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WORLD AIDS DAY

The 1st of December, World AIDS Day, is the day when individuals and organizations from around the world come together to

bring attention to the global AIDS epidemic.  more...


 


BAMSI - News Notes


New BAMSI LOGO

BAMSI is pleased to announce that

our agency has adopted a new and innovative logo.  more...


thanks to our sponsors

For the 17th year in a row, the BAMSI Thomas J. Fahey Memorial AIDS Walk helped to raise awareness and create funding

and create funding for the Emergency Assistance Fund to help women, men, and children living with HIV/AIDS in our community. more...


CARF accreditation

CARF International announced that BAMSI has been accredited for a period of three
years for its

Community Housing, Supported Living, more...


career site

The BAMSI Career Site, a totally web-enabled, automated hiring system, is now available to internal and external applicants for BAMSI jobs more...

  

 



 

Brockton Early Childhood Intervention Program

     
 


Contact Information:

801 Pleasant Street
Brockton, MA 02301
Phone: (508) 586-9855
Fax: (508) 583-5847

Program Hours:

Monday to Friday – 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday and evening hours available upon request.

Program Description:

The Brockton Early Childhood Intervention Program provides services to children, birth to three years of age with disabilities and/or developmental delays and their families. Early Intervention provides home and center-based services that help infants and toddlers acquire skills needed to continue to grow into happy and healthy members of the community. Services are designed to offer support, prevent, correct, or minimize the effects of developmental delay with minimal disruption to the everyday activities of the family.

Having a child with special needs presents a unique challenge for families. Children might need extra help and attention when learning new skills. Parents and other caregivers might have to learn new ways of caring for their child, and the whole family may need support in adjusting to these demands. Early Intervention provides a variety of support services to families and participation is entirely voluntary. The program serves approximately 600 children and their families from Greater Brockton annually.

Infants and toddlers who have a disability or developmental delay in one or more of the following areas may benefit from Early Intervention:

  • Physical development (growth, gross and fine motor abilities);

  • Cognitive development (learning and thinking);

  • Adaptive development (self-help skills such as feeding and dressing);

  • Social and emotional development (relating to others);

  • Communication (understanding and using words); and

  • Vision and hearing.

Early Intervention services are provided with sensitivity to individual family needs and cultural preferences. Staff has bilingual capacity in Spanish, Portuguese, Cape Verdean, and Haitian Creole.

Early Intervention Services include the following:

  • Program Referral: Anyone (a parent, doctor, care giver, teacher, or friend) can make a referral by calling the Early Intervention staff.

  • Evaluation: To determine eligibility, a developmental assessment of your child is conducted in your home at a time that is convenient for you and your child. The assessment focuses on specific areas of child development including areas related to cognitive, language, motor, social, emotional, behavioral, and self-help skills. Staff will assess your child’s overall development and identify what your child does well and what your child needs help with, and ask you about your concerns and what you want to work on with your child.

  • Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP): If your child is eligible for Early Intervention, Early Intervention staff will work in partnership with you to identify your goals for your child and family. Staff will then develop a written service plan that will assist you and your child in attaining those goals.

  • Individual Treatment: Individualized treatment plans and services are provided to each child and family. Treatment might be provided by any of the Early Intervention certified therapists including Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech and Language Pathologist, Early Childhood Educator, Social Worker, or Nurse. Treatment sessions usually occur in the family home or place where the child spends most of his/her time. Treatment might also take place at BAMSI’s Children’s Community Center by request due to special circumstances.

    Toddler Group Treatment: As infants and toddlers reach the two year milestone Toddler Play Groups are frequently recommended as a very effective treatment strategy. Community children not eligible for early intervention services are frequently included in toddler group as peers and role models. Parent Groups are also offered to parents of toddlers attending play group. Parents are encouraged to discuss their concerns and the effectiveness of services with other parents. Parents are considered equal partners in the development and implementation of Early Intervention services.

  • Transition Planning: Many families with children transitioning out of Early Intervention consider the assistance and information provided about other services in the community to be essential. Early Intervention staff is especially effective working with school systems to ensure that appropriate programs are in place before the child leaves Early Intervention. Many families transition out of Early Intervention with no need for further therapy but appreciate suggestions about local opportunities in the community such as library programs and other local offerings for families with very young children.

Eligibility for Services:

Early Intervention has a list of diagnosis that automatically qualifies a child for services and the program serves families from the Greater Brockton Area. Early Intervention does bill private insurance and Medicaid for Early Intervention services. If a family has no insurance the Department of Public Health pays for the service. There is a Department of Public Health annual fee charged to the family based on income. The fee is very modest and no one is denied service based on ability to pay the annual fee.

Staffing:

  • Licensed Occupational Therapists

  • Physical Therapists

  • Early Childhood Educators

  • Speech and Language Pathologists

  • Social Workers

  • Nutritionist

  • Nurse Child Life Specialists

  • OCCS Certified Teachers and Teacher Aids.

Program Funding:

  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health

  • Medicaid

  • Third Party Insurance
     


Brockton Early Childhood Intervention Program