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Program Description
The URI Department of Human
Development and Family Studies,
in collaboration with Rhode
Island College, has developed a
comprehensive plan to increase
the number of qualified staff
members in the field of Early
Intervention (EI) and in careers
involving children with special
health care needs (CSHCN).
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Rhode
Island Early Childhood Summer Institute 2008
Play in Early Childhood Education: Implications for
Research, Curriculum, and Practice
University of Rhode Island
Memorial Union, Atrium 1, Kingston Campus
Kingston, RI 02881
Thursday June 19;
Friday, June 20; and Saturday, June 21, 2008
9:00
am to 4:00 pm Thursday and Friday
9:00
am to 2:00 pm Saturday
2008 RIECSI
participants will:
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Understand the
important role of adults in early childhood play
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Learn about
developmental appropriate play in early childhood, and
approaches to supporting families and colleagues
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Develop an
understanding of how physical and social environments
support play in early childhood
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Appreciate the
important roles of family and culture in early childhood
play
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Develop a deeper
understanding of the rationale and research support for
play in early childhood
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Learn more about
programs and services in RI that encourage play in
children and families
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Learn how to
encourage play and learning activities for children with
autism and behavioral disorders
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Discuss successful
models and strategies with local expert practitioners
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Meet and network
with other early childhood professionals from RI
Click here to download registration form

Our recruitment effort includes
classroom presentations to
students in related disciplines
to inform them of the
availability of internships in
the fields of EI and CSHCN. Over
the past 5 years numerous
interns, from various
disciplines, have been hired by
the Early Intervention sites.
Our presentations are
approximately 45 minutes in
length, including a Q & A
session. Please contact our
office to schedule a class
presentation. If you know of
potential students, please
provide them with our
URI EI
Brochure
or have them contact our office
directly.
What is Early
Intervention?
Early Intervention (EI) is a family-focused program that
emphasizes the unique needs of a child within their family unit.
Children who are under three years of age who have a
developmental disability or a developmental delay, with certain
diagnosed conditions, or whose circumstances are likely to
result in significant developmental problems may be
eligible for Early Intervention services. You can visit Rhode
Island's Early Intervention website at
Rhode Island DHS - Early Intervention for more information. There are
several Early
Intervention certified providers throughout Rhode Island.
Please see the links below to visit Early Intervention provider
websites.
How can you gain
experience working in Early Intervention?
Most
of the
Early Intervention certified providers in
Rhode Island offer internship opportunities for students. Please
see the links below to view
a brief description of each site's
requirements and expectations for interns. Links to Early Intervention provider websites
are also found below.
Early
Intervention
Internship Opportunities
Early
Intervention Internship opportunities are available for
students. For help in setting up your internship, please
contact the Early Intervention Recruitment and Retention Office
at 401-874-4036. We will be able to assist you in arranging
an internship with a certified EI site. Internship
opportunities are available for varying numbers of hours and
credits. Hours are determined by the student's program of study
as defined in his/her course requirements.
For a brief
description of individual site placements, please visit the
links below:
If you are interested
in applying for an internship opportunity, please complete
the Intern Contact Form
and email it to
Clarissa@mail.uri.edu.
Tools for current
student interns or supervisors:
What do EI interns
do?
Depending on your discipline and experience, an internship in
EI can offer you the following experiences:
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Attending agency orientations as well as staff trainings and
meetings.
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Gaining skills in the areas of
professional conduct, work
etiquette, and
co-worker relations.
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Learning EI eligibility criteria.
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Understanding
the role that a service coordinator serves within
EI.
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Shadowing EI staff on home visits to ensure that services
are being provided appropriately and are still necessary.
Students are encouraged to attend home visits with practitioners outside of the student's
field of study.
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Providing appropriate play activities for children while
meetings are held with parents during home visits.
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Visiting families in their home to provide counseling and training.
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Offering casework, psychological and supportive services.
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Assisting with evaluations, under the supervision of an EI
practitioner.
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Providing health services such as nursing,
occupational therapy, or physical therapy.
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Assisting with nutrition and medical services.
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Delivering speech, language and hearing services.
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Helping
with office work, including processing intake phone
calls, clerical work and preparation of materials to use
with families during home visits.
How to make a
difference in the life of a child and a family!
Early Intervention
provides many opportunities for interns to learn and enhance
real world, marketable skills. During an EI internship, you will
acquire:
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Skills
in developing and maintaining a
collaborative team approach
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Knowledge of Early Intervention disciplines
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Successful strategies to work one-on-one with children and their
families
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Methods to deliver services in a variety of home-based and
community environments
For more information about the URI EI
Internship program, please view our brochure at the following
link:
URI EI
Brochure.
URI
students who are interested in pursuing an internship for credit
through URI's Office of Internships and Experiential
Education should visit the
OIEE website for more information.
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For additional
information on applying for an Early Intervention
Internship, contact:
Clarissa M.
Uttley
Project
Coordinator
2 Lower College
Road
201 Transition
Center
Kingston, RI
02881
401-874-4036
Clarissa@mail.uri.edu
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Additional Project Staff: |
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Karen P.
McCurdy
Principle Investigator
2 Lower
College Road
209
Transition Center
Kingston, RI 02881
401-874-5960
kmccurdy@uri.edu
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Jennifer DeFrance
Project Consultant
401-874-4036
jdefrance@cox.net
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Stephanie Joyal
Project Assistant
401-874-4036
sjoyal@post.com
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Jaime Freidinger
Project assistant
401-874-4036
jfreidinger@mail.uri.edu
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Early
Intervention Recruitment and Retention activities are conducted
through the Human Development and Family Studies Department at
the University of Rhode Island. This project offers internship
opportunities to students interested in pursuing a career in
Early Intervention.
For more information about Early Intervention in Rhode Island
please visit the following EI websites:
DHS Homepage:
RI DHS - Early Intervention
The
project is funded by the Paul V. Sherlock Center on
Disabilities, at Rhode Island College, and the Rhode Island
Department of
Human Services. |