Developmental Therapists

Chea has been working with children and families for 20+ years. She has a bachelor's in Early Childhood and a master's in School Social Work. Chea is a licensed social worker, licensed professional educator, and developmental therapist. She has special interests and qualifications to support families in crisis intervention and significant trauma. 

Jessica has been working with children and families for 12 years. She has a bachelors in Early Childhood Education and is working on completing a masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has been a developmental therapist for 7 years and was awarded the Benny Delgado Rising Star award in 2020 by the Illinois Developmental Therapy Association. 

Aimee has worked as a teacher for children with special needs and at-risk factors for over 15 years. She has a bachelor's in Early Childhood Education with an Early Childhood Special Education approval letter and a master's in Elementary Education. Aimee is also a parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder. Aimee was awarded the Benny Delgado Rising Star award in 2023 by the Illinois Developmental Therapy Association. 

Tammy has worked with children and families for over 20 years as a Developmental Therapist. She has a master's in Developmental Therapy from Henderson State University. Tammy is a certified Infant Massage Instructor and has completed yoga for youth in trauma training. Tammy founded Early Intervention Services, Inc.

Jennan has been passionate about working with children and families for 20 years. She graduated in 2012 with a bachelor's in Early Childhood Special Education. She taught at Head Start for five years before becoming a developmental therapist for Early Intervention in 2019. Jennan is certified in infant and toddler yoga as well as infant massage. She believes that children learn through play during daily experiences. 

Rebecca has over 35 years of experience working with children. She has a bachelor's in Elementary Education and a bachelor's in Early Childhood Education. Rebecca has the letter of approval to teach Early Childhood Special Education and has a masters in Elementary Education. 

 Faith has worked with children and families for over 15 years. She holds a bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and a master's degree in Special Education. Faith worked as a developmental therapist before teaching K-2 special education and is excited to serve families through Early Intervention once again. 

 Rhonda has worked with children and families for 20+ years. She graduated with a bachelor's in early childhood education in 2023. Before becoming a developmental therapist, Rhonda taught preschool children in the public school system for 15 years. She has also worked as a preschool teacher for Head Start. Rhonda values her passion for Early Childhood Education and knows children learn best in their natural environment.  

 Katie has worked as a blended Preschool Teacher for seven years, serving at-risk youth in the public school district. She has a bachelor's degree in early childhood education with a Letter of Approval in Special Education, as well as a master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Katie is excited to work more closely with families to help build children's development through play and exploration.

Crystal has been teaching young children for over 30 years. She has a bachelor's and a master's degree in Elementary Education, as well as National Board Certification as an Early Childhood Generalist. She is also the mother of twins who were born prematurely. Crystal is excited about working with families and children in the Early Intervention system. 

Kristy has been working with children and families for over 20 years. She has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Kristy taught 5th grade for two years and was a developmental therapist for six years before becoming a service coordinator for Illinois Early Intervention. Kristy has returned to developmental therapy part-time to provide more support to children and families in the Early Intervention program. 

Jessica has a  Master's degree in Psychology with a specialization in Child & Adolescent development. She has completed her undergraduate education at Kendall College at National Louis University with a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education. Jessica has many years of experience working with both children and their families. Jessica also has experience working with children and families who have gone through trauma and abuse. She is dedicated to making a positive impact for all children and their families. 

Tomiko is passionate about working with children and families. She has over 20 years of experience working in Early Childhood Education programs as a teacher, site director, program manager and advisor. Tomiko holds the Illinois Gateways Credentials for Infant Toddler Specialist and Director Cadential. Tomiko has a Master's degree in Communications and Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education/Psychology. She loves to educate, inspire, uplift and empower families through her practice. 

   I am a Mother of 3 amazing kids (young adults)and I am from Chicago, Illinois. I have a Bachelors in Early Childhood Education and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction. 

I have been working with young children and their families for over 20 years in and outside the classroom teaching 0-3, PreK and Kinder. I have a love and passion for the little people and I also was a mom who had her children in EI due to premature births.  For myself, this is where it all began in having an interest to change lives in a more direct close approach and work with families who need support. 

I am thrilled to add the title Developmental Therapist to my credentials as I serve the Chicagoland areas helping children become their best! 

Together we can is my motto.. it always takes a village.

 For the past five years, Kate has worked as a Diverse Learner teacher for children with special needs in an inclusive classroom. She has worked as an early childhood teacher for twelve years. Kate holds an M.ED in Early Childhood Education with a Special Education approval and specializes in developing children's executive functioning skills for the school setting.  

  Emily has worked as a teacher of young children with special needs for over 20 years. She has a Bachelor's in Early Childhood Education and a Master's in Education. Emily has personal experience with Early Intervention with her son, who has Down Syndrome. 

