(March 4, 2021) Worcester County Public Schools officials believe in starting early to finish strong.

In accordance with federal and state laws, the county school system provides free intervention services through the Worcester County Infants and Toddlers Program for children up to three years old who have developmental delays or disabilities.

Rae Record

State regulations set a target that begins at birth for some children, said Rae Record, special education supervisor for Worcester County Public Schools.

“When I first took over this position, we weren’t finding those babies, so the early childhood implementation team worked very hard to increase our numbers,” Record told the Board of Education on Feb. 16.

Kim McArdle, Infants and Toddlers Service Coordinator for the county school system, is responsible for doing the intake of a child referral and connecting the program providers with families.

Referrals come from pediatricians, parents, childcare providers and anyone in the community with a concern about a child’s educational welfare. The program now offers an online referral process.

“We serve children in the community birth to three years old that have either a 25 percent delay in any area of developmental or a medical issue that may cause a higher probability of delay,” McArdle said.

Since February 2020, 103 children were referred to the program and a total of 106 children were served throughout the year.

McArdle added that children are kept in their natural environments, such as in homes, childcare centers, daycare homes and Head Start, for the program.

“Research has shown that this is where a child learns best, using their own toys, their own routines,” she said.

The Infants and Toddlers Program employs a team, coaching, a primary service provider and learning assessment models.

“Every Thursday, we have a team meeting from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., where we assess all the new referrals and intakes,” McArdle said. The team then determines who would be the most appropriate evaluators of the child.

Kim McArdle

The team includes infant and toddler facilitator Bess Cropper, speech therapist Grace Scarfi, speech therapist Chris Wall, occupational therapist Jennifer Lewandowski, physical therapist Melissa LaCour, special educator Gina Russell, early childhood behavior coach Anna Simulis, teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing Lisa Taylor Franklin, teacher of the visually impaired Margo Ayers and family support services Jessica Tawes.

The program is set up so one primary provider serves a family, but works with a team to address all areas of the child’s developmental delay.

Team members said families prefer this model because they have one point of contact who knows the child’s history.

When a child is deemed eligible for the program, a team member assesses the child’s skills, knowledge and behavior in normal setting. The provider talks with the family throughout the day about routines, and the family then determines where the provider can help.

As for the coaching model, providers brainstorm with the family to solve problems and support development of the child.

According to the presentation, 68 percent of Maryland students in third grade who received early intervention no longer need special education services. Additionally, 98 percent of Maryland families report that early intervention services allowed them to help their children develop and learn.

School Superintendent Lou Taylor commended Record and the Infants and Toddlers Team members for their services.

“I firmly believe, and I know the board does as well, that getting an early intervention is so important to the success of young people, and your team does an outstanding job. I hear a lot of positive comments in the community about that early intervention program that we have here,” he said.