Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP) is a charitable organization that provides specialized programming and education for families with children who have developmental delays or disabilities in Moose Jaw and surrounding area. Our mandate is to provide services to families who have children aged birth to school age who have a disability, are developmentally delayed or who are at risk of delay. ECIP organizations share the vision of “all families having the capacity to meet the developmental needs of their children within the community of their choice.”
Children who are involved in ECIP are often delayed in reaching age-appropriate developmental milestones such as walking, talking, eating, maneuvering, playing, and interacting with others or are born with a condition or diagnosis that makes it more difficult for them to develop at rates that are typical for a specific age group. ECIP utilizes a strengths-based approach to deliver family focused, home-based services to families. ECIP Early Interventionists build trusting relationships with families and assists them in working toward mutually identified goals for their child and for the family. Each family on caseload is assigned an Interventionist who travels to the child’s home at least once every two weeks to implement the program. The Early Interventionist works with the family and the child to develop goals and an individualized program for the child depending upon his or her specific needs. The Interventionist demonstrates learning activities to the family as well as offers support to the family. Specialized equipment, educational toys, and resource materials are also used in the programming and services that ECIP provides to families. They strive to work collaboratively with child care providers, speech and language pathologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, physicians, early childhood psychologists, teachers and school administrators among others to ensure family-centered goals are achieved and smooth transitions to school or other centre based programs and services occur. Referrals to the ECIP program may come from parents, the education community, community health professionals, therapists, social services and others.
