Infants & Toddler - Community Crossroads

Infants & Toddler

Early Support and Services

We partner with families to meet the developmental needs of children birth to age 3. Families with children are welcomed into Community Crossroads by our Early Support & Services Director (ESS), Tammy Dudal. Tammy has supported thousands of families in applying for Early Support & Services. Through her kind and knowledgeable assistance, families learn what ESS is all about.

The Early Supports & Services Director is responsible for coordinating the intake, family support and the services provided by each agency. Community Crossroads contracts with The Children’s Pyramid of Nashua and Easter Seals of Salem to provide Family Centered Early Supports and Services for children from birth to age three.

The family and the team will design an Individual Family Support Plan that meets the needs of each child and their family lifestyle. The experience and the exposure that children receive during these early years form the foundation for their development.

The Early Support team may include speech and language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, educators and early childhood development specialists. Services can be provided in a variety of settings such as your own home, child’s day care, neighborhood playground or other community setting.

Early Supports & Services are provided through state and federal funds. Families are not billed for services provided, although we do pursue private insurance and Medicaid reimbursement. A child is never denied services due to a family’s inability to pay.

Community Crossroads is committed to providing high quality services that meet the needs of those we serve. As a part of our ongoing quality assurance activities, our program conducts a survey after each child is discharged from the program. All results are shared with the Quality Assurance Committee and our providers on a quarterly basis.

The transition from Early Supports & Services to Preschool Special Education is a very important time for families and their child. Community Crossroads provides a Transition Open House workshop in the spring and fall each year for all families in Early Supports & Services. This presentation is done by The Parent Information Center. The Parent Information Center staff provides information and support to parents and others so that they may participate effectively as team members in the Special Education process. We believe that the best transitions occur when families and staff work together as a team. The workshop is for our families and special education preschool coordinators. After the presentation, families meet with their school coordinators to find out more about the programs available in their district. It’s also a great way to meet other families that are going through similar transitions.

We continue to work on Supporting Successful Early Childhood Transitions (SSECT). Michelle Lewis, Parent Information Center Director has been conducting workshops with our providers, all of our school districts and Community Crossroads Early Supports & Services staff. They have shared best practices from around the state and technical assistance. We feel that all schools and providers were represented and worked together to create this agreement.

Community Crossroads also continues to support families through support groups and playgroups in the community. We have provided some funding for families to participate in community therapeutic groups. We will continue to support our families with knowledge and understanding of their child’s development needs.

For more information, please contact Tammy Dudal at 893-1299 x326 (fax: 603-893-5401) or at tdudal@communitycrossroadsnh.org. Anyone can make a referral to Tammy by using this referral form.

Parents: When In Doubt Reach Out

See below to read an Op-Ed written by Rebecca Bryant, President/CEO of Lakes Region Community Services about Early Supports and Services.

ESS Op-Ed

 

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