Program Overview

The Infant Care Program provides early start services for infants and toddlers, ages birth through three years, and their families.

We Believe:

• Early education works!
• Early education services build on family concerns, priorities, and resources.
• Early education services respect family diversity in structure, coping styles, values, culture, race, and religion.
• Early education respects family choice about level of involvement in services.
• Early education services should be provided whenever appropriate in natural environments.
• Early education requires a community collaborative effort from referral through service provision.
• Early education uses transdisciplinary teams.
• Early education provides teaching through developmentally appropriate activities that are meaningful and useful to the child and family.
• All families should have the opportunity for parent-to-parent support.
• Children's health incluences learning.
• The parent and family are the child's primary teachers.
• Ongoing training for staff and families strengthens services.
• Ongoing program evaluation maintains high standards.
• Legal, political, and financial awareness and advocacy strengthens community access to and services for children with special needs and their families.

Services

Early Start services are written in an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The Infant Care Program, often in collaboration with other community agencies, provides services such as service coordination, special instruction, family training, respite, specialist consultation, and transportation. Services are provided in the home or in the center as desired by the family

Eligibility

• Developmental Delay
  • Infant or toddler exhibits a significant developmental delay in cognitive, physical (including fine and gross motor, vision, and hearing), communication, social or emotional, or adaptive functioning. A significant delay is a delay of 50% or more in any one area OR a delay of 25% or more in any two of these developmental areas.
• Established Risk
  • Infant or toddler has an established risk condition which has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay including solely low incidence disabilities.

Referral

Any parent, friend, relative, or professional may make a referral by calling the listed phone number.