Early Education And Care
Developmental Therapy Services
The Family Partnership offers both therapeutic services and developmental screenings to ensure every child’s success.
Our Developmental Therapy Services
Developmental therapy services are offered at our two multicultural preschools pediatric outpatient clinics. We offer occupational, physical, speech and play-based therapy as needed to enhance your child’s learning potential and maximize their success.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapies use functional and meaningful activities to promote optimal development of:
- Fine motor skills
- Sensory processing
- Executive functioning
- Functional living skills
- Vision and perception
- Cognition and school readiness
- Adaptive coping skills and healthy interactions
Physical Therapy
Physical Therapy services help children develop the appropriate motor skills to move safely through their environment with increased confidence at home and at school. These skills include:
- Muscle strength and tone
- Endurance
- Balance
- Postural stability and core strength
- Ambulation
- Coordination
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and Language Therapy uses developmentally appropriate play activities in a language-rich environment to improve:
- Vocabulary
- Articulation
- Expressive language
- Receptive language
- Feeding skills
- Auditory processing
- Stuttering
Play-Based Therapy
Play-based Therapies use how children naturally explore their world, which is through play, to engage them in exploring their emotions and experiences. With this exploration, the therapist is also supporting the child in developing skills to manage their emotions and engage their world in a healthy way. These skills include:
- Feelings identification
- Emotional expression
- Regulation
- Stress management
- Communication
- Turn taking
- Sharing
- Following directions
Eligibility and Cost
- We offer access to all children enrolled in our preschools, family home visiting programs (and outpatients from the community).
- We operate as an Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation Clinic, licensed by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS). We accept referrals from physicians, parents and other community organizations.
- We provide services at PICA Head Start locations for occupational, physical and speech therapy.
- Play-based therapy is offered through our Mental Health Therapy services.
- Certain therapies require insurance or private pay.
For more information and questions contact us.
I have seen how our work changes lives.
Staff Member, The Family Partnership
Free Access to
Developmental Screenings
We offer children enrolled in our two multicultural therapeutic preschools and parenting programs 100% free developmental screenings.
We use comprehensive, standardized developmental screening tools to identify and offer early interventions to address any potential barriers to your child’s success. We provide parents with the screening information they can use later for their child’s kindergarten enrollment. If needed, we develop individualized therapy plans and goals for your child and discuss them with you.
We utilize the Minnesota Executive Functioning Scale (MEFs) test with children ages 3-5 to monitor brain development. MEFs tests are administered each fall and early summer to track kids’ progress.
Hearing Screens
An audiologist regularly visits our preschools in order to screen and monitor your child’s hearing. When needed, we will refer your child to your medical provider for a more in-depth exam.
The screening evaluates the mobility of the eardrum and its ability to hear sound, assesses the presence of fluid in the ear, and tests your child’s hearing ability and frequency levels.
Vision Screens
We partner with Lions Kidsight MD5M for vision screening. Vision screens evaluate your child’s ability to see both near-sighted and at a distance as well as checking eye alignment and motor function.
Our staff occupational therapists are responsible for screening and re-screening your child and deciding when to recommend a more in-depth exam with an eye doctor (ophthalmologist).
These vision screenings are important to rule out vision deficits for children who present with fine motor or visual motor concerns.
Dental Screens, Education and Treatment
Dental services occur on-site twice a year from Ready, Set, Smile.
Dental services include exams and assessments, dental cleaning, sealants, fluoride treatments and silver diamine fluoride, which is a special liquid fluoride that stops tooth decay without drilling.
Ready, Set, Smile also provides monthly oral health education to all preschool classrooms.
Let’s talk!
Learn more about our development therapies and screening services.
For Developmental Therapy Services and Screenings
Sandy Klein-Mirviss, MSOTR/L
Director of Developmental Therapy Services
Direct: 612-294-2666
Email: sklein-mirviss@thefamilypartnership.org
For Play-Based Therapy
Emily Geffre, LICSW
Director Outpatient and Early Childhood Therapies