“Early intervention is a term that often is used to describe specific agencies, programs, services, and resources. In North Carolina, early intervention has been described as a system of services provided by many different agencies and programs for children birth to five and their families. The system is for students who are having difficulties in the general education classroom but has not been placed into the special education class. This comprehensive, interagency system is called Together We Grow. Together We Grow has two parts 1) - the Infant-Toddler Program for children birth to three & 2) the Preschool Program for children ages three to five.”
The early intervention system of services is provided under federal law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Part C of the IDEA provides the federal mandate for services for young children. North Carolina Early Intervention Branch (NCEI) is a part of the N.C. Division of Public Health and is the lead agency for the Infant Toddler Program (ITP). Research has found this to be the critical time to offer positive opportunities for child development. The state of North Carolina offers eighteen Children’s Developmental Services Agencies (CDAs) across the state and they work with local services to improve the children success.
Together We Grow (ITP) serves families whose children have certain levels of developmental delay or conditions. They offer
• Service Coordination
• Physical, occupational and speech-language therapies
• Family support
• Special instruction
• Assistive technology
• Other services
Basic safeguards are providing to secure confidentiality of the passing of the child information.
Together We Grow Preschool Program:
“In February 2010, Superintendent June Atkinson created NCDPI’s Office of Early Learning to implement a strategic focus on the Pre-K – Grade 3 learning continuum and its impact on high school graduation. NCDPI’s focus on