The Preschool Early Intervention (PEI) program is omnipresent. It’s just about everywhere and making a huge impact on education in Allegheny County.

“I feel [people] are aware of who we are and what our job may look like and sound like,” says Amy Abraham, a special education supervisor with PEI. “But I am not sure if they understand the magnitude of how many children and families we serve all over Allegheny County.”

It is staggering – with more than 3,300 children served yearly, PEI is among the largest programs at the AIU. Its outcomes bring an even bigger impact, providing critical, time-sensitive, and long-term gains that could change a life.

PEI serves children aged 3-5 who have been identified as having demonstrated developmental delays or disabilities. Based on a student's needs, services are provided in a classroom setting or through itinerant professionals at home, totaling more than 600 locations. Each student referred to the program is tended to uniquely – a collaboration between educators and families and prioritized by PEI.

It is the ultimate collaborative effort to make PEI tick – referrals come from a variety of sources to the program’s preschool service coordinators (PSCs), including directly from families, pediatricians/medical providers, and childcare providers. In addition, referrals come from other AIU programs such as AIU Head Start/Pre-K Counts and AIU-operated Family Centers, as well as other state and local programs, such as school district-run Pre-K Counts programs, the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center Head Start/Pre-K Counts programs, and the Allegheny County Office of Children, Youth, and Families.

“A family is a culture unto itself, with hopes and dreams for their child,” says Abraham. “We become part of this family when we work with their child, providing services to help their child succeed and providing our partners and families with strategies for a child to be successful in any environment.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by Bethany Beale, an itinerant Speech Language Pathologist with PEI.

“Families respond positively to having an active role in the speech therapy process,” Beale says. “In return, their involvement increases the progress I see my students make!”

The benefit is mutual, as PEI staff find immense reward in their work. Many of Beale’s students show up to her, bright-eyed, just after their third birthday. “It is fun to learn and grow with them and support their speech and language development in the process,” Beale said.

Abraham loves the culture of PEI, staffed by more than 130 professionals and paraprofessionals, and after nearly two decades in education, feels a sense of affinity for her colleagues and career.

“I have made lifelong friends in this position, and I work with some amazing people,” she said. “I learn something new every day, and I feel I am where I belong.” No matter who you speak with in Preschool Early Intervention, the sentiment is the same, this massive program is a family.