Early childhood intervention
New videos and online ordering

In recent months, Early Childhood Intervention has launched two new ways for families, professionals, community supporters, and stakeholders to access ECI resources. These are ECI videos and the ECI Materials Online Ordering System.

These resources have come in response to today’s world of the Internet and the increased use of technology. ECI will continue to make resources and information available online.

ECI videos
In July 2011, we debuted two videos, “About Texas ECI” and “Texas ECI: Family to Family.” These videos were produced to help educate and inform families and professionals about ECI’s unique service delivery system. These videos:
Explain who we are and what we do.
Help demonstrate to families, early care and education professionals, health care providers, and the community the importance of family participation and how ECI and families work as a team.
Provide an overview of ECI services and processes.

The videos are viewed through YouTube and can be accessed via laptops, smart phones, and other devices. Accessibility features include closed captioning and online transcripts in English and Spanish.

To view the new videos, go to the ECI Web page, www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis, and select the “ECI Videos” tab in the right-hand column. Below is a summary of each video:

The “About Texas ECI” video provides a brief overview of our services and explains how ECI partners with families to support their child’s development. In this video you will hear how our professionals work with parents to meet a child’s needs. You will learn about the enrollment process, where services are provided, how services are paid for, and other ways that ECI provides value to the children and families.

The “Texas ECI: Family to Family” video is for families that have been or may be referred and would like to learn more about ECI services. Families talk about their experiences with the program and how they and their children benefited from ECI – not just on the day of service, but every day as they apply the lessons learned from our professionals. You will hear how important the parent and caregiver are to a child’s success and how ECI staff will work together with the parent or caregiver to help the child.

ECI materials online
ECI has designed an online ordering system to be a one-stop inquiry and order entry point for anyone interested in obtaining our informational and educational materials. This system is a user-friendly search tool that allows you to locate your desired publication(s) and place your order quickly and efficiently.

ECI currently offers many publications and materials for parents, caregivers, professionals, and community supporters. Many of our brochures are available in English and Spanish.

To become familiar with the ECI publications and materials, visit www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/publications/index.shtml.

If you’re interested in placing an order, visit www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/materials.shtml.

You can also contact Pam McCroskery, information specialist, at pam.mccroskery@dars.state.tx.us.

Resource page launches Sept. 1
ECI will launch the ECI Internet Resources Page, which will include a wide array of resources and information, on Sept. 1, 2011.