Early Intervention Services

Twin boys playing with puzzles on the floor, surrounded by their mother, father, and early intervention staff member. One twin holds a puzzle piece, while his mother talks to him. The other twin is looking up at the staff attentively.

Accepting Referrals: We've returned to providing in-person services

Since 1976, Bay Cove’s Early Intervention (EI) program has served children under three years of age, who are developmentally delayed, or have a known disabling condition, or are at risk of developmental delays due to biological or environmental factors. Our program’s goal is to promote the physical, mental and emotional development of eligible children.

Children develop at different paces — some talk early and communicate well, while others do not speak at all. Some toddlers walk before their peers are even crawling, while other children are unable to sit at two years old. If, however, your child seems behind in his or her development, you may wish to request a developmental assessment. This is a structured evaluation of your child's physical, language, intellectual, social and emotional development.

Referrals to our EI program can be made by a child’s parents, pediatricians, nurses or other care providers. An in-depth evaluation is then scheduled with our multidisciplinary developmental assessment team, which determines eligibility for services.

The right to receive Early Intervention services is a federally mandated entitlement for all children who qualify.

PLEASE NOTE: There is no direct charge to families for Early Intervention services. Services are billed to the family’s health insurance, or to the Department of Public Health for children with no insurance.

Seven diverse toddlers and two teachers sit at a child sized table in Bay Cove’s Nursery School. They are all very interested in an elephant toy held by one toddler. — Our Staff

Our EI staff is made up of a team of full- and part-time professionals, including Early Childhood Educators, Social Workers, Psychologists, Nurses, Speech/Language Pathologists, Occupational and Physical Therapists.

Our Approach

The Bay Cove approach to working with children is very “family-centered,” meaning that parents are actively involved in all phases of both service planning and service delivery for their child. The type and frequency of services provided are determined by the needs of each particular child and family, but usually include some combination of the following:

In-home developmental play stimulation
Toddler developmental playgroups
Individual or family therapy
Speech therapy, occupational therapy , and physical therapy
Parent education and support groups

Services are provided in the child’s home and at our Child Development Center (transportation to and from is available, if needed).

Call us to learn more

617-371-3010