Ummeed’s Early Intervention Centre (EIC) is a specialized program for some of our youngest patients – children between the ages of 2 and 5.

We set up the EIC when we realized that many of these children were unable to gain entry into regular playschools and were therefore missing out on the ‘early intervention’ that is so crucial for children with special needs.

At Ummeed’s EIC, we stimulate all-round development and help prepare our young participants enter regular or special school. Through play, song, stories and snacks (of course!), each child learns and grows according to his/her own ability. This child-centered, play-way philosophy is at the heart of all the EIC’s activities.

Parents who accompany their children to the EIC are able to learn activities that can be done at home. More importantly, they benefit from the mutual support of others who are struggling with the same issues as themselves. Parents tell us this social support has proven to be incredibly valuable to them.

In addition to serving the children that are enrolled, the EIC also seeks to be a ‘model preschool’ for children with special needs. Run by preschool teachers with no formal training in special education, the EIC proves that educating children with special needs is well within the capability of any teacher with the right attitude. The EIC teachers now visit several city preschools to help train teachers how to include children with special needs in their classrooms. Teachers who are interested in learning their methods are given an opportunity to observe and learn.

When the EIC began, there were just 4 children enrolled. Today it has grown to full capacity, and the long waiting list plainly demonstrates the crying need for early childhood centers for children with special needs in India.