Providing individuals the training and resources needed to ensure a smooth, successful transition from school to work.
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HCBDD
Services for Children
Support
The virtual foundation for Christie Lane School was set in 1956, when a group of Huron County parents formed the Huron County Council for Retarded Children and began working on a training center for individuals with developmental disabilities.
What began as a single classroom with one teacher and 12 students has blossomed into a respected school that has impacted the lives of thousands of families from Huron County.
Christie Lane School, originally located on the campus of the Huron County Board of Developmental Disabilities on South Norwalk Road, is now located at 120 Shady Lane Drive. Education services are provided to individuals with developmental disabilities from age 6 through 21. Students are placed in our school age program through their local school district.
Certified teachers and paraprofessionals take a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching, offering educational experiences along with life and functional living skills. Christie Lane School offers a functional curriculum, as well as:
speech, physical and occupational therapy.
The Early Intervention Services office is located in the Elizabeth Gerken Child and Family Center located at 120 Shady Lane Drive, Norwalk, Ohio.
Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide system that provides coordinated early intervention services to parents of eligible children under the age of three with developmental delays or disabilities.
EI is grounded in the philosophy that young children learn best from familiar people in familiar settings. Every family served in EI will have a local EI team that consists of a service coordinator, service providers, and your family.
Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide system that provides coordinated early intervention services to parents of eligible children under the age of three with developmental delays or disabilities.
EI is grounded in the philosophy that young children learn best from familiar people in familiar settings. Every family served in EI will have a local EI team that consists of a service coordinator, service providers, and your family.
Your team works with you in your home or other places you and your family spend time to develop a coordinated plan called an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).
You and your team will work through your IFSP to use your existing supports and resources—and build upon them—to learn to enhance your child’s learning and development.
The Early Childhood Services office is located in the Elizabeth Gerken Child and Family Center at 120 Shady Lane Drive, Norwalk, Ohio.
Services for children with developmental concerns are a component of the Huron County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Early identification and family-centered services are available to infant and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities and their families.
Specialized Services are provided in your home or child’s natural environment. A “coaching model” of service provision is used by our team of specialists.
In Your Home
Specialized Services are provided in your home or child's natural environment. A "coaching model" of service provision is used by our team of specialists.
Evaluations
This team provides developmental evaluations and service provision to eligible children and families. The family's priorities, needs, and interests are addressed most appropriately by a primary provider who represents and receives team and community support.
Experienced Staff
This team is staffed by Developmental Specialists, an Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Speech Language Pathologist and Certified "Play Project" staff.
Best Practices
Interventions with young children and family members must be based on explicit principles, validated practices, best available research and relevant laws and regulations.
Healthy Families America—through both its research and training—seeks to leverage the passion and talent of qualified staff to administer proven tactics that result in stronger families.
Healthy Families America transforms not only the families we serve but the communities they live in by delivering evidence-based services that help children and families thrive.
Home Visiting is a component of Huron County Help Me Grow that provides direct services to expectant mothers and primary caregivers of infants and toddlers under the age of 3.
Services can begin prenatally to 3 months of age and continue for families until the child's 3rd birthday.
The Home Visiting Services and Help Me Grow offices are located in the Huron County Board of DD Support Services building on South Norwalk Road.
Huron County Help Me Grow Home Visiting provides voluntary family supports for pregnant women and parents of infants and toddlers under the age of three.
Help Me Grow is an evidence-based program that promotes strong families and healthy growth and development for babies and young children.
Huron County Help Me Grow Home Visiting provides voluntary family supports for pregnant women and parents of infants and toddlers under the age of three.
Help Me Grow is an evidence-based program that promotes strong families and healthy growth and development for babies and young children.
Role of the Family
Recognize the critical role you and other caregivers play in your child’s life as their first teachers.
- Share information about what your child has been doing and how your child played with the activities and ideas given by your home visitor.
- Ask questions, share concerns and follow up on ideas that you have given your home visitor to help your family.
- Set goals that are important to you, your family and your child and remain committed to achieving those goals with the support of your home visitor.
Role of the Home Visitor
Meet families where they are in a compassionate, non-judgmental way and develop a strong, healthy and supportive relationship.
- Partner with parents and other caregivers on their parenting journey.
- Help families with tough questions and provide information that is requested.
- Connect to community resources.
- Encourage and support positive interactions between parent and child.
- Support and encourage families in setting and achieving goals.
- Pregnant women (must meet HMG income guidelines) OR parents with a child under 3 months of age (must meet HMG income guidelines).
- Some exceptions to eligibility can be made – contact us for more information.
Help Me Grow Home Visiting is a voluntary family support program for pregnant women or new parents in Huron County. We are an evidence-based program that promotes strong families and healthy growth and development for babies and young children.
During visits, one of the primary things we do is engage mom or other caregiver and baby in activities that promote positive parent-child interaction and bonding, and child development. We implement the Healthy Families America program of home visiting, which is a national, evidence-based Home Visiting model. The main goal is to provide support, encouragement, information and resources to families to promote positive parent-child interaction. We utilize the “Growing Great Kids” evidence-based curriculum as the primary source of the activities and handouts for parents. We routinely screen the child’s development in all areas (using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire) to help with the early identification of any potential developmental concerns.
Weekly visits are recommended, especially with new families and newborn babies. Frequent visits, especially in the early stages, are very beneficial in establishing a relationship with your family and getting to know ways to best help. We understand the unique needs and schedules every family has, so we offer flexible scheduling options to accommodate your family.
Help Me Grow Home Visitors come to you and your family at a time that works best for you. The most common place where we visit with our families is in their homes because there’s no place like your home for learning how to be the best parent for your child. However, we are flexible to visit wherever your family feels most comfortable. Some families feel more comfortable meeting at a local library or when weather is nice a park or playground.
Our Home Visitors are well-trained professionals who will bring activities for you and your child and family to do together that supports a strong parent-child relationship and encourages appropriate child development.
We want parents to feel they have someone they can rely on to ask questions about their children. We provide this support in a nonjudgmental and supportive way. We want to support families in being strong and connected by encouraging positive parent-child interactions and healthy attachments.
- Call Huron County Board of DD Help Me Grow Home Visiting: 419-663-GROW (4769)
- Or visit Help Me Grow Home Visiting (helpmegrow.org)
- To make a referral, complete an online referral at Help Me Grow Referral (ohio.gov)
- Or call Help Me Grow Referral Line at 1-800-755-GROW (4769)
- For more information about Healthy Families America: Healthy Families America
Family Support Services
The Board is committed to providing funding for services that will help individuals or families to maintain...
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Services for Adults
We customize our programs to the wants and needs of the individuals we serve.
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