Early Intervention

OVERVIEW
Early Intervention offers coordinated services to infants and toddlers birth to age three who have developmental delays and disabilities. Parents play a key role in helping the early intervention team understand the strengths of their child, their dreams for their child, and where their child will receive the support needed. The Children’s Center is an agency contracted by the Western Tidewater Community Services Board to offer these services.

• service coordination
• speech therapy
• occupational therapy
• physical therapy
• audiology
• special instruction
• vision services
• transportation
• nutrition

REFERRAL AND ELIGIBILITY
Referrals may come from anyone! The early intervention program will contact the family and give them the information needed to make decisions on what choices are available for their child. The medical community is always involved in a child’s care in early intervention. Evaluation is offered at no cost to the family. Virginia has established a telephone number to link families to an early intervention program anywhere in the United States. Known as the Infant and Toddler Connection of Virginia, the number is 1-800-234-1448.

Pediatric Therapy

OVERVIEW
The Children’s Center offers pediatric therapy to infants through young adults twenty-one years of age. The Virginia Department of Health licenses the Children’s Center to provide these services within the state.

PEDIATRIC THERAPY SERVICES
Speech therapy focuses on the development of language skills and feeding and swallowing abilities. Language skills include speech development, voice disorders, and voice articulation. Speech therapy also teaches sign language to children who are hearing impaired. Children with feeding and swallowing disorders resulting from illness, injury, or congenital anomaly benefit from speech therapy as well.

Occupational therapy focuses on the development of fine motor skills-the use of arms, hands, and fingers. It seeks to improve eye-hand coordination. Some skills are buttoning, zipping, self-feeding, using scissors, handwriting, and appropriate play skills like constructing puzzles.

Physical therapy focuses on the development of gross motor skills. It helps children learn to control whole body movements like sitting, crawling, walking, and running. A child may need physical therapy due to a developmental delay, accident, or illness.

ELIGIBILITY
The Children’s Center requires physician referrals for most therapy services although initial screenings may be requested by a parent. Therapy is recommended based on the individual needs of the child. The Children’s Center offers therapy at each location, in homes, and in area schools.

Community Child Care

OVERVIEW
At the Texie Camp Marks Children’s Center located in Franklin and the Suffolk Children’s Center, we offer licensed child care services for children six weeks of age through the age of twelve. The Children’s Center seeks opportunities to serve children of different cultures, races, genders, socio-economic backgrounds, and ability levels.

COMMUNITY CHILD CARE SERVICES

• Year-Round Daily Care offers full and part-time child care services from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
• Before and After School Care also includes child care needed for school holidays and school closings due to inclement weather and other circumstances
• Summer Camp is available for children ages five to twelve. Summer camp features field trips, swimming and tennis lessons, and public library visits.
• Pre-Kindergarten Classes offer full and part-time options for rising kindergartners.
• Special needs care offers developmental programming for children with disabilities in a child care environment.

LICENSING
The Virginia Department of Social Services licenses both Franklin and Suffolk locations to provide community child care services.

PARENTAL ADVISORY BOARD
Parent advisory meetings are held at both locations and are open for all parents to attend. During these meeting, parents share comments, concerns, and suggestions with our staff.

Early Head Start

OVERVIEW
The Children’s Center is the grantee for the Western Tidewater Early Head Start Program, which provides family-centered services to low-income pregnant women and families with children under the age of three. Early Head Start promotes the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth of young children as well as supports parents’ roles as primary caregivers and educators.

The United States Department of Health and Human Services funds Early Head Start and this funding must be matched locally at 25%. For each dollar given to the program, the Children’s Center must match it with 25 cents given locally.

• Center-Based Child Care

  Child care is available either full or part time for infants and toddlers. Classroom ratios are one adult to every four children. Each classroom lead teacher has a Child Development Associates degree or higher plus infant/toddler care experience. Transportation provided by commercially licensed drivers is available to and from the Center if needed.

• Home-Based Services
  

  Home visitors screen children for developmental delays ad assess their educational needs. They offer families developmentally appropriate activities for their children; health, prevention, and early prenatal education; and support for parental literacy.

POLICY COUNCIL
Parent and community representatives form the Early Head Start Policy Council, which develops plans, policies, procedures, and budgets for the program. The Council also contributes to hiring of staff. Early Head Start parents comprise at least 51% of the Council.

REFERRAL AND ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for Early Head Start, you must live in Western Tidewater (Franklin, Southampton County, Suffolk, or Isle of Isle County) and either be a TANF recipient, a foster child, or have a total annual family income not exceeding these amounts:

     Size of family Income
      1…………………………………..$9,570
      2…………………………………$12,830
      3…………………………………$16,090
      4…………………………………$19,350
      Add $3,260 for each additional family member.