Early Supports and Services provides developmental assessments to infants and toddlers under the age of 3 who may be experiencing a developmental difference or delay. Evaluations and services typically take place in the home. If a delay is documented through the evaluation, ESS will create a plan with the family to offer support around the child’s developmental needs.
Family-Centered Early Supports and Services partners with families to support caregivers in meeting their children’s developmental needs, however unique. Parents and primary caregivers are at the center of all services and decisions throughout the process. If a family is interested in having their child assessed for a possible developmental delay, they are encouraged to contact the program for an intake appointment and then a developmental evaluation will be scheduled. If the evaluation documents delay or a qualifying condition that places the infant or toddler at risk for delay, then an Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP) will be developed.
This plan will include developmental goals that the caregiver has for his or her child and strategies or services to obtain those goals. A service provider will be identified to work with the family, typically within the home, to support the caregivers in providing experiences that enrich the child’s growth and development towards the family’s goals. Services may last for as little as a few months if a child makes swift progress, but an IFSP can continue for up to 12 months. At the end of the year, the child’s developmental skills would be re-evaluated to document continued eligibility for the program and to update the family’s goals.
ESS supports children from birth until age 3; if further developmental services are needed past the child’s third birthday, ESS would work alongside caregivers to find appropriate resources and supports for the family and their child to transition into.
Hours of Operation
Monday – Friday
8:30 a.m – 5:00 p.m.
Home visits typically take place between these hours. Services typically occur in the child’s home, but they can occur in a family member’s home or a childcare setting, if that setting is located within the Community Bridges catchment area.
