The CHIP Model
Community Based	The Early Literacy Initiative (ELI)
Family Centered Assessment	Eligibility
Communication Approaches	Service Coordination
Transition Program	Program Support
In-Home Sign Language Instruction	Deaf Adult Role Models
Bilingual Providers	Unilateral Hearing Loss
Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS)	Auditory Neuropathy
FAMILY Centered Philosophy

Community Based

There are many advantages to the regional concept, the most important being that the CHIP team and service providers live in the community with the families they serve and so services are community-based, requiring very little travel for families or professionals. The regional office teams, including the CO-Hear Regional Coordinator, are familiar with the agencies, funding options, and services offered locally. Training for providers is available in the region, which means that training can occur more frequently and providers' questions can be answered quickly.

This Community based support model is hinged on the Colorado Hearing Resource (CO-Hear) Regional Coordinators. The state of Colorado has ten regional coordinators each representing the region where they live. The CO-Hear Regional Coordinators are responsible for meeting families who are interested in early intervention programs, locating providers, furnishing technical assistance to the providers, representing CHIP on the local Part C Inter-agency Coordinating Councils (ICC), and ensuring that each family is satisfied with the program.

For families participating in the CHIP program intervention takes place in the home. Our goal is to help parents to use strategies that facilitate the development of their child's communication skills. The program currently serves over 250 families statewide. Approximately 55% of the families live in urban counties. Forty-five percent live in rural or frontier counties.

Articles in Adobe Acrobat format:

F.A.M.I.L.Y. Assessment - A Multidisciplinary Evaluation Tool (pdf)
by Arlene Stredler-Brown and Christine Yoshinaga-Itano

Family-Centered Development Assessment (pdf)
by Jan Hafer and Arlene Stredler-Brown