Early Steps providers visit regularly and support caregivers to help their child learn new skills during everyday routines. We call this approach embedded intervention. In Florida, it is known as Florida Embedded Practices and Intervention with Caregivers (FL-EPIC). Providers and caregivers work together to identify daily routines as times when caregivers can support their child to practice skills they want them to learn. You will work together with caregivers to help identify and use strategies to help the child learn. Caregivers will have the tools needed to support their child’s development and learning during routines between visits. Services and supports are individualized for each child’s and family’s priorities, strengths, and preferences.

Testimonials

Provider reflections of her experience in FL-EPIC

About building caregiver capacity

"You could see moments with the families when things just clicked. The families were able to experience, I did that! I helped my child do that! It wasn’t me helping that child say their first word. It was seeing that family feel empowered. It is very easy for us to take over and experience that. It was a whole new experience for the family to experience that."

About Florida's model across disciplines and sites

"We want to make sure that everybody who is working for Early Steps is sending the same message of empowering those families, is providing the same quality of service, and is on the same page in that regard. There is cohesiveness if there is a change in provider or a family switches county."

About the professional development experience

"This is an opportunity for me to grow and take advantage of it. The quality of coaching and training we got in our cohort was far more applicable and practical to my everyday work than what I got in a year and a half in grad school."

- Amanda Vogelsong, MSED, MS, CCC-SLP

How a provider changed her practice because of FL-EPIC ESPD and the impact she observed

"My favorite part was recording myself. The things that I learned from watching myself and going through it with my coach astronomically changed the way I practice as a whole – I am even more parent-led and make sure the family unit as a whole is the focus of the session. Really bringing the family in and having them be an integral part of it, and me standing back to be a voice in their ear, coaching them through things, instead of always having to be hands-on."

"Mom’s confidence soared, and her ability to feel like it doesn’t have to be an outsider or professional coming in to provide all the ‘therapy’. It is something she can do ongoing. Her feeling empowered to know what to do and how to do it and to ask questions if she doesn’t know how to do it."

- Megan Stewart, MS, CCC-SLP

Become an Early Intervention Provider

Are you interested in becoming an Early Intervention Provider?

Early Intervention (EI) Providers have an enormous impact on the lives of our Early Steps children and their families. Early Steps EI Providers work with families in their community.

For more information on how to become a provider, contact:

Sara Carter
Northeastern Early Steps Provider Liaison
sara.carter@jax.ufl.edu

Professional Development and Training

What is professional development, and why is it important?

Professional development refers to the ongoing process of enhancing one’s knowledge, skills, and abilities to increase importance in a chosen profession or career path. Early intervention practices and child development are constantly evolving fields that require continuous attention to current research and advancements. Northeastern Early Steps (NELES) not only recognizes and emphasizes the significance of Professional Development but also mandates it for all providers and staff members who engage with families through early intervention. Professional Development within Early Steps encompasses a range of learning modalities, including mentorship, coaching, self-study, support activities, training sessions, and the review of relevant intervention and developmental resources. NELES is committed to supporting staff and providers by tailoring professional development to meet individual needs. As identified needs arise, NELES will provide training opportunities to enhance compliance with Early Steps regulations, including Medicaid, general billing, and procedural requirements.

For more information on NELES trainings or to register, contact:

Camille Velardo, MSSW, ITDS
Professional Development and Credentialing Coordinator
camille.velardo@jax.ufl.edu