early intervention

What is early intervention?

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is responsible by law for providing early education services for eligible children age three (3) to school age in the Commonwealth. The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit 23, through an agreement with the Department of Education, is contracted to deliver those services in Montgomery County.

In order to become eligible for Early Intervention preschool services, children of this age group must exhibit 1) a developmental delay of 25 percent or a qualifying disability and 2) require specially designed instruction.

What is an evaluation?

The Evaluation Report summarizes the information from the evaluations and from the parents in the following areas:

Cognitive skills
Adaptive (self-help) skills
Social/emotional skills
Communication skills
Gross and fine motor skills

The Evaluation Report will determine whether a child is eligible and in need of special education services. The report is shared with the IEP team, which includes the child’s parents.

WHAT IS AN IEP?

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed if a child has been determined to be eligible and in need of special education services, based on the conclusions of the Evaluation Report.

The IEP outlines the child’s educational goals and specially designed instruction necessary to demonstrate developmentally appropriate progress. The IEP is reviewed annually. The IEP can be revised at any time during the year at the request of any team member, including the parents.

WHAT SERVICES ARE PROVIDED TO MY CHILD?

Early Intervention preschool education services are tailored to meet the child’s individual educational needs.

Services might include:

Specialized instruction
Occupational therapy
Physical therapy
Hearing support
Speech and language support
Vision support

Services are provided in the least-restrictive educational environment in various placement locations throughout Montgomery County. Children may receive services individually or as part of a small or large group.

SCREENING

Screenings are completed in the area of speech and language for Head Start and Pre-K Counts families. The parents and the child’s teacher are asked to complete a questionnaire. During a screening, an Early Intervention staff member will meet with the parents and the child.

Early Intervention Calendar:

2021-2022 School Year Calendar

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2022-2023 School Year Calendar

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EARLY INTERVENTION REFERRAL PROCESS

Welcome to MCIU Preschool! It is our intent to ensure a smooth transition and entry to Preschool Early Intervention services. Parent/caregivers and teachers, in order to obtain copies of our referral forms, please contact us at: 484-685-1856.

Please select the option below that pertains to your child:

My child is transitioning from the Birth to Three program

My child is brand new to services/referral

My child is new to PA/Montgomery County with an active plan in place

Take the Virtual Tour:

LOCAL INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COUNCIL (LICC)

The Montgomery County Early Intervention Family Partnership strives to support local interagency collaboration to maximize coordination, cooperation, and communication between families, caregivers, community agencies and partners in order to increase family engagement and awareness and to provide comprehensive support services to eligible infants, toddlers, young children and their families.

0-3 TO 3-5 TRANSITION
EVENT

3-5 TO KINDERGARTEN TRANSITION EVENT

LIVING IN THE MIDST OF A PANDEMIC

STEAM GOES TO PRESCHOOL

The MCIU and WHYY partnership will bring content aligned resources to MCIU Early Intervention classroom students across the county. Students in each EI Special Education Classroom will receive:

A grab and go box with content related materials that align STEAM activities to WHYY programming. Boxes will be used between home and school to extend classroom instruction. Boxes include:
- Adaptive crayons, scissors and pencil
- Glue and construction paper
- Curious George Wind book
- Stylus for iPad and smartboard extensions
- Wind exploration tools: feather, tube, bubbles, sensory ball
- WHYY programming guide and curated resources aligned to PBS and WHYY
- Digital TV antennas to connect to WHYY

Teachers in the program will receive:

Instructional coaching on program implementation including lesson plans and learning guides
Professional development on STEAM activities in preschool EI

regions and program contact information

Our Early Intervention Program is split on school district lines into 4 regions within Montgomery County:

Central

Norristown Area School District
Upper Dublin School District
Upper Merion Area School District
Upper Moreland Township School District
Wissahickon School District

CONTACT:
Dr. Nicole Irvin
Program Administrator
nirvin@mciu.org
(610) 755-9488

Eastern

Abington School District
Bryn Athyn School District
Cheltenham School District
Colonial School District
School District of Jenkintown
Lower Merion School District
Lower Moreland Township School District
Springfield Township

CONTACT:
Chris Stewart
Program Administrator
cstewart@mciu.org
(610) 755-9499

Northern

Hatboro-Horsham School District
North Penn School District
Souderton Area School District
Upper Perkiomen School District

CONTACT:
Dr. Ashley Lee
Program Administrator
alee@mciu.org
(610) 755-9334

Western

Methacton School District
Perkiomen Valley School District
Pottsgrove School District
Pottstown School District
Spring-Ford School District

CONTACT:
Dr. Jennifer Smerecky
Program Administrator
jsmerecky@mciu.org
(610) 755-9323

Board Agendas & Minutes

Effective November 18, 2020, the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit will be utilizing the BoardDocs platform for meeting management. BoardDocs is a paperless-meeting software designed to house documents for Board agendas, meetings and minutes. Visit the BoardDocs website to view the MCIU Board Meeting agendas, meetings and minutes. To view past agendas and minutes, please use the buttons below:

Upcoming Agendas

Agendas Prior to November 2020

Minutes Prior to November 2020

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology focuses on a variety of tools to support students including:

Augmentative Communication Devices
Writing Tools
Computer Access Technology
Switches and Environmental Controls
Assistive Listening Equipment for the Hearing Impaired
Access Technology for the Visually Impaired

We offer services directly to school districts in Montgomery County.

