May is Early Intervention Awareness Month in Virginia and a time dedicated to recognizing the impact early support has on the development of infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Easterseals PORT Health’s Early Intervention services help families navigate challenges, access resources and build the skills and confidence needed to support their child’s growth. The Early Intervention team makes a difference in the lives of the children and families they support each day.
The Early Intervention team: Bethany, Morgan, Nancy, Cienna, Emily, Victoria, Renee and Halie
Renee is an Early Intervention Service Coordinator in Roanoke, VA. She brings a decade of experience as an occupational therapist to her role. With a strong passion for home-based care, Renee supports families through their early intervention journey by connecting them with resources, advocating for their concerns and ensuring their priorities are at the center of care. Renee sees early intervention as a vital lifeline for families facing the uncertainty of developmental delays or impairments. “It can be very difficult and confusing at times for families,” she says, “but early intervention empowers families with support tailored to their unique needs. Education and raising awareness helps families feel supported and more confident,” she explains. Thinking about our IDEAL principles of Inclusive Culture, Different Voices, Embracing Potential, Authentic Self and Learning & Growing, Authentic Self, the principle of Different Voices resonates most deeply with her. “Embracing diverse perspectives and actively listening helps create clarity and connection where there might otherwise be fear or misunderstanding.”
Allison is a Developmental Services Assistant in the Richmond, VA. She says, “The IDEAL principal that resonates most with me is Embracing Potential. All people offer different potentials and I’m motivated and interested in discovering the unique potential in each individual child I encounter. Seeing glimpses of potential and working towards pulling that out bit by bit is what drives me. I love being a part of the new discoveries and small achievements as little ones explore the world around them.”
Emily serves as the Early Intervention Program Manager. She has dedicated 13 years to supporting young children and their families! In her role, Emily oversees the Virginia Early Childhood Outreach Programs, providing direct services as a case manager, educator and assessor, while also coaching her team through their daily responsibilities. She maintains strong partnerships with state lead agencies and plays a key role in expanding ESPH’s services into new regions across Virginia! Emily is deeply passionate about the impact of early intervention, believing in the power of empowering caregivers during the earliest stages of a child’s development. She shares, “Early interventionists deliver critical support and equip families with the tools they need advocate for their children.” For Emily, the IDEAL principle of Embracing Potential perfectly captures her approach of helping families, looking beyond diagnoses to celebrate and nurture their child’s abilities.
Bethany is the Early Childhood Outreach Team Lead for Central Virginia. In her role, Bethany partners closely with caregivers and a team of skilled therapists to assess each child’s unique needs and provide thoughtful, personalized early intervention services. One of her favorite parts of the job is being able to walk alongside families from the very beginning, cheering on developmental milestones and helping parents grow in confidence as their child’s strongest advocate. Bethany is passionate about raising awareness of early intervention and its lasting impact, sharing, “The more people know about early intervention and that it’s an option, the more kids we can help grow and succeed.” She is especially inspired by the IDEAL principles of Embracing Potential and Learning & Growing, as they are values she sees reflected every day in the joyful progress of the children and families she supports.
Thank you to our incredible Early Intervention team for all that you do and for sharing with us! Learn more at eastersealsport.com/early-intervention.
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Easterseals PORT Health is a trustworthy, compassionate partner providing exceptional disability, behavioral health and addiction treatment services to help our neighbors live their best lives. Purpose, dedication and empathy drive our in-person and telehealth service delivery. Our diverse and inclusive 2,600 member team provides more than 10.2 million hours of meaningful support to 40,200 kids, adults and families in 11,000 home, facility and community locations across North Carolina and Virginia. Learn more at eastersealsPORT.com.
