Information for Families

Early Intervention Program services involve not just children from birth to age three with disabilities but also their families. The following resources provide valuable information that will help parents and families become more knowledgeable about the Early Intervention Program. Additional links to Web sites that families may find useful can be found under Related Links.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)- "Learn the Signs. Act Early." Campaign

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a program called "Learn the Signs. Act Early." This program improves early identification of children with developmental delays and disabilities by promoting parent-engaged developmental monitoring and facilitating early action on concerns. This initiative encourages parents and providers to learn the signs of healthy development, monitor every child's early development, and take action when there is a concern. The program offers free checklists and other tools to make developmental monitoring practical and easy.

Among the tools this program offers are free developmental checklists, a Milestone Tracker App, a milestone moments booklet, free children's books, tips sheets, training resources and customizable promotional materials, to name a few. You may find more information and explore these and other free resources offered through this program, by visiting: https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/

Families’ Perspectives: A Parent’s Journey to the Early Intervention Program

A four-part video series was developed titled, Families’ Perspectives: A Parent’s Journey to Early Intervention. Each video features parents of children who were in the Early Intervention Program (EIP) and was developed to highlight how the EIP helped their family. Three of the videos in the series focused on families living in communities where language could be a barrier to connect to the Program.

Know Your Rights!

The following four-part video series provides an overview of Families' Rights During Referral, Evaluation and Eligibility. Each video will cover a family's rights during different steps in the New York State's Early Intervention Program. In these videos, Kimberly Weisbeck, from Disability Rights New York (DRNY), describes the process and answers some frequently asked questions about early intervention from referral to transition.

  • Overview of Families' Rights: Referral, Evaluation, and Eligibility
    • https://youtu.be/zjaZxsVToPY This first video, Overview of Families' Rights: During Referral, Evaluation and Eligibility, discusses eligibility for the Early Intervention Program and the evaluation and referral process.
  • Overview of Families' Rights: Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
    • https://youtu.be/FzaF9SKjcRw This second video, Overview of Families' Rights: Regarding Individualized Family Service Plans, discusses your family's rights when creating an individualized family service plan (IFSP).
  • Overview of Families' Rights: Early Intervention Sessions
    • https://youtu.be/flKmlB2eQ4s This third video, Overview of Families' Rights: During Early Intervention sessions, discusses your family's rights during the delivery of early intervention services.
  • Overview of Families' Rights: Transition
    • https://youtu.be/I73XJChBdzs This fourth and final video in this series, Overview of Families' Rights: During Transition from Early Intervention, discusses your family's rights as you transition out of Early Intervention Program.

Developing IFSPs That Fit You and Your Priorities

https://youtu.be/S7nK1ThYW3A

This video discusses the important role a parent has in developing their child's individualized family service plan (IFSP). It describes what the IFSP is and how it is created. It also discusses strategies parents can use to make sure their IFSP fits their family, priorities, and outcomes for their child.

Stay Connected!

The Bureau of Early Intervention wants to make sure families stay connected to what’s happening in the Early Intervention Program. If you are interested in upcoming trainings for families, resources on developmental delays and disabilities, learning more about new guidance and policies, or would like to share your ideas with the Bureau, join our Listserv and Facebook group today!

To subscribe to this listserv, send an e-mail to listserv@listserv.health.state.ny.us with "Subscribe" in the subject line and include in the body of the e-mail "Subscribe NYS_EIP_Families-L", your first name and last name, remove any e-mail signatures, then click send. Your e-mail address will be added to the mailing list. You should receive a Listserv List confirmation email and you will need to click the link in this email to confirm your subscription. If you do not receive this confirmation email in your inbox, please check your spam/junk message box for the e-mail to confirm your subscription.

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*If you would like to request hard copies of these postcards, please e-mail OGS.SM.GDC@OGS.NY.GOV. Make sure to include the publication number which is found at the bottom left corner of the postcard, as well as your name, address to send the document to, and quantity.