Located at 4212 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, the Family Support Services’ Penn Early Childhood Program serves three-to-five year-old children with at least a 25% developmental delay. Our teachers and therapists work as a team to provide special education, and speech, occupational and physical therapy to young children in preschool, Head Start, daycare and home settings.

Children’s families have access to an on-staff social worker to assist them with a variety of issues, or needs, that impact their child’s development. Our services are guided by an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), which is developed independently for each child.

FSS also runs a monthly parent education program for the parents of preschool children with significant development delays. Funding for the lectures, workshops and presentations is provided by The van Ameringen Foundation. Classes take place at the Fairmount Early Intervention Center in the evenings.

Each child’s IEP is derived from needs assessed through a child’s evaluation report (ER) and team input. Goals and strategies are articulated in the IEP to meet the child’s educational and therapeutic needs.

Contact - The Penn Early Childhood Program can be contacted at 215-382-3171 (phone), 215-382-3176 (fax). Mail us at 4212 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104. Email us at pennteam@fssinc.org.

Enrollment - All children are referred through Elwyn’s Service Coordination (SEEDS). Penn serves children who reside in the Philadelphia area codes of 19104, 19142, and 19143.

To refer your child for a developmental multi-disciplinary evaluation (MDE), please call Elwyn’s Intake Department at 215-222-8054. If your child attends a Head Start Program, please discuss your child’s need for a referral with his or her classroom teacher.

Preschool and Daycare listings - We suggest that families searching for a developmentally appropriate preschool/daycare setting for their child consult Childcare Information Services (CCIS) at1-888-491-KIDS for an appropriate referral. The web address is www.childcarelink.gov.sg.