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Pause and Reflect Book Series

Oct 15, 2025 12:45 pm
This is a resource page for the professional development opportunity from EITP titled "Enhancing Early Intervention Partnerships and Practices: A Book Study of Pause and Reflect by Dana Childress".
Event Description
Participants in this reflective book study will explore practical and relational strategies to build strong partnerships with families and teams to improve practice and support meaningful changes that align with the mission of Early Intervention. Participants will examine how to communicate the purpose of Early Intervention, review the coaching approach, and learn how to use joint planning to address family-identified priorities within daily routines in natural learning environments.
Discussions will focus on supporting the “EI triad”, the child, the caregiver, and the provider, by gathering meaningful information, engaging all participants of the EI triad, and sharing expertise that honors each family’s individualized priorities and culture with a strengths-based approach. Adult learning principles will be explored as a foundation for effective caregiver coaching and implementation of balanced intervention strategies to empower families.
Reflective discussions will encourage practitioners to connect new learning to current experiences, deepen self-awareness, and promote integration into practice. The goal is to strengthen high-quality service leading to positive, lasting outcomes for children and families while fostering resilience and professional growth.
You will receive a copy of the book “Pause and Reflect: Your Guide to a Deeper Understanding of Early Intervention Practice” by Dana Childress
Participation Requirements
Participation in this professional development opportunity is limited to Intermediate-level Early Intervention providers in Illinois who currently maintain an active Early Intervention caseload. This requirement ensures that participants are prepared to engage with the content and apply the concepts directly to their practice. Prior awareness of the following:
Illinois Principles of Early Intervention
Mission of Early Intervention
DEC Recommended Practices
Basic understanding of the coaching approach.
Must be an early intervention provider actively supporting Illinois families.
Objectives
Implement family-centered practices that align with the mission of Early Intervention by using a strengths-based approach to embed learning opportunities into everyday routines and empower caregivers.
Intentionally plan and conduct visits focusing on the EI triad, applying balanced intervention strategies and coaching methods grounded in adult-learning principles in natural learning opportunities.
Gather and use meaningful information through respectful, reciprocal, and reflective conversations that strengthen caregiver confidence and support family-identified outcomes.
Apply strategies for professional resilience by managing workload, reducing stress, and engaging in ongoing reflective practice to sustain learning and growth
Engage in guided reflection and discussion to deepen self-awareness by identifying your own personality traits, thought patterns, and priorities, to gain insights into how these personal factors influence your professional practice and interactions with others.
Sessions Schedule
1. Thursday, October 2, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
2. Thursday, October 16, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
3. Monday, October 29, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
4. Wednesday, November 12, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
5. Tuesday, November 25, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
6. Tuesday, December 9, 2025 from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Resources
- Principles of Early Intervention
- Illinois EI Principles (pdf, revised January 2021)
- Agreed Upon Mission and Key Principles for Providing Early Intervention Services in Natural Environments (pdf)
- DEC Recommended Practices
- A Quick Overview of DEC Recommended Practices (pdf)
Understanding of the Coaching Approach
- Coaching Characteristics (pdf)
- Coaching Plan (pdf form)
- The Coaching Partnership: 6 Characteristics for Building Relationships with Families (pdf)
- Tips for Joint Planning with Families (pdf)
- Partnering with Families during Live Video Visits (Telehealth) (pdf) - the first page can be used as a visual list of reminders
- 6 EI Adult Learning Principles (pdf) from Brookes Publishing
- 5 Tips for Building a Reciprocal Relationship with Parents of Young Children from Brookes Publishing
- A Journey through EI - Partnering with Professionals (pdf)
- Coaching Families through Early Intervention - Service Coordination Strategies (pdf)
Self Assessments
Reflective Questions
Some or all of these reflective questions may be asked during the session. In order to help prepare for the discussion, please review and reflect on the following for each chapter:
- Reflective Questions - Chapter 1 (pdf)
- Reflective Questions - Chapter 2 (pdf)
- Reflective Questions - Chapter 3 (pdf)
- Reflective Questions - Chapter 4 (pdf)
- Reflective Questions - Chapter 5 (pdf)
- Reflective Questions - Chapter 6 (pdf)
Reflective Journal
We encourage you to use these reflective journals as you read the chapter before each session.
