Support Close at Hand: How the Early Intervention Service Works in the Odesa Region and Who Is Eligible for It

Caring about a child’s development and worrying about them from time to time is completely natural for parents and caregivers. If you suspect that your child isn’t developing the same way as their peers, the best course of action is to consult specialists right away. A timely response to developmental delays or the risk of such delays provides the family with the necessary support and gives the child a better chance to reach their full potential and lead a fulfilling life. This is precisely the role that early intervention services play in Ukraine.

What Is Early Intervention and Who Needs It

It is a completely free service for families raising children from birth to age 4 who have developmental disabilities or are at risk of developing them.

When it comes to risks, these refer to circumstances that could affect the child’s future. Medical factors include premature birth, low birth weight, complications during pregnancy or childbirth, and serious illnesses in the first months of life. Social and psycho-emotional factors are no less important: shelling, prolonged separation from a parent, the loss of loved ones, a sudden change of residence, and other severe sources of stress. In addition, the parents’ own severe emotional exhaustion and lack of resources pose a risk, as these factors prevent them from fully supporting their child’s development.

Experts advise not to delay, as the period up to age four is when a child’s brain is most malleable, and any intervention is most effective. This service helps the child develop on schedule and prevents secondary issues such as behavioral difficulties or social isolation. Moreover, it involves comprehensive work with the entire family: parents receive tools to manage stress and learn how to support their child’s development during everyday activities.

How to Spot Warning Signs Early

If a child does not respond to sounds or their name, avoids eye contact, does not babble, or generally lags behind their peers in development, parents can conduct an initial assessment on their own. The special “Red Flags” checklist, available on UNICEF’s official website, can help with this. The “My Little One” mobile app, created by the early intervention team, will also be useful. For a thorough and comprehensive assessment, it’s best to consult a pediatrician or specialists at a local inclusive resource center.

How the teams work and where the meetings take place

Each family is supported by a professional team with a flexible composition. A psychologist is typically a mandatory part of the team, while a speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, or social worker is brought in depending on the child’s individual needs.

The process begins with a detailed developmental assessment, after which the specialists work with the parents to develop an individualized plan. This document determines the format of the ongoing work. Sessions are scheduled around the family’s schedule (usually once a week) and include both work with the child and psychological support for the parents. The program covers all areas: motor skills, thinking, language comprehension, emotional self-regulation, and self-care skills (dressing, hygiene, eating). If necessary, the child is referred for additional medical evaluations.

The main principle of the service is to provide a comfortable and natural environment for the child. Most often, specialists visit the family at home to integrate learning and developmental exercises into the child’s daily routine.

Additional Resources for Families

In addition to early intervention, families can count on other types of assistance. The “Municipal Nanny” program is available, under which the government pays a fixed amount to partially or fully cover nanny services. There are also daycare services, social support, and free transportation for people with limited mobility.

Psychological support and special training courses for parents are available at Resilience Centers opening in communities. If the needed service is not available in the community, parents can submit a request through the dity.gov.ua portal.

Where to Turn in the Odesa Region

You do not need to wait for a medical referral to receive these services; simply contact the providers directly. In the Odesa region, early intervention teams can be reached at the following contacts:

• Odesa: Municipal Institution “Regional Center for Methodological Work and Social Benefits,” Early Intervention Methodological Center branch. Tel: +380662358797 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
• Odesa: Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “DMP No. 6” of the Odesa City Council; contact person—Kateryna Husak. Tel: +380993057328 (9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.).
• Odessa: Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “DMP No. 2” of the Odessa City Council, contact person—Olga Fedoryak. Tel: +380971932934 (9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.).
• Odessa: Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “DMP No. 5” of the Odessa City Council, contact person—Kateryna Sokolova. Tel: +380631803043 (8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.).
• Odessa: Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “Academician B.Y. Reznik Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center” of the Odessa City Council; contact person: Tetiana Cherkasova. Phone: +380932762795 (Mon, Wed, Thu, 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.).
• Odessa: NGO “Healthy Society,” contact person—Oleksiy. Phone: +380634260391 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
• Odesa: NGO “Vita Sana,” contact person—Olga Kovalenko. Phone: +380951972633 (9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
• Dobroslav: Charitable Organization “Winds of Change Foundation.” Tel: +380680676765 (10:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m.).
• Podilsk: Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “Unified Center for Social Services,” contact person—Tetyana Polishchuk. Tel: +380502968394 (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
• Ovidopol: Municipal Institution “Center for Early Intervention and Social-Psychological Rehabilitation of Children and Youth with Functional Limitations,” contact person—Svitlana Vashestik. Phone: +380964595584 (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).
• Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi: Early Intervention Department of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Children’s Residential Care Home; contact person—Olga Hakotina. Phone: +380965023173 (8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.).
• Krasnosilka Village: Krasnosilka Village Council’s “Center for Social Services,” contact person—Iryna Kasian. Tel: +380679393069 (8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.).

For more information about the service, visit: https://children.gov.ua/rannye-vtruchannya.

The project “Resilient Families, Resilient Future: Transformation of the Child Care System in the Odesa and Mykolaiv Regions” is implemented by the International Charitable Foundation “Ukrainian Public Health Foundation” in partnership with the NGO “Odesa Regional Organization for Medical, Psychological, and Pedagogical Assistance of the NGO ‘Healthy Society,’” in collaboration with UNICEF Ukraine, with financial support from the @Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) through the state development bank KfW. 

Олена Болган