The Early Childhood Development Unit services young children from birth to six years of age with significant disabilities in the areas of Physical, Intellectual, Hearing, Vision, Multiple Disabilities, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Speech Language Impairment.
A multi-disciplinary team works together to provide a variety of play and structured learning experiences that focus on the cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical development of each child. Programs are designed to meet individual needs with an emphasis on helping children develop skills in the areas of:
Early Childhood Development Program
Early childhood development programs and services consist of two phases.
The first phase is Playgroup and is for children from infancy to approximately 3.5 years of age. During this phase, parent/s accompany their child to a centre-based weekly 2 hour playgroup session. This session entails hands on facilitation from parents to support their child’s engagement in tasks at playgroup, as well as continuing with strategies and approaches from home.
The second phase is called Prior to Prep and is for children aged 3.5 to 5 years. Children in this phase may attend up to 3 centre-based day sessions per week. As children move through this phase, the transition to Prep becomes a significant focus of their individual program.
How to refer
Referrals to attend the Early Childhood Development Program can be made directly through specialist and/or therapists. Referrals to the Early Childhood Development Unit require documentation that support the suspicion or, or outline of a formal diagnosis of, a disability.
This documentation should include a combination of Allied Health (Therapist) reports, letters from a Paediatrician or Medical Specialist, standardised assessments and observational data.
For more information, please contact us.