Harford County Infants & Toddlers

Harford County Public Schools is hosting a free Autism Workshop on Tuesday, March 28th, 6-8:15 PM at Harford Academy. This is a great event to visit with community partners, learn more about effective behavior management strategies, and talk with HCPS staff members. See the flyer below for more information.

To register for the Autism Workshop, click here.

Is your family looking for opportunities to play with other children? Join us for Playgroup! We meet on Wednesdays, 10:30-11:30 at Roye Williams Elementary School in Havre de Grace.

If you are interested in Playgroup, please join the distribution list by clicking here. A weekly registration link will be sent to those on the distribution list.

Have you wondered what toys promote language learning? Our friends at Phoenix Speech Therapy recently had this to share:

Believe it or not -the less toys the better! Having fewer toys available at a time is associated with more joint engagement between the parent and child.

Rather than buying more and more toys, consider rotating toys and having fewer out at once.

Traditional toys such as blocks, trains, cars, and pretend play sets promote better quantity and quality of language input compared to electronic toys.

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), celebrated on March 21st, is a global awareness day to advocate for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down syndrome. Why March 21? The 21st day of the 3rd month was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.

Many advocacy groups, including the Down Syndrome Association of Maryland (DSAmd), encourage people to wear wild, mismatched, colorful socks on March 21st.

DSAmd shared that the sock idea was created because chromosomes are shaped “like socks” and people with Down Syndrome have an extra chromosome. They suggest wearing them to the office, to class, and to public places. It helps start the discussion about what the socks represent and mean to you.

Are you expecting a new baby or know someone that is? Harford County Public Library is offering a special Hatchling Program for expectant mothers. See flyer below for more information.

To register:

Friday, March 17 10:15-11:15 am Halls Cross Roads Judy Center contact Melanie Feathers: melanie.feathers@hcps.org, 443-928-7029

Tuesday, March 28 6:30-7:30 pm Edgewood Library contact Bridget Bloomer: bloomer@hcplonline.org, 410-638-3990

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.

At the April meeting, they will be discussing school transitions, to include the transition from Infants & Toddlers to Preschool Programs, and how to prepare for those changes. Check out the SECAC meeting schedule and topics below. More information and registration links for their virtual meetings are available on their Facebook page.

Learning Together is looking for typically developing 3- and 4-year-old children to participate in a free, 2- or 3-half-day preschool program for the 2023-2024 school year. Can you help us spread the word to family and friends?

The purpose of the Learning Together Program is to have typically developing children learning alongside preschool children with disabilities. The program promotes social, communication, literacy, and numeracy skill development for all children.

The program is located at the following schools: Meadowvale Elementary, Havre de Grace Elementary, Edgewood Elementary, Homestead/Wakefield Elementary, Youths Benefit Elementary, and North Bend Elementary.

Children must be at least 3-years old as of 9/1/23 and be toilet trained. For more information and to access the application, visit https://www.hcps.org/departments/instructionalsupport/specialeducation/learningtogether/Please contact robyn.graham@hcps.org with any questions.

Partners for Success is part of Harford County Public Schools and works with families of school-aged children. Rachel Trovato, 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

Are you looking for small group sessions to work on language and social skills? Brain Builders is offering a 6-week session for two year-olds. See flyer for more information.

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.

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.

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.

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