On May 1, 2021, the governor of Virginia proclaimed May as Early Intervention Awareness Month for the state. Each year, our Early Intervention team (shown in photo below) serves almost 500 children from birth to 3 years old.
Our team provides case management, developmental services and developmental assessments to infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Our services can occur in homes, at daycares, in the community and use a parent/caregiver coaching model.
“It’s wonderful to report that my son no longer requires services!” says one of parents, whose child was supported through our Early Intervention program.
We implement a team-based approach to support families:
- Service Coordinators are the first point of contact. They assist families in identifying a child’s developmental goals, support families in accessing resources to help reach their goals and connect them with community resources. They also help families coordinate therapies and track developmental progress.
- Developmental Educators work with children and families toward reaching the goals of their individualized family service plan. They coach families in best practices for helping their child meet the identified goals. We also help track developmental progress and provide extra support as needed.
- Graduation – When a child no longer shows delays and reaches the goals of their individualized family plan, they will “graduate” from Early Intervention. However, some children have a medical diagnosis that automatically qualifies them to continue the program until the day before their third birthday. Our team also assists families in exploring eligibility for special education preschool services at their local elementary school.
Learn more about our Early Intervention programs at eastersealsucp.com/early-intervention.
ABOUT EASTERSEALS UCP
Easterseals UCP and PORT Health are trustworthy, compassionate partners providing exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services to help our neighbors live their best lives. Purpose, dedication and empathy drive our in-person and telehealth service delivery. Our diverse and inclusive 2,600 member team provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home, facility and community locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at eastersealsucp.com.