Early Childhood Education Services

Developmental Therapy: I am credentialed through the Early Intervention system of Illinois as a Developmental Therapist and Evaluator. The role of a Developmental Therapist is to assist children and their families in all areas of development to help them obtain a family's goals. Early Intervention services children birth through age 3 experiencing any type of qualifying delay or concern by providing therapy to families in the areas of Developmental Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, Social-Emotional Therapy, Nutrition Services, Feeding Therapy and more! Here is the link to Illinois Early Intervention: https://eiclearinghouse.org/resources/getting-started/ If you are wanting to seek the help of a Developmental Therapist outside of Early Intervention or above the age of 3 for developmental concerns or to help navigate a diagnosis given, please reach out to me and see what we can arrange privately. Developmental therapy can be done virtually or in person. Please note, in-person services should be within 30 minutes of the Bloomington-Normal community in McLean County, Illinois. 

IEP Support and Advocacy: I have a unique perspective when helping families plan and prepare for a child's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting. I have spent years attending IEP meetings as a teacher as well as attending as an advocate for families to ensure their rights are upheld and supported in the best possible manner. IEP meetings can be intimidating. Do you have questions about what type of goals should be included on your child's IEP? Are you unsure of your rights as a parent? Do you want someone who understands both sides of the IEP preparation and implementation by your side during the IEP meeting to make sure your voice is heard? These are all things that I can help support you with. Advocating for your child is my main priority in these meetings and making sure "who" your child is as an individual is reflected in their IEP as well as monitoring to make sure that the goals address the needs of your child and the educational setting they are currently in. These services can be done virtually, with the exception of the in-person presence at an IEP meeting. I will attend in-person IEP meetings within 30 minutes of the Bloomington-Normal Community in McLean County, Illinois. 

Developmental Testing: I am trained in how to fully implement the Battelle Developmental Inventory - 3rd Edition global developmental evaluation. This test is done through hands-on activities for children ages 0-8 as well as questions that are asked of the child's caregivers. This developmental testing covers the areas of Adaptive Skills, Social-Emotional, Communication, Motor, and Cognitive. This test is not designed to diagnose any illness or condition. It is a developmental test that can indicate if there are any delays in the areas mentioned above and will come with a report that will be written and securely sent to you through HIPAA compliant email so that you can have a copy to then send to your child's physician, school, or simply to keep for  your records. This can only be done in person, whether it is in your home or in my office. If in your home, you must be within 30 minutes of the Bloomington-Normal community in McLean County, Illinois. 

Assistance with becoming a Developmental Therapist: In order to become a Developmental Therapist for the Early Intervention system in Illinois, you must have a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Special Education, Child Development, Early Intervention, or Elementary Education as well as go through additional trainings set forth by Provider Connections Early Intervention Training Program, the credentialing body for Early Intervention in Illinois. There is no helpful way to know how to make the shift from educator to Developmental Therapist unless you are hired into an agency willing to help you. The agency that helps you will then take a portion of what the state pays you to work there. There is no reason for that! The agencies in the current area I provide services give Developmental Therapists approximately $20.00/hr. (with experience). They will also require you to bill a certain amount per week while your wage stays the same. Please know that you can be your own boss and keep your money! Here is the breakdown:

The state pays Developmental Therapists $52.96-$66.80/hr. depending on the type of service being provided, which breaks down to $13.24-$16.70 every 15 minutes (we bill in 15 minute increments). Direct therapy service and evaluations are billed at 16.70 for every 15 minutes. Phone meetings, times spent consulting with other therapists, and certain types of reports and other situations are billed at 13.24 every 15 minutes. Therapy sessions are generally one hour and the state gives you 3 hours for each evaluation you do. Meetings and other things that fall under the 13.24 can vary in time billed.  

I will help you understand the process, help guide you through the trainings, as well as mentoring you for your first year with a caseload as your credential moves from "temporary" to "permanent". While you are completing the trainings to get your "temporary" credential, you will also be working with Aspire Therapy, PLLC.

In collaboration with Aspire Therapy, PLLC, Katie Stuepfert, speech therapist, owner and founder, will work with you to complete the process of getting registered with the state as a provider and 1099 employee as well as learning how to bill. You can be your own boss, set your own hours, and keep the money you earn as a 1099 employee for the state of Illinois. You will then have two mentors to ask your questions to and seek for support throughout your transition into Early Intervention so that you know you come in already surrounded with support. These services can be done virtually or in person.  

Have you heard the state can sometimes be behind in payments up to 12 weeks? Are you needing to get paid on a regular basis? Is the thought of doing your own billing overwhelming? I have a solution. After you complete your training with myself and Katie, there is another option for you! Brenda Jansen is a Developmental Therapist that offers billing services. She will pay you whenever you turn in your hours so you don’t have to wait for the state to reimburse you. The service is 10% of whatever you make 9pre-tax). If you are looking for a happy medium between being independent and doing your own billing versus getting paid on demand with someone else handling the billing this is a perfect solution. Since the service fees for billing and on-demand payment is 10% of what you make, if you work more, you make more. You are not stuck at a fixed rate no matter how much you bill. Brenda is a developmental therapist and is very trustworthy, as I know from having her do my own billing! I would never recommend someone that I wouldn’t fully trust with my own income. She also assists with the monitoring process for the people she bills for. Monitoring is what the state uses for checks and balances. They ask to see a few complete files from each therapist every 12 to 18 months to make sure that your billing and documentation match and that you are providing quality services. Brenda will help guide you through this process from start to finish. 

Are you a Developmental Therapist who is currently working for an agency within the state of Illinois? Do you know you can get everything set up to become an independent provider without your agency knowing until you are ready for them to? Don't stay stuck unless you're truly where you want to be! Reach out for more information. 

There are a lot of options and Developmental Therapists make a world of difference to families, as we are there to support every developmental area of the child. We are often the first ones in the homes and the first ones to start on the child's goals. If you want  make a difference in the lives of children birth - age 3, reach out and let's chat!