Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT)

Do you want to learn more about CTC's telehealth services? These videos explain what virtual visits look like and how they are used to help you and your child make progress when in-person visits are unavailable.

We provide home or community-based Early Support services to children ages 0-3.

CTC's team of providers include family resources coordinators, early childhood special educators, therapists and social workers who partner with parents or caregivers to meet the individual needs of each child and family.

Children's Therapy Center's Early Support program provides services to families with children ages birth to three who have a 25% delay in one or more developmental areas or a diagnosed need.  Some children may be delayed in achieving milestones such as walking or talking, or have challenges with feeding. Others may have a diagnosis that could put them at risk for having a developmental delay.

Early Support services are play-based, as this is how children learn about the world around them. Using parent-coaching strategies, providers help parents and other caregivers discover ways they can recognize learning opportunities for their child throughout their daily routines.

A family-focused, interdisciplinary approach.

When we meet a new family, we see a child with unique abilities and individual needs. We see parents and caregivers who are eager for information and tools so they can help their child reach their full potential.

Every family is paired with a Family Resources Coordinator and a service provider(s) from a team that includes speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers and early childhood special educators. Our Early Support providers coach families and caregivers on how to recognize learning opportunities which occur during typical family routines.

We build a team around the child.

We support, inform, and empower parents, grandparents, siblings and other care providers who truly are the key to a child's development. Together, we create an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) that not only addresses each family's unique concerns but also their hopes and dreams.

Families take the lead. Everyone participates. We take the journey together!

Early Support Developmental Evaluations

Anyone can refer a child to our Early Support program. If you have questions or concerns about your child's development, we recommend that you talk with your health care provider. However you do not need a doctor referral to initiate Early Support services.

A full developmental evaluation is the first step to find out if your child is eligible for Early Support services. This takes place in an informal setting with you, your child, and a team of early support professionals, who will observe how your child plays, communicates, and interacts with others.

The evaluation looks at the following areas of development: 

  • Cognitive: Learning, thinking, playing, and problem-solving
  • Communication: Understanding what others are saying; expressing thoughts through gestures, sounds and words
  • Social/Emotional: Getting along with others, self-soothing, and participating in routines
  • Physical: Coordinating movements: manipulating toys, sitting, crawling, and walking
  • Self-Help/Adaptive: Calming, feeding, sleeping, and dressing. 

Additionally, children over 16 months of age are screened for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). 

each year we help over 3,000 kids

In partnership with parents and caregivers, we celebrate where each child is today and work toward who they can become.