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Thom
Mystic Valley Early Intervention Program offers
a variety of community playgroups. Specific groups
change from time to time based on family and child
needs and interests. Please call the program at
781-932-2888 or speak to your service coordinator
for up-to-date information regarding group times,
types and space availability. A number of places
in each group are reserved for children who are
not enrolled in Early Intervention. Early Intervention
professionals who may include Developmental Educators,
Speech–Language Pathologists, Occupational or Physical
Therapists, Teaching Assistants and Counselors,
provide staffing for all Mystic Valley groups. Some
groups may also be staffed in collaboration with
another community program.
Groups Currently Offered Include:
Jump,
Jiggle & Jive ™ a movement and music program for young children and
their parents or caregivers. The intent and focus
of the program is on the process of adults and children
having fun while making music together. Each session
of Jump, Jiggle & Jive™ is composed of 6 classes.
Each class is one hour long and occurs once a week.
Classes may not be held during the holidays. The
current sessions are held at the Arlington Boy’s
and Girl’s Club and are facilitated by members of
Thom Mystic Valley Early Intervention staff.
An
Adoption Group
is held at our Woburn Early Intervention site each
Thursday morning. Each session lasts for 2 hours.
The group is designed for children who have been
adopted internationally and focuses on developing
language, motor, social and play skills in a structured
play setting. Children attend with their parent
or caregiver who participates in the beginning of
the group. An optional support/inform ation sharing
parent group is offered concurrent with the child
group.
 In addition to the above, there
are currently five Community
Play Groups held at our Woburn Early Intervention Center. Each group lasts approximately
2 hours. Some groups offer a parent support/discussion
group which runs at the same time as the child group.
Parents have the option of participating in the
child group if preferred. Days and times of community
groups and parent support groups vary, but there
are available options on most days of the week.
While each group is somewhat different based on
the specific ages and needs/interests of the children
attending, there are some common threads. All the
groups offer a language rich, nurturing and safe
environment where children have the opportunity
to explore and play with their peers. Staff maintain
a consistent routine of activities including free
play, motor play, snack, circle time, pretend and
manipulative play. The high staff to child ratio,
with at least one adult to every three children,
allows staff to facilitate child to child peer interaction
and learning in all areas of development.
A
Parent Group
is offered at the same time as many of the child
playgroups at our Early Intervention site. The groups
run for 1½ hours, allowing parents time to separate
from their child in a relaxed manner and to talk
with the child group staff at the end of the playgroup.
The parent groups are safe and confidential; are
typically led by experienced EI professionals; and
provide the opportunity for parents to meet and
discuss issues which impact on themselves and their
families. Frequently discussed topics include developmental
needs of young children, medical issues, community
resources, siblings, sleep, school transitions and
the impact of children on adult relationships.
Thom
Mystic Valley Early Intervention also runs or participates
in Off Site Community Groups within
the local communities we serve. Currently, we participate
in a playgroup located at the Arlington Boys and
Girls Club, the Woburn Boys and Girls Club and St.
Thomas of Villanova Church Hall in Wilmington and additional venues are
being explored. These groups are Parent - Child
Groups, meaning that a parent or caregiver participates
in the group. The groups offer activities such as
art, music and play that enhance children’s development
in all areas. Children gain peer learning and socialization
opportunities while parents gain information about
community resources and make connections with other
parents with young children. Early Intervention
professionals are on-hand to provide guidance around
early childhood development. These groups are somewhat
less structured than the groups at the Early Intervention
site and have a lower ratio of staff to children.
Specialty
groups such as Feeding Groups, Sibling Groups or
Parent- Baby Groups are offered on an occasional
or “as needed” basis.
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