In NH Family Centered Early Supports and Services (FCESS) are delivered by contractual agreements between Bureau of Developmental Services and designated non-profit and specialized service agencies (Area Agencies) located throughout the state. Anyone who is concerned about an infant or toddler’s development, including a parent, may make a referral to FCESS. The program is designed for children birth through age two who have a diagnosed, established condition that has a high probability of resulting in delay, are experiencing developmental delays, or are at risk for substantial developmental delays if supports and services are not provided.
Resource:
NH Family Centered Early Supports and Services Program Directory 2020
Spark NH is an early childhood advisory council created to promote a comprehensive system of early childhood programs and services in New Hampshire. Spark NH ‘s 23 professionals (all governor-appointed) have experience in early learning and development, health, and family support. This Council relies on the work of broad-based committees, which are open to non-Council members.
Early Learning New Hampshire is committed to ensuring that all NH children have the opportunity to reach their full potential by expanding access to affordable quality child care and early education.
Sponsor: Southeastern Regional Education Service Center (SERESC) – PTAN is a statewide program of SERESC that provides, consultation and technical assistance to promote quality early care and education for children with special needs.
Information and resources for child care providers and parents. Mission is to improve the quality of child care and early education programs by supporting child care providers and early educators, families, health professionals, early childhood comprehensive systems, state child care regulatory agencies, state and local health departments, and policy makers in their efforts to identify and promote healthy and safe child care and early education programs.
The New Hampshire Association for Infant Mental Health (NHAIMH) disseminates information and provides education about research and evidence-informed practices to strengthen collaborative efforts in support of families with infants and young children. NH’s Regional Infant Mental Health Teams are independent entities addressing early childhood mental health needs in their communities. Contact information for each team is available on their website.
NACD provides neurodevelopmental evaluations and individualized programs for children and adults, updated on a quarterly basis. As a family-centered organization, NACD stresses parent training and parent implementation of the program. NACD is an eclectic organization, gathering and utilizing the newest strategies that yield success and incorporating them into programs custom-designed for each client. Support is provided to families through video reviews, e-mail and telephone sessions.
The Mission of the Parent Information Center is to guide and encourage families in supporting the unique learning potential of their children, including children with disabilities. The Parent Information Center (PIC) and its various grant programs address a variety of key issues in order to help parents support their children’s success in school and in life. The staff of the Parent Information Center on Special Education believes that when all IEP Team members have information about their roles, rights and responsibilities, they are able to work together more effectively. PIC on Special Education serves families of children of all ages (birth to age 26) and all disabilities (physical, cognitive, behavioral and emotional). Provides a variety of services including: telephone assistance, one to one fee-for-service assistance, workshops, training series, publications, and other resources.
Head Start and Early Head Start offer families a variety of program options, including center-based, home-based, or a combination of both. For infants and toddlers, the home-based option includes a socialization day at the center where parents learn parenting skills along with new ways to promote their children’s development.
Most children in New Hampshire Head Start attend five days per week for part of the day. Nationally, almost half of the children participate in a 5-day, full day program option. For New Hampshire preschoolers who need a full day program while their parents are working, training or searching for a job, some Head Start programs administer full day services, while others collaborate with local child care programs.
