Below are some of our most frequently asked questions. If you still have any question please Contact Us!

How important is the first 3 years of development?

The first three years of life are the most extraordinary and vital part of the child’s development.  Through the years of research on infant and toddlers development, we have learned ‘the first three years of life are critical because children develop many of the basic learning patterns and abilities that they will build upon for the rest of their life’ (Park, 2008).  The first five years of developmental growth and early developmental phases are important, because that is when the brain is the most susceptible to changes and potential.  The child’s brain development is greatly affected by their surrounding environment and experiences. It impacts the wiring and sculpting of the brain’s billions of neurons that last a lifetime.  A child’s brain develops rapidly during the first three years. It is a time of rapid cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor development.

What are the functional outcomes of Early Intervention?

Some main approaches used in our early intervention are the visual methods, hand-over-hand methods family-based approach, and floor time approach.


  1. Visual method: provides activities involving visual aids, strategies and accommodations. Deaf and hard of hearing children and children from deaf and hard of hearing parents often use vision as a primary means of receiving information. The child will actively engage, manage and direct the visual aids.

  2. Hand-over-hand method: prompts are used to demonstrate an appropriate behavior or hand movement. Early interventionists use the method by putting their hands over the child’s hand, and the intervention moves the child’s hand to show the correct gestures or hand movement. The child learns the proper way. This can also develop a muscle memory by the interventionist using this method.

  3. The family-based approach: based on understanding the values and beliefs concerning the relationship between the child and family. These approach “enables and empowers” families to meet the needs of the child. The family-based approach
provides the resources and support to parents and families to promote the development of the child. The basic goal of this approach is to enhance the well being of the family as a whole.

  4. The floor-time approach: based on interactive theory. This approach necessitates interaction with the child at age appropriate level in order to assess strengths. It strengthens abilities through such interaction. The interventionist is playing with the child and creating a warm relationship, following the child’s lead and challenging them to be creative. The infant specialist also will expand the action and interact with the child using their senses, motor skills, and emotions in positive ways.

How does this fit into Family Routine?

Integrating early intervention into daily routines can be achieved by embedding learning opportunities into everyday activities. For instance, mealtime can become a chance to encourage communication through open-ended questions, while playtime can promote skills through interactive toys that foster problem-solving and social engagement. Involving children in age-appropriate chores not only builds independence but also reinforces concepts like counting and following directions. Daily storytime can enhance language development by encouraging questions about the narrative. Additionally, using visual schedules can help children understand transitions and encourage participation. Modeling desired behaviors, celebrating small successes, and collaborating with caregivers for consistency further enhance the effectiveness of early intervention. By seamlessly incorporating these strategies into routine, early intervention becomes a natural part of a child’s development.

What is the Referral / Intake / Assessment Process?

  1. Families will be contacted within 48 hours from date of receipt of referral.

  2. Assessment will include:

  3. Medical History

  4. Basic family intake information

  5. Parent’s concerns

  6. Current skills of child

  7. Parent’s goals for their child

  8. Family routines

  9. Recommendations

  10. Assessments Process

  11. Initial report will be done within first two weeks after referral was received

  12. Progress report will be done every six months from birth date

  13. Closing report will be done at 35 months

How are Evaluations and Assessments done?

  • The Hawaii Early Learning Profile by Stephanie Parks (HELP Strands), is a criterion, referenced tool. The evaluations and assessments will include parent(s) interview and observation of the child by the evaluators.

    • Developmental Evaluation (Rise & Shine is qualified to complete developmental evaluation)
.
      • Evaluate all areas of development, to include gross motor, fine motor,
cognitive, language, self-help, social-emotional skills
.
      • Family directed assessment showing the child strengths and weakness

      • Recommendation of appropriate services to meet the child’s needs.

      • Include the child’s basic medical history, family information and the current
milestones of each area of development.

    • Assessment (Semi-Annual Reports)

      • Progress towards IFSP goals and objectives ( gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, language, self-help, social-emotional skills)

      • Family directed assessment showing the child strengths and weaknesses

      • Update on medical history, family information and the milestones of each area
of development.

      • Monitor session for sensory profile

      • Initial reports will be sent after two weeks from date of evaluation/assessment.

      • Closing reports will be completed at 34 months or when services are 
terminated
.
  • Communicate a change in a client’s needs to the service coordinator by:

    • A formal phone call or email

    • Including the recommended change needed in the progress report t
o the parents/caregiver participation will be measured by:

      • Observation and anecdotal records

      • Generalization of skills

      • Attendance

      • Rise and Shine staff will inform SCs if parents are not participating in therapy
 sessions.

What is the Business and Service Schedule?

  • Rise & Shine’s business and service availability:

    • Hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 6:30pm, Saturday from
7:30am to 2:30pm.

    • Will serve the clients an hour or two depending on the IFSP approve by Tri-Counties

  • Exception will be made to accommodate working parents

  • Closed on Tri-County Regional Center mandated holidays

What is the Entrance Requirements?

  • While Rise & Shine’s focus is on deaf and hard of hearing children, its staff can also provide support and services to children who have a developmental delay, and whose parents have hearing impairments.
The services provided included:

    • Deaf

    • Hard of Hearing

    • Developmental Delayed (one or more domains)

    • Of a Deaf or Hard of Hearing parent(s)

    • Mild Hearing Loss

    • Mild to Serve Ear Infections

    • Had ear tubes that affect hearing at any level

    • Temporary hearing loss

    • Noise-Induced hearing loss

    • Multiple diagnosed (includes a sort of hearing lost)

    • At-risk

    • Autism

    • Down syndrome

    • Cerebral Palsy

    • And diagnosed that affect the child development

  • The level of physical disabilities would be mild to moderate. We will work with children with mild to severe medical conditions and behavior challenges.

How long does this service last?

The child will be discharged from Rise & Shine services under the below conditions.


  • IFSP end service date

  • When the child is age appropriate

  • 3rd birthday

  • When the parents will not participate in the program

  • Family moves out of Ventura County


What is the Attendance Policy?

  • The requirements for the families to remain in the Rise & Shine program is to fully participate in the early intervention program. Rise & Shine will be flexible under reasonable terms if full participation is difficult. Families’ culture and the diversity will be taken into considering in how the families participate. Rise and Shine will notify families of attendance and cancellation policy at the start of intervention.

  • Rise & Shine will assure participation of the families in intervention by:

    • Working in the environment that the parents are comfortable with

    • Confirm appointments the day before of the sessions

    • Offer handouts and information monthly to help keep the parents involve

    • Involve the families’ cultures and holidays within the activities in the sessions

  • Tri-Country Regional Center will be notified if the family has more than two unplanned absences in succession. If a family misses a scheduled appointment, Rise and Shine will attempt to reschedule but cannot guarantee another appointment. Make up sessions can only occur within the current month of treatment. If the family does not cooperate or follow through on the reschedule appointment, the assigned service coordinator will be contacted by phone