The Arc of Palm Beach County’s Early Intervention Services are funded by the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County.
First Step to Success
Focused on helping children attain developmental milestones.
Early intervention is often the key to developmental success later in life. The Arc’s First Step to Success program provides in-home services throughout Palm Beach County to families of children between birth and 5 years of age who demonstrate a mild delay in child development.
Our dedicated developmental specialists focus on supporting the parent-child relationship and helping the child to achieve an array of developmental milestones through skills training that has a lifelong positive effect.
Who benefits from our program: This program serves families of children between birth and 5 years of age who demonstrate a mild delay in child development.
What our program offers: Our developmental specialists work with children and their families to strengthen children's skills in the areas of cognition, communication, movement, coordination, social/emotional growth and self-help.Healthy Steps for Young Children
Added support in your pediatrician’s office.
What parent hasn’t wished at one time or another that their child came with an instruction manual? The Arc’s HealthySteps for Young Children, a program that provides an added level of support in your pediatrician’s office, comes close. The program brings families and health care providers together to improve the health, development and emotional wellness of children up to age 3, although children must be aged 6 months or younger to be enrolled. This prevention program brings child development services to families by placing a dedicated developmental specialist in the pediatric primary care setting.
Who benefits from our program: Children aged 2 months or younger can be enrolled in this program at no cost. HealthySteps serves children and their parents until program graduation at 36 months.
What our program offers: HealthySteps services include: developmental screenings for the child’s first 3 years; parent support and developmental guidance during all well-child visits; referrals to community resources; parent education groups; home visits; a parent information line; and developmental items to support positive interaction between parents and children.
HealthySteps offers services at ten select pediatric primary care practices in Palm Beach County:
- Gentle Medicine Associates in Boynton Beach
- Seitz Pediatrics in Boynton Beach
- Jupiter Pediatric Associates in Jupiter
- SOMA Medical Center No. 7 in Lake Worth
- Palm Beach Pediatrics, Royal Palm Office in Loxahatchee
- Phillip Colaizzo, M.D. in Pahokee
- SOMA Medical Center in Wellington
- Palm Beach Pediatrics in West Palm Beach
- Pediatric Associates in West Palm Beach
- SOMA Medical Center No. 4 in West Palm Beach.
Forward Leaps
Helping children make developmental forward leaps.
The Arc’s Forward Leaps program provides in-home and short-term developmental services to children from birth to age 5 who have slight developmental delays. Our trained specialists provide developmental interventions in the children’s home or daycare for 6 months.
It is now understood that the first few years of a child’s life are a particularly sensitive period in the process of development. These early years lay a basic foundation in childhood and beyond for cognitive functioning, as well as behavioral, social and physical health. During these early years, it is essential that children receive every needed developmental support to ensure this strong foundation is established.
The Forward Leaps program assesses development and provides no-cost developmental interventions to children and their families.
Who benefits from our program: This 6-month prevention program offers in-home developmental interventions for children, from birth to age 5, who are at risk for developmental delays.
What our program provides: The program’s interventions and support services help parents make a real difference in their child’s life. These therapeutic services can range from learning activities to structured fun experiences.