On Tuesday, July 30, at 11 a.m., the Infants and Toddlers Program and the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands (DRCVI) will host a “Learn and Play Parent Info Session” at the Virgin Islands Children’s Museum. Prior to the info session, children can participate in a storytime beginning at 10:30 a.m.
The “Learn and Play Parent Info Session” offers parents an opportunity to learn about the various programs and support services offered by the Infants and Toddlers Program. According to the Health Department website, “The Infants and Toddlers Program or (ITP) is charged with implementing a territory-wide, comprehensive system of supports and services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and their families including; Service Coordination, Developmental Therapy, Speech/Language Pathology, Physical and Occupational Therapy, Vision Screenings and Audiology.”
The ITP focuses its efforts on children within the age range of 0 to three to provide early intervention opportunities for our youngest minds as early as possible.
“We help families whose children may display a development delay, whether it’s physical, cognitive, speech, auditory, or sensory. Our intent in this partnership with the DRCVI and the Children’s Museum is for the public to become aware of who we are, what we do, and the services we offer. We want to build relationships with the parents and children in our community,” Hasina Pryce, ITP program administrator, said.
One of the unique qualities of the offerings provided through the ITP is that children can receive services without parents incurring any cost, as the program is fully funded by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) through the DOH.
“It is important to me that parents know our services are 100% free. We are a federally funded program and we are open to all children within the territory who have a need regardless of socio-economic status or immigration status,” Patricia Sprauve, ITP program director, said.
One of the challenges that stand in the way of parents pursuing additional services for their children is the heavy stigma around disabilities and developmental delays. “Our community is small and there is a stigma around children requiring additional supports to aid their development. Parents often hold off on pursuing early intervention services because they are hopeful that their children will eventually catch up to their developmental milestones. Unfortunately, as time goes on, these children lose out on the enrichment that early support services can provide and the children fall further behind. Sometimes children just need a little additional help to assist them in building their skill set, and then they go on to excel alongside their peers.,” said Pryce.
Parents across the territory who are interested in learning more about the programs that are offered throughout the ITP are encouraged to connect with their island’s designated service coordinators.
In the St. Croix district, Morgan Neel can be reached at 340-201-9790 and Miniminyha Demund at 340-244-1689 and in the St. Thomas-St. John district, parents can contact Roxanne Whitfield Rhymer at 340-227-6356.
