Welcome to Early Start!

The Early Start/Infant Program makes a promise to children and families -  a promise that their strengths will be recognized and built on, that their beliefs and values will be respected, that their choices will be honored, and that their hopes and aspirations will be encouraged and enabled. The Early Start/Infant Program believes that:

• Children learn through play, exploration and  multisensory activities.

• Parents are very important to their child’s development and education.

• Classroom and in-home instruction is developmentally appropriate and uses age- appropriate activities  and materials.

• Parents and teachers collaborate as partners on behalf of the child.

• Children’s self-esteem, confidence and mastery are supported and encouraged through direct teaching, discovery learning and hands-on play experiences.

The LESD Early Start/Infant Program serves infants and toddlers (birth to 2 years 11 months) with deafness/hard-of-hearing, orthopedic impairments, and/or multiple disabilities. Specialized and individualized instruction in all areas of development  (cognitive, language, gross motor, fine motor, social emotional, and self-help) is provided within the classroom and/or in the home.

Infants birth to 18 months of age receive services in their home. Infants and toddlers age 18 months to 3 years old may attend a center-based, classroom program in addition to receiving monthly home visits. Frequency of home visits and classroom instruction is based on the child’s and family's needs.

Early Start intervention services for each infant and toddler are guided by an Individualized  Family Service Plan (IFSP) that is developed by an interdisciplinary team of professionals in     collaboration with the parents.

Early intervention has been found to increase the likelihood that children will be better prepared to succeed in their next learning environment. Early Intervention services are available at no cost to families with infants and toddlers who have exceptional needs or who are at-risk for delays in their development.