Nursing, Therapy and Early Education services

The Family, Infant and Preschool Program (FIPP) has a multidisciplinary team of professionals available to provide therapy and education services to children from birth to 5 years of age and their families. The team consists of Birth to Kindergarten teachers, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists. These services are provided using the most current research available in each discipline as well as from the fields of early childhood, early childhood intervention, and parent support. Each child and family has access to the entire team of professionals. Services are individualized to meet the needs of each child and family. Specific services include screening, evaluation, intervention, and consultation. Since research indicates that children learn best in their natural environments and with people who are important to them, all services are provided in the child's home or other typical setting for the child and family such as child care or other locations where the family would regularly be in the community. The FIPP team meets weekly to provide direct support to one another and to ensure that each child and family are receiving the best possible care.

FIPP accepts referrals directly from parents, physicians, the Child Developmental Services Agency (CDSA), and other community-based agencies and programs.

The Family, Infant and Preschool Program is a contractor of the Morganton/Hickory Child Developmental Services Agency and receives their referrals for early intervention services as indicated on the child's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). If a family is referred directly to FIPP from another source and is potentially eligible for CDSA services, FIPP will refer the child and family to the CDSA with parent consent to ensure efficient coordination of services.

FIPP accepts payment in the form of Medicaid and insurance. For families who do not have access to third-party payment, a sliding fee scale is available based on the family's income and number of family members it supports. No child or family is refused services based on an inability to pay.