Woburn, MA | Thom Mystic Valley Early Intervention
Thom Mystic Valley 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.
10P Gill Street
Woburn, MA 01801
Communities We Serve:
- Arlington
- Wilmington
- Burlington
- Winchester
- Lexington
- Woburn
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"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.
Our Locations
Early Intervention Programs
Playgroups
Play is an important part of how children learn. Through play, children discover how things work and how to problem solve. Playing alongside each other in playgroups, children also have the opportunity to learn how to get along with others, how to express their emotions, and begin to develop new relationships.
Thom Mystic Valley Early Intervention Program offers a variety of playgroups at our site in Woburn and in a number of local area play spaces. Currently, we participate in playgroups located at the Arlington Boys and Girls Club and at Together in Motion, also in Arlington.
Each group is designed differently to meet the needs and interests of the children, but there are similarities across groups. All offer a language-rich, nurturing, safe environment where children have the opportunity to explore and play together as part of a consistent routine. Children may enjoy free play, dramatic play, exploratory art, sensory play, snack, and circle time with music and movement. Parents and caregivers have the opportunity to connect together. Our groups welcome and will be enjoyed by all children, ages birth to three years, with a caregiver. We are also happy to welcome children who are not enrolled in Early Intervention for a small fee.
Our playgroups support children by:
- Supporting each child's process of learning;
- Providing choices to build self-confidence;
- Promoting problem solving skills;
- Facilitating as children learn to negotiate and develop peer relationships;
- Providing a feeling of safety and security through consistent routines;
- Teaching self control and self regulation skills;
- Ensuring developmentally appropriate activities and expectations.
Playgroups at our Center:
▸ Baby and Me:
Mondays, 1:00-2:00 pm -- First time playgroup experience for babies and caretakers.
▸ Shakers and Movers
Mondays, 1:00-2:00 pm -- Music and play time for children and caregivers, 9 months and up.
▸ Toddler Groups
For children 24 months or older who may attend, when appropriate, without their parent or primary caregiver present
▸ Crunch Bunch
Fridays, 11:45 am-1:15 pm -- "Picky eaters" and children with feeding challenges explore different types of foods, tastes, and textures.
▸ Playtime Together
Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00 am; Mondays, 3:00-4:00 pm -- Children, staff, and caregivers play together and have fun in a semi-structured, mixed age playgroup.
▸ Floor Time
Thursdays, 9:00-10:00 am -- Children and parents learn ways to address sensory and emotional regulatory issues, joint attention, engagement, and two-way communication.
▸ Jammin' Time
Fridays, 10:00-11:00 am -- Mixed age group where learning and fun occur through music. Parents and children will sing, explore, and play different instruments.
▸ Terrific Toddlers and Talk Time
Mornings, Monday through Friday -- Children, 18 months and up, participate in a routine and explore different activities. Caregivers play with their children and may join a discussion group after playtime with their children.
Playgroups at Community Sites:
▸ Movin' Groovin' Tots
Thursdays, 9:45-10:45 am (1-2 year olds); Thursdays, 11:00 am-12:00 pm (2-3 year olds) -- Music and movement group in an open gym at Together in Motion.
▸ Parent Tot Connection
Fridays, 9:30-11:00 am -- A semi-structured playgroup for mixed ages up to 5 years with caregiver at Arlington Boys & Girls Club.
Other specialty groups are offered on a periodic basis. Regularly re-occurring specialty groups include: Children's Yoga; Infant Massage; and, Jump, Jiggle & Jive™.
Other Program Services
▸ Parent Groups
Parent groups are offered at the same time as many of the child playgroups at our Gill Street location. Parents take time to separate from their child in a relaxed manner once the children have settled in, and then have time to chat with the child group staff at the end of the playgroup. The parent groups, which are facilitated by Early Intervention professionals, provide the opportunity for parents to connect and discuss issues which impact themselves and their families. Frequently discussed topics may include developmental needs of young children, medical issues, community resources, siblings, sleep, and school transitions.
▸ Our Group Staff
All our groups are facilitated by Certified Early Intervention Specialists who support individual learning and the parent-child relationship. Our developmental specialists, speech-language pathologists, music therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, expressive therapists, behavior specialists, and teaching assistants are ready to answer your questions and to provide guidance and support.
Latest News From Our Office
Thom Charles River Community Collaboration
We’re excited to share that some of our early intervention staff recently attended the Early Childhood Resource Fair & Family Concert in Waltham! This event was […]Expanding Our Leadership Team at Thom Marlboro
Thom Marlboro Area Early Intervention is pleased to announce three new Assistant Team Leaders. This new position was developed to expand the leadership at our program […]Thom Anne Sullivan Center Staffing Updates
Alyssa Nagy, Program Operations Manager We are thrilled to welcome Alyssa Nagy as the new Program Operations Manager at the Thom Anne Sullivan Center (ASC) in […]
Meet Our Staff
Thom Mystic Valley Early Intervention
Thom Mystic Valley 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 Mystic Valley employs 60 full and part-time staff members: teachers, nurses, social workers and therapists, several of whom are fluent in Spanish, Hebrew, Russian, Portuguese, French, Cantonese and Sign Language.
Meet some of our dedicated staff:
Kristen, our Billing and Data Manager, has a degree in Business Administration from Salem State College. She brings her substantial experience working in a wide range of settings, to her job with Thom Mystic Valley. Kristin is easy to talk to and happy to answer your questions about insurance and/or billing issues.
Margaret has over 20 years of experience as a Physical Therapist, 15 of which are with Thom Mystic Valley EI. Margaret has such a range of experience and education that she always seems to have something in her bag of tricks, no matter who she is working with. She focuses on all aspects of the young child’s movement and motor skills. Margaret is a Certified Early Intervention Specialist.
Colleen, a Physical Therapist, started her work career in Early Intervention. She then worked in a rehabilitation setting for a number of years, gaining invaluable experience but found that she missed working with very young children and their families. Armed with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, Colleen has returned to her “roots” in Early Intervention and joined the Thom Mystic Valley staff. We are delighted to have her as part of the team!
Diane is a Developmental Specialist who has a particular interest in working with children who have PDD or autism. She combines her experience in Early Intervention with a strong background and many years experience working with specialty service programs for children and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Diane very much enjoys her Early Intervention work supporting children’s growth in all areas of development.
Our Specialists
- Early Childhood Educators
- Assistant Teachers
- Speech & Language Pathologists
- Counselors
- Social Workers
- Nurses
- Physical Therapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Music Therapists