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Children's Medical Services - Special services for children with special needs
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Florida Resources and Experts


The ARC of Florida, Inc. - resources for parents of children with disabilities.
Website: www.arcflorida.org
Phone: (800) 226-1155

Bright Expectations - provides resources and information on developmental disabilities for pregnant women, health care providers, parents and families.
Website: https://www.floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services/people-with-disabilities/bright-expectations/index.html
Phone: (850) 245-4465

Bureau of Exceptional Education & Student Services (BEESS) - administers programs for students with disabilities and for gifted students
Website: www.fldoe.org/ese
Phone: (850) 245-0475

Children’s Forum - provides programs, special projects, events and publications for families, providers and communities.
Website: http://www.flchild.com/
Phone: (888) FL-CHILD (352-4453)

Disability Rights Florida - protection and advocacy system for the State of Florida with mission to advance the quality of life, dignity, equality, self-determination, and freedom of choice of persons with disabilities.
Website: www.disabilityrightsflorida.org
Phone: (800) 342-0823
TDD: 1-(800) 346-4127

Easter Seals Florida - offers a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life's challenges and achieve personal goals. 520 N. Semoran Blvd. Suite 280, Orlando, Florida 32807
Website: http://www.easterseals.com/florida/
Phone: (407) 306-9766
Fax: (407) 629-4754

The Family Café, Inc. - brings together individuals with disabilities and their families with state agencies, non-profit organizations and other service providers for networking opportunities
Website: http://www.familycafe.net
Phone: (888) 309-CAFÉ (2233)

Florida Association for Infant Mental Health - focused on prevention, identification and treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders in children birth to age 5
Website: http://faimh.org/

Florida Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (FLASHA)- serves the needs of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists in the State of Florida
Website: http://flasha.site-ym.com/
Phone: (800) 243-3574
Email: info@flasha.org

Florida Child Care Resource and Referral - Provides access to affordable, quality early learning services for the state's children and families
Website: http://www.floridaearlylearning.com
Phone: 1-(866) FLREADY (357-3239)

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council, Inc. - advocates and promotes meaningful participation in all aspects of life for Floridians with developmental disabilities
Website: www.fddc.org
Phone: (800) 580-7801

Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS)- provides diagnostic, instructional, and technology support services to district exceptional education programs and families of students with disabilities
Website: http://www.fdlrs.org/
Phone: (386) 312-2265

Florida Head Start - provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to children from low-income families
Website: http://www.floridaheadstart.org/

Florida Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers (FICCIT) - authorized by Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to advise and assist public and private agencies in implementing a statewide system of early intervention services
Website: http://www.floridaicc.com
Email: FICCIT@flhealth.gov

Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA) - supports, develops and represents the occupational therapy profession for the advancement of the practice and to better serve the consumer
Website: www.flota.org

Florida Physical Therapy Association - serves the needs of physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and physical therapy students in the State of Florida
Website: www.fpta.org
Phone: (850) 222-1243

Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) - a fully accredited state public school and outreach center available tuition-free to eligible Pre-K and K-12 deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired students, including meals, boarding, transportation and other services.
Address: 207 N. San Marco Avenue - St. Augustine, FL 32084
Website: http://www.fsdb.k12.fl.us/
Phone: (800) 344-3732

Help Me Grow Florida - designed to address the need for early identification of developmental and/or behavioral concerns, and then to link children and their families to community-based developmental and behavioral services and supports.
Website: www.helpmegrowfl.org/
Phone: 2-1-1 or (850) 617-6333
TDD: (888) 488-8633

March of Dimes/Florida Chapter - programs and services in communities across Florida, we promote healthy pregnancies and babies
Website: www.marchofdimes.org/florida/
Phone: (212) 353-8353

Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired - Provides support and resources to children who are blind or visually impaired and their families
Website: www.miamilighthouse.org
Phone: (305) 856-2288



We hope the information provided is helpful to you. Send any questions or requests to be added to the directory to: EarlyStepsDirectory@flhealth.gov

Also available is a Print Version of the Early Steps Directory.

For more information call (800) 218-0001