Early Intervention Program Training

A major component of the New York State Early Intervention Program (EIP) is the provision of training to EIP stakeholders. This training supports our mission to improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in New York State's EIP through access to qualified personnel.

The Department's contractor, Measurement Incorporated, offers live interactive online training, as well as online self-paced training, on a variety of EIP topics, using curricula approved by the Department of Health. Training is offered to early intervention professionals and families. To learn more about EIP training, visit NYS EIP Online Professional Development Website.

The NYS EIP also provides leadership and advocacy skills training to parents of children in the EIP. To learn more about training specifically for parents, visit EI Families.

State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)

As part of the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP), the Department, in conjunction with three University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs), have developed 30 trainings to enhance family-centered practices in early intervention service delivery, for families and providers. You can read more about the plan and why the trainings were developed here: State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)

Early Intervention Program Curricula/Courses

To register for any of the courses listed below, please go to the NYS EIP Online Professional Development Website

Introduction to Service Coordination Course Description

Service coordinators have the responsibility of providing families of children referred to the EIP with necessary information, guidance and support, beginning at referral to the EIP and continuing throughout the time they participate in the program. Along with a thorough working knowledge of the EIP, service coordinators must possess the skills necessary to work in a partnership with families and other professionals to ensure children and families participating in the EIP receive needed information, supports and services. In recognition of this, Early Intervention regulation 10 NYCRR Section 69-4.4(b) specifies, and the New York State Department of Health Provider Agreement requires, all providers of service coordination in the EIP to successfully complete this State sponsored training course, prior to rendering service coordination services to children and families in the EIP.

This Introduction to Service Coordination training curriculum contains current and necessary information for service coordinators to assist them in performing the required service coordination activities in the EIP.

All EIP Service Coordinators must take this course in its entirety and receive a certificate of completion, prior to rendering service coordination to children and families in the EIP

Transition Responsibilities in the EIP

The transition process, moving from Early Intervention Program services to preschool special education programs or other community services, is an essential component of every child’s IFSP. Transition planning helps to ensure that the process is successful. It is important that both parents and professionals understand the requirements for transition and the services that are available for children. This training reviews all of the steps of the transition process.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Describe and explain the components of the transition process for both children who are and who are not eligible for preschool special education programs and services.
  • Apply the information about the transition process to real-life settings.
  • Describe and explain the procedural safeguards afforded to parents in the transition process.

Insurance Responsibilities in the EIP

This course details the regulatory requirements of New York State Public Health Law and the use of private insurance and Medicaid for reimbursement of services delivered to children in the NYS Early Intervention program (EIP). Additionally, this course reviews the roles and responsibilities of initial and ongoing service coordinators, in discussing insurance with families, as well as documenting insurance information in the child's record and the State data system.

Early Intervention Evaluation, Assessment, and Eligibility Determination

This course is designed to provide early intervention providers with the information they need to perform screenings, multidisciplinary evaluations (MDEs), and make Early Intervention Program (EIP) eligibility determinations in compliance with federal and State laws and regulations. The course reviews: the steps in the process from referral to eligibility determination in the EIP, the roles and responsibilities of the MDE team members, and the required components of the MDE (including, but not limited to developmental assessment tools, determining eligibility in the EIP, and reporting the results of a screening and/or MDE).

Meeting the Social-Emotional Development Needs of Infants and Toddlers

This course describes the New York State Department of Health Social-Emotional Guidance Document, disseminated in 2017, and provides an overview of its content, and specific instructions for early intervention professionals working in the EIP to address social-emotional development for the children and families they serve.

Early Intervention Program Records

This course reviews with participants the content which is required for Early Intervention Program (EIP) records under applicable State and federal laws and regulations. Additionally, the course reviews: procedural safeguards afforded to families relating to their child's records in the EIP, record retention requirements for providers, use of electronic records and signatures, and general billing and claiming information, as it pertains to EIP records.

Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) in the Early Intervention Program

This course reviews the steps of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) process from the initial referral to the Early Intervention Program (EIP) to the process of preparing for, developing, and implementing the IFSP. This course provides details on EIP regulations which must be adhered to and focuses on the importance of ensuring that the child and family’s unique resources, priorities, and concerns are accurately reflected within the process.

