An inclusive early intervention program for infants and toddlers with developmental delays
Operating within Felton’s Family Developmental Center (FDC) and Sojourner Truth Center (STC), Felton’s Early Intervention & Inclusion (EII) programs provides early intervention services to children birth to three years of age. For over forty-five years, it has been the only program in San Francisco to serve infants and toddlers with physical and developmental needs, within an inclusive program model.
Special focus is placed on the following developmental domains: Adaptive, Personal-Social, Communication, Motor Development and Cognition, all targeted within an inclusive, natural context.
Who do we serve?
In partnership with the Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC), Early Intervention & Inclusion (EII) programs serves children who fall into any of the following four categories:
- Is an individual with a developmental disability
- Is an infant or toddler (up to 36 months of age) who has a developmental delay
- Is an infant or toddler (up to 36 months of age) for whom there are established risk conditions that could lead to a developmental delay
- Is an infant or toddler (up to 36 months of age) at high risk of having a developmental disability due to a combination of biomedical factors
Individuals eligible under the first category are served by GGRC’s Lanterman Act services program; infants and toddlers eligible under the latter two categories are served by the regional center’s Early Start program.
What is a developmental disability?
According to Title 17, Section 54000 of the California Code of Regulations, a developmental disability is defined as a disability that is attributable to any of the following conditions:
- Intellectual disability (formerly known as “mental retardation”)
- Cerebral palsy
- Epilepsy
- Autism
- Disabling conditions found to be closely related to intellectual disability or to require treatment similar to that required for individuals with an intellectual disability
(This definition does not include any handicapping condition that is solely psychiatric, solely a learning disability or solely physical in nature.)
What is a developmental delay?
A developmental delay is defined as a significant difference between an infant’s or toddler’s current level of functioning and the expected level of functioning for his or her chronological age in one or more of five developmental areas:
- Cognitive development
- Physical and motor development (including vision and hearing)
- Communication development
- Social or emotional development
- Adaptive development
According to Division 14, Chapter 4 of the California Early Intervention Services Act, the definition of a “significant difference” between actual and expected development is a minimum 33% delay in at least one developmental area before 24 months of age.
What is an established risk condition?
An established risk condition, as defined by Division 14, Chapter 4 of the California Early Intervention Services Act, is a condition of known etiology or a condition for which there are established harmful developmental consequences. These conditions have a high probability of leading to a developmental delay even if a delay is not evident at the time of diagnosis.
What is the definition of “high risk”?
Division 14, Chapter 4 of the California Early Intervention Services Act designates as “high risk” any infant or toddler who has a combination of biomedical risk factors that could lead to a substantial developmental disability. A list of these factors can be found in Title 17, Division 2, Chapter 2 of the California Code of Regulations.
What makes Felton’s Early Intervention & Inclusion (EII) programs unique?
Children enrolled in the program have:
- Access to a high-quality intervention program for children with developmental delays in a center-based environment
- Targeted and individualized intervention delivered within an inclusive early care and education setting, with typically developing peers
- Access to home-based parent training
- Access to community-based resources and supports
- Access to an onsite, multidisciplinary Early Intervention team
- Access to Hanen® Certified interventionists and staff with formal early childhood education & training
The Hanen® programs were designed to provide early childhood educators with practical, evidence-based, responsive interaction strategies for helping children build language and social skills. Hanen® approaches have led the way in changing early childhood intervention by focusing on building the capacity of parents and caregivers in order to best help and support developmental gains. Coaching parents and caregivers on how to apply the various research-based strategies during daily interactions with their child makes learning a natural, ongoing process.
For additional information, click here to learn more about the Hanen® program.
Family-Centered and Community-Based
While traditionally offered within the home setting, Felton’s Early Intervention & Inclusion (EII) programs gives children the opportunity to receive targeted intervention within an inclusive, community-based setting that gives families access to various community-based supports and resources, including but not limited to parent support groups, workshops, advocacy programs, referral services, Felton’s weekly Farmers Market, and the Child Care Food Program (CACFP).
