1. Serving Hillsborough and Polk Counties
Bay Area Early Steps
Serving Hillsborough and Polk Counties

2. Structure Division of General Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
Morsani College of Medicine
University of South Florida
Two offices- Tampa (USF campus) and Lakeland (State building)
Co-located with the local CMS office and pediatric specialty clinics

3. Structure 32 Service Coordinators on 6 teams- geographically assigned
10 internal providers
Evaluations, interventions, consultations and training
PT- 2; OT- 1; ST- 4; EI/ ITDS- 3
1 internal Interpreter for SCs, evaluations, IFSP meetings and interventions
12 support staff- referrals, scheduling, claims, data entry and medical records
Family Resource Specialists located in each office

4. Video of Mom Nicki, pictured in the middle

5. Demographics & Eligibility
Referrals
Monthly average this year
Hillsborough 76%, Polk 24%
Most common- communication, gross motor, extreme prematurity
Average age at referral months
Eligibility
Not Eligible monthly average- 28% (30% last FY)

6. Demographics & Eligibility
Active childcount
Average per month (increase over last year avg of 1965)
Average age at closure (increase over last year)
With IFSP months
Without IFSP months

7. What Did Early Intervention Mean to Me?
“It is with a firm belief, based on personal experiences, that I can say that the Bay Area Early Steps Program is invaluable. I consider my son’s and daughter’s success stories as proof of what early intervention can achieve. Two children, two entirely different set of needs, have been nurtured, taught, and encouraged. The scope of services offered, and model of Early Steps is intended for whole family growth and development , not just the children. This is so crucial, for we do not walk this path alone. While our journey is not over, and our trials change (almost daily), I know we are in a better place because of the early intervention received in those first, monumental years.”
BAES The Family Cafe
Raquel, pictured on the right,
mother to David, 4 & Elena, 2

8. Direct Services Internal provider team
24 direct service agency agreements
PT- 16; OT- 28; ST- 70; EI/ ITDS- 99
5 Interpreter individual/ agency agreements
Hillsborough Schools- audiological services and itinerant teachers for visually- and hearing- impaired children
Provider assignment process
Average15,000 individual claims processed per month

10. Strengths
Integrated medical care- NICU clinic, pediatric specialists, USF Health EMR
Co-located with CMS
Natural environments mandatory requirements for agencies (96% compliance)
High Medicaid rate (75%) preserves Part C dollars; challenges can be associated with this due to family needs
Maximize third party payors for direct services
Community partnerships and collaborations

11. Community Collaboration
Monthly birth to five, multidisciplinary developmental screening with Early Steps intakes completed onsite (both counties)
Children’s Board of Hillsborough County
Family Resource Centers (6)
All funded programs complete ASQs and refer to Early Steps
ASO dollars
Early Childhood Council of Hillsborough
Infant Mental Health initiatives
Early Childhood Court
Hillsborough Community Alliance Collaborative (children in dependency care)

12. Community Collaboration
Hillsborough High Quality Early Education for Dependent Youth Collaboration (resource links attached)
Healthy Start Nurse Family Partnership collaborations/ MIECHV (both counties)
Smart Start
Polk STEPS meeting
Lakeland Family Fundamentals
RCMA intakes and evaluations onsite to meet families’ needs

13. FRS Caregiver Workshops
Advocacy
Q1 July -Sept

14. FRS Caregiver Workshops
Baby Bulls Go to the Park
Q2 & Q3 Oct-Dec/ Jan -Mar

15. FRS Caregiver Workshops
Social Emotional Learning
Q4 Apr-Jun

16. Team Work

17. Challenges Referral and Caseload increases
13% referral increase from FY1516 to 1617
PT and OT provider shortages
Provider availability in remote and core urban areas- both have unique needs
Unknown At Risk eligibility criteria impact
Claims submissions increases due to more children served
Medicaid MMAs (avg 75-78% eligibility rate)

18. Contact Information
(813) or (866)
Carol Lilly, MD- Medical Director,
Emily Shaffer, PhD- NCSP- Program Director,
Annalise Campisi, MS- Assistant Program Director,
Brenda Ham- Program Administrator,
Alex DeMolina- Family Resource Specialist,
Evelyn Figueroa- Family Resource Specialist,

19. Rocky the Bull
supports
Early Steps!

20. Handout links from the Center for Child Welfare