Birth to 3 Years Old

  • The first three years of life are very important in the development of a child. Although LISD does not offer early childhood services to infants and toddlers except for those qualifying with vision or hearing impairments, through loving care and the provision of basic needs, parents lay the foundation for their children’s later learning. The following resources aim to equip parents with information to assist in the preparation of their child's future education.

    Every child needs:

    • Love
    • Sleep
    • Exercise
    • Healthy and nutritional food
    • Medical care, including immunizations
    • Regular doctor visits for check-ups

    Developmental Milestones and Early Childhood Intervention Services of Texas (ECI)

    Developmental milestones provide information to parents about the approximate age that children, on average, can do certain things. Additional Children's Developmental Resources can be found HERE and Infant and Toddler Developmental checklists can be found HERE.

    While it is important to recognize that every child develops at his or her own rate, if your child is significantly delayed in developing skills as compared to these milestones, contact your health care provider or Early Childhood Intervention Services of Texas (ECI).

    ECI helps babies and toddlers with disabilities or delays in their development. ECI supports families through education and family services to help their children reach their potential. Services are provided in-home and community settings and help children learn basic skills as part of their families’ daily routines.

    Services for children could include:

    • Screening & assessments, including hearing & vision
    • Physical, occupational, speech & language therapy
    • Activities to develop learning and eating skills
    • Activities to help social & emotional development
    • Nutritional services

    Services for families could include:

    • Education & counseling
    • Coordination of needed social-health services
    • Access to support group

    All screenings and evaluations are provided at no cost to families. All other services are provided on a sliding-fee scale. No family is ever turned away due to an inability to pay.

    Resources: 

    Reading to Your Child

    Research shows that reading aloud is the best way to prepare children for learning to read. Reading helps your children develop language skills that they will use in school and throughout their lives. Through books, your children can learn about a world they have not yet experienced and dream about worlds that do not exist.

    Reading together is also a time to develop a close relationship with your child. You can laugh together at the silly sounds or antics in a story. You can share the anticipation by talking about what you think might happen on the next page. Having fond memories of reading together will be special to both you and your child as the years go by.

    • Picture books are favorites of young children as the illustrations help them make sense of what they are hearing.
    • They also enjoy rhyming poetry and stories with repetitive lines.
    • Children enjoy predicting what will happen next.
    • They will let you know which ones they like as they ask to hear the same story over and over again. Hearing a story repeatedly helps children understand and appreciate the basic structure of stories so they can apply it to future tales encountered.
    • Ask your child questions and comment on his/her responses. In that way, you'll learn more about what your child is thinking and extend the joy of reading time together!

    Resources: