A new certificate program to become an early interventionist at level two has been added to the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences.
A level two coordinator is able to evaluate and assess, whereas a level one is not able to. Casey McGregor, a new assistant professor in the HDF department, has become the sole faculty member dedicated to the certificate program.
Early Intervention is a federal program for children between the ages of 0 to 3 who either have developmental disabilities or are at a higher risk to develop them, McGregor said.
The idea to start the program was led by Karen McCurdy in 2022. She soon after retired from the University.
The need for early interventionists is a national issue, especially in Rhode Island, so the need to get students into this field is important, McGregor said.
“We are trying to get highly qualified Early Intervention workers directly into the workforce after graduation,” McGregor said.
McGregor was not at URI when the program was designed, but became involved when the necessary steps to start the program began.
The HDF department worked with the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services in order to create the program.
Members saw the need for early interventionists in Rhode Island, realized that they could help, and then began developing a program for the certificate, McGregor said.
Whenever a child is referred to Early Intervention services, they must be assessed and evaluated within 45 days. In Rhode Island, that number is being exceeded, according to the State of Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Currently there are 473 children who have exceeded that timeline.
“It’s a huge waitlist,” McGregor said. “It’s really important for students to know that there is a direct need.”
The creation of the certificate program meant that new courses needed to be added to the HDF department in order to train students in the field, McGregor said.
There are five courses that need to be taken to earn the certificate. The four new classes added are Introduction to Early Intervention, Early Intervention Services and Planning, Working with Families in Early Childhood, and Screening and Assessment in Early Intervention. The existing course is Infant and Toddler Development.
Working with Families in Early Childhood is particularly interesting and unique as it allows for students to hone in on the skill of evaluating and assessing child needs, McGregor said.
In Infant and Toddler Development, students learn about typical child development and will go out into childcare centers to observe development in babies and toddlers, McGregor said.
“They intentionally document developmental milestones that they are seeing with these children,” McGregor said.
This will then allow for the students to know what typical development looks like, and will be more prepared to work with children with different developmental disabilities.
Third-year HDF and communicative disorders double major Emma Solomon said that even with a focus on speech pathology, the new certificate program interested her.
“After I researched for different internships or shadowing opportunities,” Solomon said. “I came across Early Intervention, and I have now been shadowing a speech pathologist for about four months now.”
Students within the program will be receiving training from experts in the field, McGregor said. Professors of at least three of the courses have experience in Early Intervention specifically, rather than just typical development.
For students who have completed the certificate, the next steps include internships, hours and experience in different early intervention sites.
Students can apply to jobs or internships as a service coordinator level two in Early Intervention, meaning that they can do initial assessments of children under supervision. After they have completed 1,000 hours, supervision is no longer needed.
“I have two different paths to choose from,” Solomon said. “I am either going to become a family coordinator, or I would use the certificate as background knowledge if I chose to go into Early Intervention as a speech-language pathologist.”
The certificate program is open to students of any major and can lead to jobs in many fields, McGregor said.
For more information about the Early Intervention certificate program, visit web.uri.edu/human-development/outreach/early-intervention-program/ .