“All In” Early Intervention
Supporting Collaboration Among Families, Early Intervention, and Early Care and Education Professionals
Ohio Early Intervention (EI) helps families and caregivers support the growth and learning of infants and toddlers (birth through age two) with developmental delays. EI services are documented on a plan called the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). The IFSP explains the child's goals, strategies, and who is part of the team. EI services are provided during daily routines where children live, play, and learn. This can include early learning settings.
Early Care and Education (ECE) professionals are important members of the IFSP team! When families, EI providers, and ECE professionals are “all in”, children get the best support to learn, grow, and get ready for kindergarten.
This resource shares ideas to support collaboration among families, EI providers, and ECE professionals in early learning settings.
Click each concept to explore its definition and related tips.
What it means: Working together as a one team. Team members share information, respect each other's roles, and make plans together to support the child.
Family:
- Talk with everyone on your child's team.
- Share what works well at home to help your child learn.1
- Invite your child's ECE professional to join your IFSP meeting, if you want them to attend.
EI Provider:
- See the value in the ECE professional's role. Their ideas and observations help the team create a supportive plan for the child!
- Include the ECE professional in the IFSP meeting when the family chooses to invite them.
- Be mindful of the busy demands of an early learning setting.2
Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional:
- Talk with the EI provider about how they can best support you. Ask any questions you have about what EI visits will look like.3
- Work with the EI provider to support the child in daily activities and routines.3
- Remember, you are a valued member of the team! EI professionals are there to work alongside you, not judge your teaching.
What it means: Thinking together about what is going well and what is challenging. Asking questions and sharing ideas to support the child's participation and learning
Family:
- Share progress or new concerns (e.g., “We noticed more pointing at dinner. What does communication look like during lunch or snack?”).
- Offer ideas about what has worked well at home.
- Share what motivates your child, what they enjoy, or what regulates them.
EI Provider:
- Ask reflective questions (e.g., “When is circle time the most challenging?”, “What are your thoughts about trying this during snack time?”).
- Offer suggestions that fit the early learning setting's routines. Invite feedback from the ECE professional. (e.g., “Does this seem doable to try during art?”).
- Stay open to sharing and listening to ideas from the team.4
Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional:
- Share with the EI provider about what's going well and what's challenging (e.g., “He responds well to our visual schedule. Maybe we can build on that.”).5
- Ask questions to better understand the child's outcomes or strategies (e.g., “What might help make the transition from outside to the lunch table smoother for this child?”).
- Share your ideas. Your input helps the child and the team succeed!6
What it means: Watching the child and ECE professional take part in the early learning setting's routines to understand strengths, interests, and needs.
Family:
- Notice which activities your child enjoys most.
- Share your observations. This helps the team understand your child's strengths and needs.
- Don't hesitate to share small details. They might be the key to great success!
EI Provider:
- Reduce disruptions while completing observations.2
- Observe how the ECE professional interacts with and supports the child in the early setting.2
- Use observations to help your strategies fit naturally with the ECE professional's daily routines and activities.2
Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional:
- Be open to the EI provider observing you in your early learning setting. Remember they're here to support!
- Invite the EI provider to watch you interact with the child.
- Consider all routines (e.g., handwashing, meals, cleanup) and activities (e.g., playground, centers) for the EI provider to observe.3
What it means: Choosing and trying a strategy that fits naturally into the early learning setting's activities and routines.
Family:
- Help the team choose a strategy.
- Try the same strategy at home when possible.
- Stay open to trying something new.
EI Provider:
- Focus on supporting the ECE professional and their interactions with the child.2
- Use materials already in the early learning setting.
- Have the ECE professional try a strategy while you observe. Offer feedback to make sure they are feeling comfortable.
Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional:
- Include the strategies into your setting's routine and activities.6
- Practice the strategy with the EI provider. They can offer support as you try something new.
- You can do it! Start with familiar routines before trying them in more challenging ones.
What it means: Deciding what will happen between visits and what will happen at the next visit.
Family:
- Help decide which parts of the joint plan can happen at the early learning setting and at home.7
- Keep plans simple and consistent.
- Share feedback on how the joint plan is going.
EI Provider:
- Work with the ECE professional to develop the joint plan. Make sure the joint plan aligns with IFSP outcomes.
- Keep plans brief and visible (e.g., a written joint plan on a sticky note that the ECE professional can refer to throughout the day).
- Allow for enough time for the ECE professional to practice a new strategy.4
Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional:
- Work with the EI provider to create a plan for what you will try before the next visit.5
- Plan how you will communicate between visits if you need support.
- Schedule EI visits during routines and activities that are priorities or areas of concern.
What it means: Sharing information regularly and clearly.
Family:
- Share your preferred method of communication with the team.
- Use your voice! Make sure you feel heard and understood.7
- Share updates from home (e.g., send the team a photo of a win that happened at home).
EI Provider:
- Avoid using jargon.
- Communicate with the family about what happens during your visits with the ECE professional.2
- Share information with all team members.2
Early Care and Education (ECE) Professional:
- Take notes of the strategies you tried and how it went.
- Communicate weekly plans with the family.
- Share progress with the team (e.g., “signed ‘more’ twice during lunch today!”)
What it means: Noticing progress and recognizing everyone’s efforts.
- Celebrate every success, big or small.
- Remember, by being “all in” you are making a positive difference in the child’s learning, growth, and participation!
Explore Additional Resources to Help Enhance Your Collaboration
Adapted from Your Role in Partnering with Your Early Intervention Service Provider (Virginia Early Intervention Professional Development Center, n.d.) by OCALI’s Center for the Young Child in partnership with the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, April 2026.
