Early Steps

10/18/2026

Be Nice.
Be Patient.
Remember, It's Everyone's Halloween.

Share if you agree!

10/17/2026

Have you checked out our Electronic Resource Cabinet yet?

Our Family Resource Specialist, Paula Burns has put together this tool to help families find and navigate community resources. If you need any help, please reach out. Pro tip: there is a SEARCH function to help you find exactly what you are looking for!

https://padlet.com/EarlySteps/Resources

10/16/2026

Your Service Coordinator is your central point of contact while in our Early Steps Program. Service coordinators strive to be a supportive, communicative and a responsive resource for families.

The contact information for your Service Coordinator is listed on your Individual Family Support Plan (IFSP).

If you don't know who your Service Coordinator is, be sure to reach out to your local program and find out. It is important to stay in contact with them.

In Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando or Citrus counties you can call (727) 767-4403 or find your local office on our website here: https://floridaearlysteps.com/contact/

10/15/2026

The Early Steps program takes your concerns seriously and recognizes your right to make decisions about your child. If you and the Early Steps team do not agree on plans or services for your child, or if you think your rights have been violated, there are procedures for resolving your concerns.

You can watch this short video explaining your rights or reach out to your Service Coordinator or Family Resource Specialist for help in understanding them.
https://youtu.be/ACiKB7On-fI?si=-jAE_hUFMhpXrm7E

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

10/14/2026

Does your child bite or mouth on their toys?

Check out these strategies from our staff Occupational Therapist, Kyleigh to increase oral input during daily play and mealtime routines.

10/13/2026

Early Steps providers visit regularly and support you to help your child learn new skills during your everyday routines. We call this approach embedded intervention. In Florida, it is known as Florida Embedded Practices and Intervention with Caregivers (FL-EPIC). Check out this great resource that explains more about our approach.

10/12/2026

Our Early Steps statewide website has a variety of milestone tracking options available to help you to understand typical childhood development. These tools can be very useful when getting ready for your next Individual Family Support Plan (IFSP) team meeting.

https://floridaearlysteps.com/resource-type/developmental-milestones-tracking-and-monitoring-resources/

10/11/2026

Our program is a Primary Service Provider Coaching Model and we want to make sure you have all the tools for success!

Our on staff Physical Therapist shared these ideas about focusing on balance. We have a whole library of strategy sheets from our amazing evaluation staff that we will continue to share. If you are looking for help in a specific area in between your Provider home visits, you can always reach out to your Service Coordinator or our Family Resource Specialist for assistance.

10/10/2026

Most infants and toddlers often cannot communicate their feelings and emotions with words; therefore, they may communicate through crying, screaming, and meltdowns/tantrums. Our Occupational Therapist, Kyleigh shares with us a self-soothing strategy you can use. Just be sure to identify the soothing tools BEFORE the meltdown stars to occur.

10/09/2026

We'd like to take a moment to recognize one of our Service Coordinators, Gwen who was recently mentioned in this unsolicited family feedback form! Thank you for taking a moment to give us feedback. If you would like to share your experience, you can do so at this link: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/YKCBWgPUgR