Daily routines and playtimes provide opportunities for all children to learn. This blog explores practical ways that caregivers and professionals can promote child development.
Bedtime Mindfulness Activities
Bedtime meditations can be very helpful to calm down the nervous system and decrease a child’s level of stress hormones.
Healthy Sleep Helps All
Exhausted parents and caregivers tire of fighting the bedtime battle. However, the rewards for persistently building a healthy sleep routine are worth the fight. Turn to your early intervention team for guidance and support to find a routine that works well for your family.
Handling Stress in Times of Crisis
In this article, we suggest ways to cope with stress. Notably, each person is different and may resonate with different coping mechanisms—that is alright! The purpose of this list is for you to find the coping strategy that works best for you.
Let’s Move!
Infants and toddlers are people on the move! These are some of the ways infants and toddlers demonstrate their gross motor, or large movement skills.
Planning for Early Intervention During COVID-19
The Bureau of Early Intervention has created a team of stakeholders, including families, to develop a plan for early intervention during COVID-19.
COVID-19 Resources from Illinois Early Learning
With COVID-19, our daily routines and activities have greatly changed. Here are some resources that our sister project, Illinois Early Learning (IEL), has created to support families of young children.
Family Reading Time
Did you know that reading your child a book, magazine, or newspaper in front of your child makes an impression on them?
FAQ about Transition from Early Intervention (EI) to School Services during COVID-19
TransitionGuidance-Family-Document-10-9Download TransitionGuidance-Family-Document-Spanish-10-9Download Frequently Asked Questions about Transitioning from Early Intervention (EI) to School Services during COVID-19 At age 3, children
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
Family Update on EI during COVID-19
The Early Intervention Clearinghouse provides an update for families about early intervention services in Illinois during COVID-19.
Dr. Meghan Burke
Social-Emotional Supports for Children and Families During COVID-19
This emotional well-being tool kit includes a video introduction and ways to communicate with children about COVID-19.
Re-Open Illinois EI Workgroup
Frequently Asked Questions About Resuming In-Person EI Services for Families
The Bureau of Early Intervention has worked with stakeholders to determine how to best resume in-person (face-to-face) services during COVID-19.
Re-Open Illinois EI Workgroup
Family Update on EI during COVID-19
The Early Intervention Clearinghouse provides an update for families about early intervention services in Illinois during COVID-19.
Dr. Meghan Burke
Frequently Asked Questions about Live Video Visits for Families
The Bureau of Early Intervention has worked with stakeholders to share frequently asked questions and answers for families who are considering live video visits for EI
Re-Open Illinois EI Workgroup
Working with EI Service Providers
A child’s parents are the most important people in their life.
Dr. Meghan Burke
Encouraging Language Development
You can help your child develop language and literacy skills during regular activities without needing special time each day.
Sarah Isaacs
Providing Trauma-Informed Supports
The Early Childhood Collective (ECC) has a list of resources for training to increase awareness for everyone in this vital work with young children. For the list, see the collective’s Trauma and Neglect resource bundle.
Dr. Meghan Burke
Social Workers’ Roles in Early Intervention
As part of our series of stories on different members of early intervention teams, we asked a number of licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) about their work with families in early intervention (EI).
Parent Liaisons in Early Intervention: What Is a Parent Liaison?
A parent liaison works with local Child and Family Connections offices to help families with questions. All parent liaisons have experienced raising a child with special needs.
The Role of Nutrition in Early Intervention
Feeding, weight gain, and diet are consistently high on parent’s priority list for their infant/child and can be a source of stress when they feel unable to meet these needs on an ongoing basis. We now know that nutrition is the biggest environmental influence in an infant and young child’s brain development.
Tech Talk
Today, parenting means finding a balance between time spent on devices and screen-free time. This isn’t so different from days
Dr. Meghan Burke
Planning for Summer
The summer can be a fun and challenging time. It can be liberating to not have school or daily routines.
Dr. Meghan Burke
Siblings as Role Models for Children With Disabilities
The sibling relationship is often the longest lasting family connection.
Dr. Meghan Burke
You Have Everything You Need: Using Household Items for Early Intervention
You play an important role in your child’s everyday experiences. You help your child grow stronger through play.
Hsiu-Wen Yang
What’s the Difference Between Physical and Occupational Therapies in Early Intervention?
Many people wonder what the difference is between a physical therapist (PT) or an occupational therapist (OT) working with babies and small children. The difference really depends on the age of the child and the child’s motor skills.
What Is a Developmental Therapist?
A developmental therapist works closely with families and additional members of a child’s team, including the service coordinator, to ensure that the services provided are appropriate to a family’s needs and desires.
The developmental therapist participates in the assessment process, assists in the development of the individualized family service plan (IFSP), and communicates services and strategies to all team members.
What Is Bagless Early Intervention?
Bagless intervention encourages providers to focus on routines, activities, and materials that are familiar to the child when addressing IFSP outcomes. When service providers use toys or everyday items already available in a family’s home, parents may participate more in early intervention and engage in similar activities with the child even when the service provider is not present.