Welcome Letter to Caregivers

Dear Caregivers,

Welcome to our Early Intervention program! This program is family-centered, with an emphasis on coaching and teaching caregivers strategies that allow them to support their child's development. We are a team of Speech Therapists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Developmental Interventionists. You have been assigned a primary interventionist to work with you based on your child's primary needs, but you have access to all of the disciplines if the need arises. Here is some basic information about the Early Intervention Program we want to share with you:

• EI Program days/hours are: Monday through Thursday, 8 am to 5:30 pm.
• The visits are 45 minutes to an hour and we ask that a family member or care provider be present and involved throughout the visit.
• Your interventionist is never permitted to be at home alone with your child or children.
• If your child or any member of your family has been ill within the past 24 hours, please cancel the appointment. Illness includes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, consistent coughing and sneezing, runny nose with thick, yellow-green mucus, pink eye, anything that may be contagious.
• If you need to cancel an appointment please do so as soon as possible.
• On occasion, we may need to cancel for various reasons including illness, unsafe travel conditions, holidays, vacations or participation in staff meetings and trainings. We will make every attempt to reschedule appointments, although it may not always be possible.

Your child is ready for a visit when he or she is

• Alert and rested.
• Has a clean diaper, face and hands.
• Pacifiers and bottles are used appropriately.
• TVs, stereos and computers are off.

Your interventionist will

• Provide fun and creative ways to incorporate therapy strategies into your family's everyday routines.
• Explain and model these therapy strategies during the session.
• Leave a written summary of the therapy strategies for you to try with your child in between sessions.
• Answer questions as they arise.
• Work in partnership with you to meet the goals you have established for your child.
• Wash hands prior to starting sessions and maintain cleanliness of toys and therapy equipment.
• Protect your family by adhering to strict confidentiality practices.

As a Caregiver you will receive the most benefit when you

• Actively participate in the therapy session.
• Ask questions and communicate openly with me.
• Follow through with the strategies in between sessions and let me know how things are going.
• Are flexible with scheduling visits, 9-11 am is my most requested time slot and may not be available.
• Work with us to ensure that we do some of our visits together if we see your child at a childcare site.