Most children received both types of screenings (n=5,058). Currently this chart shows 2019 - 2025 data, stand alone 2025 data is coming soon.
Child Demographics
On average, children had their first screening at the age of 2.8 years. Race/ethnicity data were available for 1,882 individuals (99%), of which the largest portion were African American (70%).
Percent of Children Screened by Gender
(n=1,894)
Percent of Children Screened by Race/Ethnicity
(n=1,914)
Geographic Distribution of Children Screened
Zip code data was available for 2,803 children (55%). Among these children, about 66% lived in St. Louis County.
Children's Home Zip Code
For children with zip code data available and living in St. Louis City and St. Louis County (n=1,384).
Which County Children Screened Live In
For children with zip code data available (n=1,424)
Screening Results After 1st Screening
Most children were developmentally on schedule as measured by the 1st screenings with both the ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE.
ASQ:SE Results by Domain (n=1,163)
ASQ-3 (Developmental)
ASQ:SE (Social & Emotional)
ASQ-3 Results by Domain (n=4,489)
Communication
Gross Motor
Fine Motor
Problem Solving
Personal Social
ASQ Result Differences by Gender
Across all domains, male children had higher rates of “concern” compared to their female counterparts.
Sample Size Within Each Domain
- ASQ:3 Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving, and Personal Social: Male: n =902; Female: n = 928
- ASQ:SE: Male: n=835; Female: n=836
Percent of Participants Scoring "Concern", by Domain and Gender
Communication
Gross Motor
Fine Motor
Problem Solving
Personal Social
ASQ:SE
ASQ-3 Result Differences by Race/Ethnicity
Note the small sample sizes. There were no responses with Middle-Eastern or Native American selected.
Percent of Children with At Least One Domain Scored “Concern”, by Race/Ethnicity
(n=1,224)
View Other Focus Areas
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Upcoming Events
Quarterly Training
Improve your professional skills for working with children and families.
System of Care Council
Collaborating on issues concerning families and mental health.
Stepping Up for Kids 2026
Celebrate resource families, frontline workers, and more!
Children’s Data
Check out our CMSL Data Book and our new interactive Children’s Data Center
Quantitative and qualitative data should provide the foundation for informed, strategic, collaborative community engagement, action, and advocacy. We invite you to explore the data and join us in working towards a better future for children and families in the St. Louis region.
