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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:
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