About NCESD’s Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (previously called Early Intervention)
The NCESD Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT) team is the Early Intervention Provider Agency for Chelan, Douglas, Grant counties, as well as Nespelem School District. As the Provider Agency, NCESD is responsible for ensuring that support and services – in accordance to the law (the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Action, or IDEA)- are accessible for children ages birth to 3 years old and their support systems. NCESD also serves as the single point of entry for ESIT/Early Intervention referrals (see “The Referral Process” tab for more information).
Early Support for Infants and Toddlers services are designed to enable children birth to 3 with developmental delays or disabilities to be active and successful during their early childhood years and in the future in a variety of settings – in their homes, in child care, in preschool or school programs, and in their communities.
The NCESD ESIT/Early Learning team provides the following services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays:
Social emotional
- Communication
- Motor
- Cognitive
- Self-help
- Vision and hearing
If you have a concern about your child’s development and would like to schedule a meeting or receive more information, contact us here.
The Referral Process
Parents, families, child care providers and medical providers can all make a referral to Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (Early Intervention).
Parents, families, child care providers and medical providers can all make a referral to the ESIT program when there is a concern about a child’s development. Read this handout for developmental milestones to look for in children by age.
What does the Referral Process Look Like?
Once a referral is received by our ESIT/Early Intervention team, a Family Resources Coordinator (FRC) will contact the family in order to gather more information and to determine the next steps for evaluation to determine eligibility and whether the child could benefit from early intervention services.
Make a Referral
Those interested in making a developmental referral may complete the form below or download the PDF file. Providers can fax a referral form to 509-888-1968.
Family Resource Coordination
Washington State Family Resource Coordinators support and assist families to identify priorities then find and coordinate resources in the community to match those priorities.
The FRC may also coordinate:
- The initial intake process for the family a Child’s evaluations
- The development of an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) to address your child and family’s needs,
- Information about resources available in your community to support your child and family
- A transition plan to community programs including preschool special education
Eligibility
To be eligible, a child must have a 25% delay or show a 1.5 standard deviation below his or her age in one or more of the developmental areas including physical, cognitive, communication, social emotional or adaptive skills. A child may also be eligible if he or she has a physical or mental condition such as Down’s Syndrome that may have a high probability of developmental delay.
Our Services
We provide our services in the child’s natural environment, including:
- The home
- Childcare
- The community
- Other immediate environments natural to the child and family
Our ESIT/early intervention services are available in a secure virtual format as well.
We believe that parents and caregivers know their children best. It is our goal to work collaboratively with parents and caregivers to share ideas, strategies and information about your child’s development.
The support that children with developmental delays and their families receive is provided by a whole team. Our ESIT team members may include:
- Family Resource Coordinator
- Early Intervention teacher
- Speech Language Pathologist and Speech Language Pathologist Assistant
- Physical therapist
- Feeding specialist
- Occupational Therapist
- Teacher of the Visually impaired
- Teacher of the Deaf
Contacts
Chelan/Douglas/Grant Counties
and Nespelem School District
North Central ESD
430 Olds Station Road
Wenatchee, WA 98801
Janelle Bersch
Phone: 509-664-3781
Fax: 509-888-1968
Okanogan County
Bright Start Services
638 Okoma Drive
PO Box 3054
Omak, WA 98841
Shannon Mendoza
Phone: 509-826-1550
Fax: 509-826-1525
Resources
Our Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (Early Intervention) Staff
Leticia Mendoza
Speech Language Pathologist Assistant/Family Resource CoordinatorEmail Leticia Mendoza
509-260-5849
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