Schools/Districts

Student Referral Form

SETT Meeting Forms

PA Media & Design Competition Regional Event at MCIU

2021 competition will once again be held virtually

The PA Media and Design Competition (formerly the PA Computer Fair) is an annual event, typically held in March or April, that highlights Pennsylvania school students’ application skills and computer knowledge. Students are able to unleash their creativity, learn how to convey information more dynamically, and enhance the learning process. This competition is open to all students in grades 6-12, in public or private schools as well as state-approved home-school programs.

The Middle School and High School Competitions are two separate events operating under the same rules but held the same day at the same place under a common schedule.

Be sure to follow the regulations posted at the website: PA Media and Design Competition.

Middle and High School Categories:

Registration Opens: December 7, 2020 and closes March 12, 2021 at 4:00 PM. Deadline for Projects to be uploaded is March 26, 2021 at 4:00 PM. Judging Takes Place the week of April 5, 2021. Awards Announced: April 13, 2021. Open to all Montgomery County Middle and High School students

Regional Competition Information

Please note: Projects are limited to three per category per school.

Please be sure to follow instructions on PA Media and Design Competition for uploading your projects and all associated information.

For additional information contact: Jackie Krail at 610-755-9352 or via email to jkrail@mciu.org

Registration & Information

Business Office Support Services

The Office of Business Services provides a variety of back-office school business support services, including, but not limited to: Accounting support, Business Management, Payroll Processing, and Purchasing Support. Services are provided both short and long term and are customized to meet the needs of the school entity.

For more information on MCIU’s Business Office Administrative Support Services, please contact:

Sandra Edling
CFO/Director of Business Services
610-755-9410
sedling@mciu.org

Financial Wellness for Educators

The Office of Business Services provides an ongoing NO cost 10-week Financial Wellness for Educators Program for adults working in Montgomery County Public Schools. This program is made possible through a grant received from the National Association of State Treasurers.

Class sizes are limited and cover topics, such as: Money Values, Developing a Spending Plan, Understanding Banking Products, Credit Reports, Debt Management, Financial Disasters, and Preparing for Retirement.

To register for this opportunity, please visit the MCIU’s professional learning registration system and select the Financial Wellness course that best meets your schedule.

For more information, please contact:

Sandra Edling
CFO/Director of Business Services
610-755-9410
sedling@mciu.org

Southeastern PA Schools Trust

The MCIU’s Office of Business Services provides the Trust Management Services for the Southeastern PA Schools Trust (SEPaST). SEPaST is a consortium of seventeen (17) school entities in southeastern PA that work together to pool resources for the purpose of self-insuring medical, prescription drug, and other employee benefits.

www.sepast.org

For more information on joining SEPaST, please contact:

Sandra Edling
CFO/Director of Business Services
610-755-9410
sedling@mciu.org

2021 Federal Poverty Guidelines

Download

BrainSTEPS

The BrainSTEPS Program was created to build a bridge connecting the medical, rehabilitation, education sectors and families following student (K-12) acquired brain injury (ABI). ABIs can cause cognitive, physical, socio-emotional, and behavioral impairments that impact classroom performance and learning. In 2007, the Pennsylvania Department of Health established the BrainSTEPS Program to address this issue. BrainSTEPS consulting teams support school teams in the development and implementation of educational plans following student ABI.

The original BrainSTEPS model in PA is currently funded by the PA Department of Health and the PA Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education, and is implemented by the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. In 2017, BrainSTEPS was recognized by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as a national model for educational consultation supporting students and school teams in the development and implementation of educational supports and services following an acquired brain injury.

The Montgomery County Intermediate Unit BrainSTEPS team seeks to support both public and non-public school students as they re-enter school following acquired brain injury. They provide information to families and schools, links to resources, and provide training to school staff to learn more about the impacts and effects of concussion and other acquired brain injuries.

Student Referral Form

Head Start Policy Council - Minutes

The Head Start Policy Council meets monthly on Mondays. Please see our calendar for upcoming meeting dates.

Washington A Conference Room
2 W. Lafayette Street
Norristown, PA 19401

*Council meetings are currently being held virtually due to COVID-19.

HEAD START – FINANCIALS

The Office of Business Services is responsible for all of the internal fiscal operations of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. The Office annually prepares the operating budgets, annual financial reports, and coordinates the efforts for both the State and Local audits of our fiscal documents.

Equitable Participation

Equitable Participation (EP) Services are available to students identified as eligible for special education who are unilaterally placed by parents in private schools. In Pennsylvania, the IU is the agency responsible for the implementation of the federal requirement for EP Services.

Forms for Nonpublic School Use:

Professional Development Request Form

Materials Request Form

Consultation Request Form

• BrainSTEPs Form

• Consent for Observation

• Consultation Requests -Teacher Input

• Hearing Consult-Parent Input

• Hearing Consult-Primary SIFTER

• Hearing Consult-Secondary SIFTER

• Vision Consult-Parent Input

• Vision Consult-Teacher Input