My name is Shannon Meyer and I have a bachelors in Early Childhood Education. I worked at an early childhood center as a preschool teacher for about 5 years. I then moved on to becoming an infant/toddler specialist at my local child care resource and referral and I did that for about two years. I then became a training and recruitment specialist for National Louis University. I am in the process of becoming a Developmental Therapist at this time. My passion is and has always been to work with young children and their families in the early childhood field. I have two children a three year old girl and an 18 month old boy. My kids are the light of my life and my favorite thing in the world to do is spend time with them.  

I graduated in 2021 with my Bachelors degree in Early Childhood: Special Education. For the last three years, I have been a teacher for preschoolers that have special needs. Through my teaching experiences, my curiosity grew of what the process/system/resources children were provided prior to entering school. That is when I discovered becoming a developmental therapist, and working with families in order to provide the best support for them and their children (even in Spanish!).

I am a big enthusiast of learning through play and am excited to start this new journey.

Stephanie graduated in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from St. Louis University. She has always worked in pediatrics and decided to work exclusively in pediatrics in 2018. Stephanie has two daughters with specialized medical needs, and her youngest daughter was in the Early Intervention program. Stephanie loves helping families learn how to help their children be their best. She believes every child is a miracle; some children just need a little help achieving their dreams. 

Daniele has been a Physical Therapist Assistant since 2006 with 15 of those years practicing in pediatrics. She has enjoyed being able to work with a wide variety of diagnoses and age groups from 0-21 years old, as well as a variety of different medical complexities. Daniele strives to meet every child and family's personal interest and goals in hopes to have the best functional outcomes and independence in every child's needs. 

My name is Danielle and I have been a PTA for 9 years, 8 of those being in pediatrics. I have a Bachelor’s degree in child development and am currently a PTA and developmental therapist in Missouri and PTA in Illinois. I chose Early Intervention because I truly feel it is where I can do the most good and help families and their children get the best start possible. I have worked the last 7 years as a PTA in the preschool setting, so I have a good understanding of the skills needed for our kids to succeed beyond early intervention. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow to serve our families in the best way possible. 

Cori has always had a passion for working with children with disabilities. She earned her master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Saint Louis University in 2017 and has worked in pediatrics since. Cori enjoys working closely with families to assist in improving the child's independence with everyday activities and enhancing their overall development. Cori also owns and operates an outpatient clinic, Pediatric Therapy Playhouse. 

Laurie has a life-long love of young children and is thrilled to be able to offer Early Intervention OT services. She brings almost 25 years of experience as an Occupational

Therapist in a variety of in-home and community-based settings. Her undergraduate education was in Psychology and Child Development before she went on to earn her

Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University School of Medicine. She has previously treated children with mental health challenges, trauma,

and severe disruptions in their lives including placement in foster care and emergency housing. Laurie’s passion and expertise is in finding solutions and interventions that not

only help the young child to thrive, but also considers the needs of the entire family. In addition to her work with Early Intervention Services INC she owns a mobile Occupational Therapy practice, Pyrkia Health Services PLLC.

Laurie is Mom to 3 children and has personal experience as a parent receiving support for complex medical and developmental challenges, including Early Intervention services.

Christine has been an Occupational Therapist for over four years, graduating from Washington University School of Medicine in 2019. She began her career working with adults, teens, and children in an outpatient neurological clinic. She began working in EI in 2023 and has been working exclusively with the pediatric population since. She has experience working with a wide variety of diagnoses including those with complex medical needs. Christine feels that families know their child best and loves collaborating with families on strategies to implement their goals into their daily routines. Outside of work, Christine lives in Park Ridge with her 14 month old son and husband.  

Tracy received her Master’s degree from St. Louis University in Occupational Therapy in 2012. She understands the importance and incredible benefits that therapy offers in caring for her own son Jordan, who was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome in 2001. She was so inspired by the therapists who have helped Jordan throughout his life, helping him learn to walk, feed himself and just grow as a human being that she decided to become a therapist herself. Seeing the kids grow and overcome obstacles that otherwise were thought impossible are the most rewarding gifts of being a therapist. She is excited to continue her career with Early Intervention Services and hopes she can inspire the kids and parents that she works with every day the way the therapists in her life have inspired her throughout her son’s life. 

Cierra is the mother of two children, a girl and a boy (whom she is proud to say participated in Early Intervention services). Her own experience as a parent navigating life and Early Intervention with her son sparked her interest in working with children outside of the school setting. She has been cheering on patients of all ages and their caregivers in various areas of the medical field with an AAS as an Occupational Therapy Assistant, a bachelor's in Exercise Science and Applied Health, and an AS for Certified Nursing Assistant. From her own experience, she believes it is crucial for caregivers to know they have a shoulder to lean on in times of doubt and to remember each child is unique with their individual sparkle.