Working with Diverse Families in the Early Intervention Program

This course provides participants with the knowledge and tools needed to establish a partnership with each family with whom they work, while ensuring an equitable and family-centered experience.

This training focuses on empowering families to actively participate in all aspects of the Early Intervention Program (EIP). Included are federal and State resources to assist providers in making appropriate referrals for families to programs and supports, both within and outside of the EIP.

Family-Directed Assessment in the EIP

This course provides participants with the knowledge/resources needed to explain and encourage family participation in the family-directed assessment, a component of the multidisciplinary evaluation (MDE). This course will be of particular interest to initial service coordinators, whose responsibility it is to explain the family-directed assessment process, as well as those early intervention providers whose responsibility it is to conduct family-directed assessments. This course will impart providers with knowledge of regulatory requirements of this process, as well as provide information regarding tools/strategies which can be used to collect/gather information for the assessment. Additionally, this course will provide information on available federal and State resources to support early intervention service coordinators and providers in making appropriate referrals (both within and outside of the EIP).

Child Outcomes Summary Process

This course outlines the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) process and details both federal as well as New York State specific procedural requirements. The first portion of the course is an adaptation of the Child Outcomes Summary (COS) Process training, which was developed collaboratively between Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA) and The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy). The final portion of this training focuses on the fundamental requirements of the COS process as it relates to the New York State Early Intervention Program.

Early Intervention Program Training Contractors

The New York State Early Intervention Program Online Professional Development Center

The New York State Early Intervention Program Online Professional Development Center (NYS EIP OPDC) is the New York State Department of Health Early Intervention Program's online training site. The goal of the NYS EIP Online Professional Development Center is to offer high quality online training on approved early intervention topics relevant to those who provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families and other early intervention stakeholders. This training supports our mission to improve outcomes for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families in New York State's Early Intervention Program through access to qualified personnel. The NYS EIP Online Professional Development Center was developed in collaboration with Early Intervention training contractor, Measurement Incorporated.

The New York State Early Intervention Program Online Professional Development Center
Measurement Inc.
41 State Street, Suite 403
Albany, NY 12207
Phone: (800) 330-1420 Ext. 209
Website: https://www.nyseipopdc.org
E-mail: nyseipopdc@measinc.com

Family Initiative Coordination Services Project

The Family Initiative Coordination Services Project (FIC) facilitates, supports and develops parent involvement in all levels of the EIP. The FIC develops and implements a training program, referred to as Partners, that provides parents with the opportunity to enhance their leadership skills, network with each other, and learn how to become better advocates for the care of their child with special needs on the local, state, and national levels. The Family Initiative Coordination Services Project was developed in collaboration with Early Intervention contractor, Just Kids.

The Partners Training Program is a free training program available to families of children in the Early Intervention Program. It is scheduled quarterly throughout the year, on a rotating basis, within five different regions of New York State (NYS).

Below, you will find the upcoming training schedule by region, for 2023. (Please note, should conditions warrant, Session II may be held virtually.)

Long Island/New York City (NYC)* Regions

Session I (Virtual) - Saturday, March 4, 2023
Session II (In-Person) - Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25, 2023

*There are still spots available for this training.

Central Region

Session I (Virtual) - Saturday, April 15, 2023
Session II (In-Person) - Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20, 2023

Northeast Region

Session I (Virtual) - Saturday, August 26, 2023

Session II (In-Person) - Friday, September 22 and Saturday, September 23, 2023

Downstate Region

Session I (Virtual) - Saturday, November 4, 2023

Session II (In-Person) – Friday, December 1 and Saturday, December 2, 2023

For more information, including how to apply for this training, please visit the eiFamilies website at: https://www.eifamilies.com/ei-training-you-ei-partners-training-project

FIC
Just Kids
P.O. Box 12
Middle Island, NY 11953
Phone: (631) 205-0502
Fax: (631) 924-4602
Website: http://www.eifamilies.com
E-mail: angelamfurci@justkidseclc.org