Lowell, MA | Thom Anne Sullivan Center

Thom Anne Sullivan Center is committed to providing high quality, comprehensive, and family-centered early intervention services to infants, toddlers, their families, and others in the community who care for them. Our nurses, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, mental health counselors, educators, and other specialists are passionate about supporting families and young children. If you have a concern regarding your child’s development, please contact us.


126 Phoenix Avenue
Lowell, MA 01852

Pam Wolfe, Director
Phone: (978) 453-8331
Fax: (978) 453-9254
Hours: 8:00 - 4:00

Communities We Serve:


Check to see if we serve your area:

early intervention program in lowell, massachusetts

"I went from feeling powerless by the circumstances under which my child was born, to feeling powerful by the knowledge of how to specifically help my son.”


Services We Provide

Early Intervention

Early Intervention (EI) in Massachusetts is a statewide, family-centered, developmental service. Thom Child & Family Services offers the earliest possible intervention and support for children birth to three years old and their families. Children can be eligible based upon developmental delays, identified disabilities, or certain birth or environmental circumstances that can put development at risk. Early Intervention services are provided in a child’s natural environment. Regular visits with Early Intervention providers can occur at home, at childcare, and in other community settings.



Pregnancy & Newborn Support

Thom Child & Family Services offers free home visits to pregnant women, new mothers and their infants who live in the Greater Lowell area.


Welcome Family

Welcome Family is a free, voluntary program for mothers and their newborn babies. This is a universal program available to all mothers and newborns who reside in the Greater Lowell area or gave birth at Lowell General Hospital. Welcome Family provides mothers with a one-time nurse home visit, valuable community information and a Welcome Family gift bag.

Early Intervention Programs

Anne Sullivan Center Groups offer developmentally appropriate activities for infants and toddlers. Groups also offer parent to parent support and opportunities for parents to consult with Early Intervention staff regarding their child’s development. Groups meet one time per week. Most groups are attended by a parent or caregiver and child, some are attended by the child or parent(s) only, while others include typically developing peers. The Anne Sullivan Early Intervention Program currently offers the following groups:

▸Parent/Infant Groups

Planned for children who are younger than 18 months and their parent or primary caregiver

▸ Parent/Toddler Groups

Designed for children who are older than 18 months and their parent or primary caregiver

▸ Toddler Groups

For children 24 months or older who may attend, when appropriate, without their parent or primary caregiver present

▸ Parent Support Groups

Held during the day while toddlers attend playgroup (The Anne Sullivan Center also offers evening, parent only groups for support and education.)

Specialty Groups include:

  • Jump, Jiggle and Jive™ and Kindermusik™, movement and music based groups for parents and children.
  • Toddler Groups in child care settings.

Pregnancy & Newborn Support

Thom Anne Sullivan Center’s Early Intervention Partnerships Pregnancy and Newborn Support Program offers free home visits to pregnant women, new mothers and their infants who live in the Greater Lowell area of Massachusetts.

Thom Pregnancy and Newborn Support Programs provide home visits that focus on helping pregnant women access prenatal care and engage in healthy behaviors. After the baby is born, Thom Pregnancy and Newborn Support Programs help new parents to do what's best for their babies' optimal growth and development through the first year. Home visits can help with:

  • Prenatal advice and support
  • Breastfeeding information and support
  • Health and parenting education
  • Questions about child development
  • Referrals for help with housing, health, education economic and/or community support
Lindsay Brainerd, Program Coordinator
Phone: (978) 453-8331 x1102
Fax: (978) 453-9254
Hours: 8:00 - 4:00

126 Phoenix Avenue
Lowell, MA 01852

The Pregnancy and Newborn Support Program can provide services to women and their families when:
  • Mother is less than 20 years old and has 2 children (including current pregnancy) OR less than 22 years old and has 3 children (including current pregnancy)
  • There is violence in the home
  • There was a previous poor birth outcome including premature birth
  • There has been inadequate prenatal care
  • Mother is homeless or housing is unstable
  • There is a history of maternal depression
  • There is a history of using substances that pose a danger for the unborn child including alcohol and tobacco

Welcome Family

Welcome Family is a free, voluntary program for mothers and their newborn babies. This is a universal program available to all mothers and newborns who reside in the Greater Lowell area or gave birth at Lowell General Hospital. Welcome Family provides mothers with a one-time nurse home visit, valuable community information and a Welcome Family gift bag.