Multidisciplinary
Our Early Intervention Team consists of:
- Early Childhood Educators
- Early Interventionists
- Early Childhood Special Educators
- Speech-Language Pathologists
- Pediatric Registered Nurse
- Mental Health Specialists
Comprehensive
We offer the following comprehensive intervention and treatment services:
- 1:2 specialized instruction in either a large group or small group setting
- 1:1 early intervention
- Supplemental home visits
- Speech and language therapy
- Pediatric Dysphagia (Feeding) Therapy
- Pediatric nurse monitoring and care
- Infant Mental health consultation
- Referral to other community-based programs
Program Details
Felton Early Intervention & Inclusion (EII) programs serve children from birth to three years who have developmental delays in any of the following areas: speech and language, vision, motor skills, social-emotional skills, and cognitive skills. The program provides the benefit of delivering evidence-based intervention within an enriched educational environment in which children with special needs and typically developing children play and learn together. All teaching staff and families receive continuous consultation and training from FDC’s on-site multidisciplinary Early Intervention Team. Children are referred to our program directly by Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC)
For more information on the Golden Gate Regional Center click here. (ggrc.org)
Inclusive Large Group
Children attend the program full-time for 7.5 hours each day, and are served within an inclusive early childhood classroom in a staff-to-child ratio of 1:2. Following a collaborative consultation model using various Hanen® strategies, Early Childhood Educators work directly with children in the classroom and collaborate regularly with our on-site multidisciplinary team. Our center’s general curriculum follows children’s interests, and our early intervention program follows the ‘linked systems’ approach, which systematically links together, assessment, goal-setting, intervention and evaluation into one cohesive process.
Inclusive Small Group
Our weekly Early Intervention small groups are 2 hours long and are co-facilitated by one of our on-site, licensed Speech-Language Pathologists and an Early Interventionist in an inclusive small group setting at our center. During the group, children are served within a staff-to-child ratio of 1:2. Parents are an integral part of the group and are expected to participate, as parent coaching is a big focus of the program. Each group consists of no more than six children, including 3 typically-developing peers and 3 children with special needs. Group activities are designed to follow the same developmentally-appropriate routines as general early childhood settings (e.g., circle time, snack, free play, motor activities, art, etc.), while embedding targeted intervention and instruction related to each child’s individual goals and objectives.
1:1 Early Intervention
Individualized early intervention sessions are provided by our Early Interventionists (EI) within a 1:1 staff-to-child ratio either in the classroom or in the home (depending on the specification of the Individualized Family Services Plan (IFSP) developed by GGRC. The EI will systematically assess the child and works on IFSP goals and other individualized developmental goals designed to support the child in succeeding and thriving in his or her environment. Progress is monitored every 12 weeks to determine the effectiveness of teaching and intervention efforts.
1:1 Supplemental Home Visits
For all funded children enrolled in our inclusive Large and Small Group programs, up to 2 home visits can be scheduled per month to ensure carryover and generalization of learned skills. Home visits are conducted by members of the multidisciplinary early intervention team, which allows for customization of the type of support, depending on the needs of each family and approved hours on the IFSP. Targeted parent coaching and education are conducted within the context of a collaborative relationship to build capacity and long-term outcomes for children.
Speech, Language and Dysphagia Assessment and Therapy
Speech, language and dysphagia (feeding) assessments are performed by our Speech-Language Pathologists. Ongoing therapy is provided in the child’s natural environment (home, community, or center) once per week or as stated on the IFSP, each session lasting 1 hour. The SLP develops a treatment plan in collaboration with the parent, with input from other professionals working with the child. Following a collaborative model, the SLP and parent/caregiver work together to support the communication needs of each child. Targeted parent/caregiver coaching and education are designed to support capacity building within the collaborative context.
What role does Felton play in helping families of children with special needs?
Felton believes there are several components essential to helping children with special needs reach their potential in all development domains. With that in mind, Felton aims to offer a comprehensive intervention model focusing on providing early care and education within a nurturing and inclusive learning environment.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Families must apply through the Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC) program. For more information, please call: 1-888-339-3305 or email them at intake@ggrc.org
CONTACT INFORMATION
Early Intervention & Inclusion Programs (EII)
Services Offered at:
Felton Institute’s Family Developmental Center (FDC)
Address: 2730 Bryant Street, 1st Floor, San Francisco, CA 94110
Main Office Phone: (415) 282-1090 ext. 122
Fax: (415) 282-1735
Felton Institute’s Sojourner Truth Center (STC)
Address: 1 Cashmere Street, San Francisco, CA 94124
Main Office Phone: (415) 401-1379
For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Pauly, M.A., BCBA, Early Intervention & Inclusion Director
Children, Youth, Family and Transitional Age Youth Division
Email: eiadmissions@felton.org
Michelle Kaye, LCSW, Clinical Director
Children, Youth, Family and Transitional Age Youth Division
Email: eiadmissions@felton.org
Yohana I. Quiróz, Ed.D., Chief Operations Officer, Felton Institute
Director, Children, Youth, Family and Transitional Age Youth Division
Email: yquiroz@felton.org