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If you ever wonder how your baby or toddler is growing, talking, moving, or connecting — and you wish someone would just take a look — that's exactly what Early Intervention is for. It's free, it's family-led, and you don't need a doctor's referral to start.
Student Services / Early Intervention · Birth to Age 3 · Always Free
If you ever wonder how your baby or toddler is growing, talking, moving, or connecting — and you wish someone would just take a look — that's exactly what Early Intervention is for. It's free, it's family-led, and you don't need a doctor's referral to start.
Early Intervention is Washington's program for children from birth to age 3 who may need extra support to grow, learn, or thrive. In our state it's called Early Support for Infants and Toddlers (ESIT). It comes from a federal law called IDEA Part C and is run locally by trained family-resource coordinators and therapists.
For Montesano-area families, the work is done by South Sound Parent to Parent (SSP2P), a long-time community partner that serves Grays Harbor, Mason, and Thurston counties. Their Aberdeen office handles families in our district.
Anyone can refer a child — a parent, grandparent, doctor, daycare provider, or family friend. You don't need a diagnosis, and you don't need to know what's "wrong." A concern is enough.
All three paths land in the same place: a Family Resources Coordinator who reaches out to you within a few days to listen, answer questions, and plan next steps.
A coordinator from SSP2P will contact your family to talk through your concerns. With your written permission, they'll arrange a free developmental evaluation — usually in your home, where your child is most comfortable. The evaluation looks at how your child is doing across the areas below.
If your child qualifies, you and the team build an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) together — a written plan that documents your family's priorities, the goals you'd like to work toward, and which services your child will receive. Services usually happen in your home or another natural setting like daycare or a parent-toddler group.
Depending on what your IFSP calls for, services may include:
SSP2P also offers home visits, parent-toddler groups, and consultations with daycares and pediatricians so the people in your child's daily life are part of the team.
Required services — evaluations, the IFSP itself, and service coordination — are always free under federal law, no matter your income. Some optional services may be billed to insurance with your written consent, and your family's share is based on a sliding scale. No family is ever turned away because of cost.
Around your child's second-and-a-half birthday, planning begins for what comes next. For some children that's the district's preschool special education program; for others it's community-based supports or simply a check-in to confirm everything is on track. Your IFSP team and the district plan this transition together so nothing falls through the cracks.
Is my concern "big enough"? Yes. Coordinators would rather hear from you early than wait. There's no penalty for asking, and an evaluation might confirm everything is right on track.
Will this go on a school record? No. Birth-to-3 records belong to the family; they are not part of any school record unless you choose to share them.
What if my child is older than 3? The birth-to-3 program no longer applies, but the district has preschool special education and a Child Find process for ages 3 and up. Contact Student Services and we'll route you.
South Sound Parent to Parent, Grays Harbor County office 611 N. F Street Aberdeen, WA 98520 (360) 637-8586 ssp2p.org
Help Me Grow Washington — English, Spanish, and other languages.
Shawn Brown, Director · 504/ADA Compliance Officer sbrown@monteschools.org Student Services: (360) 249-1233