- Reflective Journal for Chapter 1 (pdf form)
- Reflective Journal for Chapter 2 (pdf form)
- Reflective Journal for Chapter 3 (pdf form)
- Reflective Journal for Chapter 4 (pdf form)
- Reflective Journal for Chapter 5 (pdf form)
- Reflective Journal for Chapter 6 (pdf form)
Participant Materials
The following materials can help support your learning throughout the series.
Session 1:
- Community Guidelines & Commitments (pdf)
- Reflect and Share Slide (pdf form)
- DEC Recommended Practices - Family Practices (pdf)
- Free Personality Test from 16Personalities
- Personality Activity (pdf)
- Before Session 2:
  - Read Chapter 2
  - (Optional) Complete Reflective Journal for Chapter 2 (pdf form)
Session 2:
- Everyday Routines, Activities, and Places resources from FGRBI
  - FGRBI Routine Categories - also in Spanish
  - FGRBI Routine Categories Examples also in Spanish
- Breadth of 3 Child Outcomes (pdf) from ECTA Center - also in Spanish
- Coaching Partnership (pdf)
- Breakout Groups: Intervention Activity (pdf form)
- Before Session 3:
  - Read Chapter 3
  - (Optional) Complete Reflective Journal for Chapter 3 (pdf form)
Session 3:
- 6 EI Adult Learning Principles (pdf) from Brookes Publishing
- Breakout Groups: Adult Learning Activity (pdf form)
- Videos:
  - Early Intervention: Family-Centered Best Practices from NYC Health (session only uses a clip from 3:12-5:12 mark)
  - Early Intervention: A Routines-Based Approach: Part 3 – Changing the Mindset from VEIPD Videos (session only uses a clip from 0:43-3:00 mark)
- Before Session 4:
  - Read Chapter 4
  - Complete the following self-assessments:
    - Gathering Information for Families about Development (pdf)
    - Gathering, Sharing, and Using Information for IFSP Development (pdf)
  - (Optional) Complete Reflective Journal for Chapter 4 (pdf form)
Session 4:
- FGRBI Routine Categories (also in Spanish) from Everyday Routines, Activities, and Places resources from FGRBI
- Gathering and Giving Information During Home Visiting (pdf) from Caregiver Coaching resources from FGRBI
- Before Session 5:
  - Read Chapter 5
  - Complete the self-assessment: Balanced Intervention Strategies (pdf)
  - (Optional) Complete Reflective Journal for Chapter 5 (pdf form)
Session 5:
- Building Routines - Blank (also in Spanish) from Everyday Routines, Activities, and Places resources from FGRBI
  - A fillable form version of "Building Routines-Blank" in English (pdf) and Spanish (pdf)
- Strategies for Implementing Balanced Intervention Visits (pdf)
- Video: What We Love about EI
- Before Session 6:
  - Read Chapter 6
  - Complete the self-assessment: Taking Care of Yourself and Managing Your Workload (pdf)
  - (Optional) Complete Reflective Journal for Chapter 6 (pdf form)
Session 6:
- Strategies for Taking Care of Yourself (pdf form)
- Calm the Chaos Resources (pdf)
- EITP offers a monthly Self-Care Café: A Mindfulness and Self-Care Check In session that you can register for at our EITP Events page (May 2023 and June 2023 sessions are open for registration now!)
- Being Mindful (EITP Announcement, May 2020)
- Being Mindful in a Busy World (pdf) (Allen and Burcham, 2014, University of Illinois Extension)
- Self-Care Action Plan (pdf) (VEIPD)
- Self-Care Reminders (pdf)
- Self-Care Reminders Screensaver/Background Image
- Service Coordinator-Specific Resources:
  - Taking Care of You! module (runtime 12 minutes) from SC Online
  - Taking Care of Yourself resources from SC resource page
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