The Welcome Family program is a free, voluntary program funded by a grant from the Department of Public Health for mothers and their newborn babies. This is a universal program available to all new mothers and babies who reside in Lowell and/or all Massachusetts mothers who give birth at Lowell General Hospital. All mothers with newborns (custodial, noncustodial, foster, and adoptive) giving birth or residing in Lowell are eligible. The Welcome Family program provides a one time home visit by a Thom Anne Sullivan Center maternal child health nurse and a follow-up phone call after the visit.

The visit will be provided up to 8 weeks after your hospital discharge. After a referral is received, you will be contacted by our Welcome Family staff to schedule your visit during a time that is convenient for you and your family. A variety of topics will be discussed during the visit by completing a family health assessment to help our staff learn about you and your new baby. The health assessment includes newborn weight, breastfeeding, and maternal health. There will also be ample time for discussion between the mother and the Welcome Family nurse. A Welcome Family gift bag will be provided at each visit.

The goal of this program is to provide support and assistance to promote the health and well-being of the mother and newborn. We are able to assist families with accessing community resources when needed and to provide information about available resources. Our program can make referrals to appropriate community agencies as requested by families. Welcome Family home visits provide new mothers an opportunity to ask questions, receive answers, and gain access to a wide variety of community resources all within the comfort of their own surroundings.

Referrals to this program can be made by Lowell General Hospital staff, community agencies, and families.

126 Phoenix Avenue
Lowell, MA 01852

Diana Pacheco
Program Coordinator

Phone: (978) 453-8331 x1140
Fax: (978) 453-9254
Hours: 8:00 - 4:00

Other Program Services

Other Program Services

  • Autism Services
  • Community Developmental Screenings
  • Behavioral Consultation and Evaluation
  • Consultation and Technical Assistance to Child Care Providers
  • Parent Resource Library
  • Parent Advisory Council
  • Accident and Injury Prevention, made possible through generous funding from the Cummings Foundation. Learn more about the Cummings Foundation.

Workshops for parents and other members of the community include:

  • Red Flags - Identifying Developmental Concerns
  • Sign Language
  • Behavior
  • Turning Three (Transitioning from Early Intervention)
  • Sensory Integration
  • Language Development
  • The Value of Play
  • Augmentative Communication

Collaboration and Linkages with:

  • Lowell Family Foundation Network
  • Lowell Family Literacy Center
  • Lowell, Greater Lowell and Westford Community Partnerships
  • MSPCC Healthy Families

Latest News From Our Office

Meet Our Staff

Thom Anne Sullivan Center Early Intervention

Thom Anne Sullivan Center Early Intervention is in the business of helping children and their families achieve their goals. We recognize that our success depends on the skills and experience of the people who work for us. Thom Anne Sullivan Center employs over 100 full and part-time staff members: teachers, nurses, social workers and therapists. Many are fluent in languages other than English including: Spanish, Portuguese, Khmer, Hindi, Vietnamese, Korean, Lao, Mandarin, Cantonese and Sign Language.

Meet some of our dedicated staff:

Suzanne is a team leader and speech language pathologist with 27 years experience in early intervention. Her previous work experience was with the Haverhill and Georgetown Public School systems. Suzanne has a special interest in working with the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Alison is a developmental specialist and certified early intervention specialist who has been with Thom Anne Sullivan Center for 7 years, and worked previously with Building Blocks for 5 years. Alison has a special interest in autism, using social stories and visual supports with children. She is also interested in talking with families about the autism diagnosis, difficult subjects and difficult behaviors. She is our resident "Mother Goose", in costume reading stories to the children at every Family Night. Alison especially loves working in parent/child play groups.

Cindy is a physical therapist with 18 years experience in early intervention. Her previous work included subacute rehabilitation, outpatient pediatrics, and employment in a public school system. Her special interests within early intervention consist of working with children with complex medical needs, adaptive equipment needs, neuromotor delays, and prematurity.

Carole Ann is a speech language pathologist, a certified early intervention specialist, and an assistant team leader with 5 years experience in early intervention. Her special interests are apraxia of speech, autism, and visual support systems.

Lindsay is a developmental specialist, a certified early intervention specialist, a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), and this past year she became the Outreach Coordinator for the Thom Anne Sullivan Center. She has more than 8 years experience in early intervention and has been at Thom Anne Sullivan Center for 6 years. Her past work experience includes two internships in early intervention, one of which was at Franciscan Children's Hospital, being a private nanny for infant twins, and being an infant/toddler teacher. Her special interests include car seat safety, language development, oral restrictions, breastfeeding support, infant development, and supporting families in need. Lindsay created and maintains a "donation station" in her basement where she collects children's clothing, toys, and baby items, and distributes them to families and coworkers as needed.