Family Support Services-Early Intervention
In 2015 Neighborhood Alliance’s Help Me Grow Early Intervention joined in partnership with
multiple community agencies in order to implement Evidence Based Early Intervention (EBEI)
principles. This delivery model is redefining service delivery to our county’s population of children
0-3 years of age experiencing a developmental delay and/or impacting medical diagnosis while
joining our many counterparts across the state and the country.
This change moved the program away from the long-established medical model in which focus
was on the child in such a way that sometimes excluded the parent and services, while relying
heavily on therapies and healthcare, which were intended to resolve a problem or ‘fix’ a concern.
The implementation of EBEI changed the focus of services from the child to the parent, the
person most likely to influence the child and stressed the importance of relating services to the
child’s developmental needs within the context of the family and its daily routines. Family’s
participation is an integral part in the delivery of services because they provide learning
opportunities every day, throughout the day, within the routines and activities that are specific
and meaningful to that family.
One of the most significant results of this model change is the creation of Primary Service
Provider (PSP) and a transdisciplinary team, which brings together various professionals to
share their expertise and experience in a structured, consistent manner in order to provide
supportive, individualized, informed services to each family. This partnership includes a team of
professionals from various city and county agencies, as well as the Service Coordinators and
Evaluation team from Neighborhood Alliance. Every participating family has access to this team
and is able to benefit from the guidance and support of this varied and vast group of professionals
in a way that has never before been possible.