Explore careers in early intervention!

If you like working with parents and caregivers to support their little ones and want a career that makes a big impact on children’s lives, then early intervention might be right for you.

Explore careers in early intervention!

If you like working with parents and caregivers to support their little ones and want a career that makes a big impact on children’s lives, then early intervention might be right for you.

What Is Early Intervention?

Developmental specialist Robyn Marton works with a toddler outdoors

Early intervention professionals provide support for families of infants and toddlers who have or are at risk for developmental delays. In New Mexico, early intervention is managed through the Families, Infants, and Toddlers Program (FIT).

From developmental specialists to family service coordinators to therapists, early intervention professionals work together as a team to get parents and caregivers the tools, resources, and information they need to best support their child’s growth and success. This flexible, fast-paced field is a great place for people who are passionate about early childhood development and want to be agents of change for the families who need them most.

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Physical therapist Jason Coloma works with a toddler

Featured Professional: Jason

“It really motivates me to work more when I see that the kids are improving.”
Before moving to Hobbs about four years ago, Jason Coloma had been a physical therapist for school-age children in the Philippines, and for older adults in Alabama. Now, he works with children age birth to three as a provider for the Family Infant Toddler program, and is finding that young children are his favorite kind of client.
Read Jason’s Story
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Early Intervention Career Pathways

Developmental Specialists

Developmental specialists work directly with families to teach parents and caregivers how to best help their children learn and grow. Specialists travel to work with families in private homes, child care settings, and anywhere else they might be needed. As a developmental specialist, you can expect to spend 60-80% of your time providing direct services to families, coaching parents and caregivers on how to best support their young children, and providing developmental assessments to infants and toddlers. The remaining 20-40% of your time will be spent on administrative tasks and documentation.

To qualify for a developmental specialist position and be able to perform evaluations with families, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a field like early childhood special education, K-12 special education, or early childhood education. If you have an associate degree in a qualifying field you may be able to work with senior team members to provide direct services to families, although you won’t be able to provide evaluations without a bachelor’s degree.

Family Service Coordinators

Family service coordinators work as liaisons between families and all the other early intervention professionals on their care team. Coordinators manage the details of each child’s unique services and treatment plan. As a coordinator, your responsibilities will be split roughly 50/50 between home visits and office work and will require a strong combination of organizational and people skills. You’ll help families navigate complicated systems and access critical services while serving as a trusted advisor during what may be a stressful and confusing time in their lives.

In general, family service coordinators are expected to hold a bachelor’s degree in a field related to early childhood, but their work focuses more on communication, data management, and administration than on providing direct services or evaluations to families. Coordinator candidates should be comfortable using software like Microsoft Excel and navigating database systems.

Therapists

Early intervention therapists are specialists who work directly with caregivers and children to help aid healthy development and address developmental delays. Therapists tend to spend the majority of their time working directly with families either at home or in clinical settings, with some additional time spent on administrative tasks.

As subject matter experts, therapists need a targeted depth of knowledge in one of five fields - physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech/language pathology, social work, or nursing - while maintaining a broad foundation of general knowledge in early childhood development. Because early intervention cases tend to require several therapists to work together as part of a child’s larger care team, therapists need both the social and organizational skills to work well with others.

Therapists are expected to be trained and licensed in their respective fields. These positions require specialized degrees and qualifications that are dependent on the field of study.
    Developmental specialist Robyn Marton works with a toddler outdoors

    How Do I Know Early Intervention Is Right for Me?

    If you’re a dedicated and creative problem solver who wants to make a tangible impact on the lives of children and their families, then early intervention might be the field for you. However, there are a few things to keep in mind as you consider this career.

    If you want to spend most of your time working primarily with infants and young children, early intervention might not be the best choice for you. Instead, you might be interested in another exciting career in child care, PreK, or Head Start. While early intervention professionals work closely with young children, much of their time is spent assisting parents and caregivers in creating a supportive environment where children can grow and thrive.
    Early intervention is an extremely fast-paced and flexible field. If you work best within a firm professional structure or need to maintain a set schedule, this career pathway might not fit your goals. However, if you are excited by new challenges and love to solve complicated problems, then early intervention could be a great place to use your professional skills and strengths.
    Because of the specialized nature of the early intervention field, professionals in this area are expected to invest significantly in higher education, with requirements ranging from associate to master’s degrees and specialized licensures depending on position. Luckily, the state of New Mexico provides tuition assistance and scholarships for early childhood professionals working towards degrees in their fields.
      Apply For Early Intervention Positions In Your Community

      Career Stories

      Discover stories of real New Mexico professionals in early intervention

      Developmental Specialist Robyn Marton poses with a toddler outdoors

      Robyn Marton

      Developmental Specialist
      Clovis

      Read Robyn’s Story

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