Family Centered Early Supports & Services
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Parents and professionals working together to enhance each child’s growth and development.
Early Support & Services
Much of who we become results from our experiences within the first three years of life. Family-Centered Early Supports & Services (ESS) utilizes each child’s natural curiosity to create experiences that enhance growth and development in partnership with their families and their caregivers.
Easterseals NH works in partnership with parents to help children learn and develop. We provide services in familiar settings, which include the home, a relative's home, a childcare center, home childcare, and other community settings. What’s it like to be an Occupational Therapist at Easterseals? Just ask Elise Favreau who has worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for 16 years here. Learn why Elise loves her job and enjoys working with children and families.
For questions or more information, please contact us using the button below.
Services for Children and Families
- Developmental evaluations
- Therapeutic & educational home visits
- Developmental monitoring
- Service coordination
- Support & guidance in incorporating therapeutic activities into daily routines to promote your child's development
- Information about community resources and services
- Assistance in transitioning to other services after age 3, including, if eligible, special education preschool
- Development of advocacy skills
Our Professional Team
Fully-licensed, credentialed, and caring pediatric professionals provide expertise in these areas:
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Speech/language pathology
- Early childhood special education
- Family workers
Who is Eligible?
Children from birth to three years are determined to be eligible for ESS according to federal and state criteria in one of the following categories:
- Have an established condition
- Have a developmental delay of 33% in at least one area of development
- Atypical behavior
- Are at-risk for delayed development
An ESS team will provide a Developmental Evaluation to determine your child's eligibility. Once a child is found eligible, the parents and the ESS team will develop an Individual Family Support Plan (IFSP) which includes family and child outcomes and strategies. Services will be initiated by the appropriate professional.
Meet Otto! The 2020 holiday season was one that mom Kirsten and her family will never forget. Her then 18-month-old son, Otto, was rushed to the emergency room on Thanksgiving. He was diagnosed with meningitis, an infection that causes inflammation of the tissue around the brain and spinal cord. He would spend the next two weeks in the hospital. Parents don't have a guidebook to follow in such situations, but they do have resources. Learn how Easterseals New Hampshire helped Otto and his family.
Funding for Services
Easterseals ESS is provided under contract with Moore Center Services, Inc. Services are funded by private insurance, Medicaid, state and federal programs, and ESNH fundraising. There is never an out-of-pocket cost to families.
For More Information
ESS is located in the Greater Salem area and Greater Manchester area. Please contact the office nearest you.
Greater Salem: Pauline Boyce, MPT | 603.893.0984
Greater Manchester: Heather Herod, MS CDS, SpEd | 603.666.5982 ext. 34
Or please contact us using the button below.
