Harford County Infants & Toddlers

Thank you to all who joined us for the Annual Infants & Toddlers Holiday Party! We hope you had just as much fun as we did. There were games in the gym, crafts and Mickey Santa. Each family took home a copy of Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear.

If you have any suggestions for next year's event, please reach out to Carie at Carie.Sadowski@hcps.org. Your feedback helps us to improve your experience at future family events.

We are excited to announce the Infants & Toddlers Playgroup will start beginning January 22, 2024. This is an opportunitiy for your child to play with other children and for you to connect with other parents. Playgroups are free!

Oak Grove Baptist Church has kindly offered us use of their classroom. The Church is centrally located in the County at 2106 Churchville Road in Bel Air. It is next to Harford Academy and has a large parking lot.

Interested in participating? Here's how it works:

1. Join the distribution list. Notices about Playgroup will only be sent out to those on the distribution list in order to minimize email traffic. Click here to join.
2. You will receive a weekly email with a registration link for the upcoming session. If you are able to participate that week, use the link to register. We limit the number of families due to the size of the room.
3. Registered families will receive a reminder text the day before Playgroup.

Stepping Stones is 12-week program for children on an Extended IFSP (age 3-4). Each class is 90 minutes long. Parents attend with the children and parent training is part of the class. Lessons will focus on social foundations (following direction, taking turns, pretend play, etc) and communication (asking for help, communicating wants and needs, etc.).

The next session of Stepping Stones runs January-March. For more information and to register, email Kim at Kim.Mayforth@hcps.org or call 410-937-2489.

Does your child have feeding challenges? Join us for the Infants & Toddlers Feeding Support Group. Our mission is to help families empower each other through education and support to meet the needs of their children as they grow and develop.

The group meets once a month virtually, alternating Tuesdays and Thursday, at 6:30 pm.

If you are interested, please reach out to Kim Driver at Kimberly.Driver@hcps.org.

Harford County's Ability in Focus is a video series that invites you to hear the stories, witness the challenges and celebrate the accomplishments of those with differing abilities. The program is produced in partnership with the HarfordTV and will showcase events, activities and programs designed to keep people with differing abilities active, engaged and included in Harford County.

Harford TV is available on Comcast channel 21, Verizon channel 31, Armstrong 1, or on Youtube.

Highlights from the latest episode include We Rock on Wheels (We Rock the Spectrum's mobile gym) and Cheerabilitie. Click here to watch.

Join SECAC on January 4th for a discussion on IEPs - What to do Before, During & After. IEP is an Individualized Education Program. SECAC is partnering with Parents Place of Maryland for this virtual program. If your child will be transitioning from Infants & Toddlers (IFSP) and will be receiving special education services at school (IEP), this is a great opportunity to learn about IEPs. Check out their event flyer below!

SECAC is a partnership between families, Harford County Public Schools and community organizations in support of the needs of children with disabilities. Meetings are FREE and open to the public. To learn more about SECAC and for registration links for upcoming programs, visit their Facebook page.

Partners for Success is part of Harford County Public Schools and works with families of school-aged children. Megan Fitzgerald, Coordinator for Partners for Success, provides information about community services, assists families in resolving concerns, and helps to increase parental involvement in the special education decision making process. Check it out!

Click here to view the Partners for Success Newsletter.

Growing on the Spectrum Harford County is a local support group for families of children with autism in Harford County. The group meets the fourth Sunday of every month from 6:30 to 8pm at 1305 Pulaski Hwy, Edgewood, MD 21040

LOCATE is a free service to help you find child care. You can search their site, or speak with a referral specialist by calling 877-261-0060 during business hours. They can help you identify child care options in your area based on your family's specific needs.

LOCATE is part of Maryland Family Network. Click here to visit their website.

2-1-1 Maryland is a resource that brings together four agencies to provide simple access to health and human services information. What can they help with? Affordable housing, food, employment training, utility payment assistance, services for their children or aging parents, and many other issues. The 2-1-1 database has information on nearly 5,000 agencies and programs across the state of Maryland.

Help is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Just call 2-1-1.

Parents who are concerned about their child has developmental delays can self-refer to Infants & Toddlers. Referrals are made by either calling our office at 410-638-3823 or submitting an online form. For more information and link to the form, click here.

Harford County Infants & Toddlers provides early intervention services and supports to eligible children with developmental delays and their families. Services are provided at no cost to families. Infants & Toddlers is a part of Harford County Public Schools.

Email: Carie.Sadowski@hcps.org
Website: www.hcps.org
Location: 100 Thomas Run Road, Bel Air, MD, USA
Phone: 410-638-3823
Facebook: facebook.com/HCPSchools