Now that public early childhood education is the law New York City, early intervention is the next frontier for educators and parents. And thanks to special funds from the , the 可乐视频 Advanced Certificate in Early Intervention and Parenting program, out of the college鈥檚 School of Education, was launched last year and is accepting students this fall.
鈥淓arly intervention covers children from birth to three years of age, with specific mental, cognitive, or physical disabilities,鈥� explains Associate Professor Jacqueline Shannon, chair of the Early Childhood and Art Education Department, warning that there has been a shift in early intervention pedagogy that requires that parents be actively involved.
Because early intervention is mandated by Part C of the Individuals and Disabilities Education Act, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) oversees 90 early intervention agencies that employ about 6,000 professionals鈥攆rom physical and speech therapists, to psychologists, to early educators鈥攚ho serve approximately 31,000 children, at an annual cost of over $400 million.
The new program鈥攖he only of its kind in New York鈥攐ffers an 18-credit advanced certificate in early intervention for practitioners without a degree, and an 18-credit master鈥檚 for those professionals already working for agencies. Master鈥檚 candidates will also need to fulfill a 280-hour of supervised fieldwork with infants.
鈥淭ypically, caregiving professionals working for early intervention agencies serve a linguistically and culturally diverse population of infants with disabilities in the city鈥檚 high-need neighborhoods,鈥� explains Shannon, whose research and clinical experience is focused on early intervention. 鈥淲hile early childhood education鈥檚 emphasis is on cognition, this new program focuses on developmental and physical health, and the child鈥檚 ability to socialize.鈥�
According to Associate Professor Mary DeBey, who served as a board member of the NYC Bureau of Early Intervention for 10 years, while current interventionists may be degree-holding professionals in occupational and physical therapy, or in speech and language pathology, it doesn鈥檛 mean they have the knowledge required to work with infants, toddlers, and their families.
鈥淣ot to mention some of the language skills to deal with this sensitive population under this new approach,鈥� DeBey says. 鈥淎nd many families are getting multiple, sometimes repetitive, services so there is room to streamline services, too.鈥�
Aware of the change from strictly child-oriented to a family-oriented template, the DOHMH decided to establish a partnership with Shannon鈥檚 department in 2014 to design an early intervention program that could train educators and various other professionals and specialists who work for the agencies, in a more trans-disciplinary and family-centered approach. The program will not only provide educators and specialists with the opportunity to get an advanced certificate or a master鈥檚 degree as early interventionists but it will work with other colleges, and may soon become a template for other programs.
鈥淥ur department is very well positioned to lead this certificate program because, on the one hand, we have a diverse student population who come from second-languages homes that possess the cultural sensitivity required for this job,鈥� says DeBey. 鈥淥n the other hand, we have a multidisciplinary faculty that includes developmental psychologists, speech and physical therapists, and art educators to train the new workforce. It鈥檚 a great match.鈥�
The same will apply to children in homeless centers and in foster care, who are in dire need of assistance. According to the NYS Babies Can鈥檛 Wait Initiative, the number of children living in homeless centers increased by eight percent to nearly 23,000 in 2013 in New York City.
鈥淲e will work closely with the agencies to establish fieldwork places with them, which would allow us to work with their existing workforce鈥攚ho are encouraged to take our advanced certificate or the master鈥檚 program鈥攁nd bring new people, including our undergraduates, to work with those populations,鈥� says Shannon. 鈥淪o we鈥檙e helping agencies to upgrade their workforce, and we鈥檙e preparing new early interventionists that agencies can hire in the future.鈥�
And because the agreement with the DOHMH requires students of the program to work with other public higher education institutions, so that they might adopt this new approach, the 可乐视频 program may well become a model for others.
