University of Memphis childhood programs receive state grants for early intervention services
Two early intervention resource agencies for young children with developmental delays and disabilities at University of Memphis received three new grants from the state to support their work in the coming years, a recent announcement said.
According to a news release from the university, the two agencies - Project Memphis (PM) and the Regional Intervention Program (RIP) – will receive a total of $9.2 million from the state to continue their services. Dr. Laura Casey, a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) with UofM’s College of Education (COE), is the principal investigator (PI) for all three state-funded grants.
“It is an honor to be able to continue these service grants at UofM,” Casey said in the announcement. “The work is very impactful to the community, as we provide evidence-based early intervention to children and families with special needs. Because of these grants, families in Memphis and Shelby County can receive essential services during the critical early years that otherwise may be unavailable or cost prohibitive.”
According to the announcement, both agencies are housed within COE’s Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership. It said PM is acquiring $8,827,000 between two grants, from the newly formed TN Department of Disability and Aging (DDA), formerly the state’s Commission on Aging and Disability (TCAD), and Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD).
The first grant totaling $2,535,000 is center-based and goes toward Project Memphis Ready (PM Ready), extending the center’s services to 2029.The announcement noted that PM Ready currently provides developmental therapy services to 24 children who have been diagnosed with autism or have social and communication or behavior delays that may make pre-school challenging.
The program has been operating out of the Porter-Leath University of Memphis (PLUM) Early Learning Academy in Orange Mound since 2022 and recently moved to Porter-Leath’s South Memphis center. PM’s Home and Community wing, which specializes in providing developmental therapy to families in Shelby County either in the child’s home or childcare center, is receiving $6,292,000 to offer their services until 2029.
Officials said the funding will enable the two PM programs, which currently serve about 200 local families, to serve up to 450 families in the Memphis-Shelby County area.
“We are thrilled to have an increase in the number of families we will now be serving in the Memphis and Shelby County area,” Charmaine Sego, the program coordinator for Project Memphis, said. “We strive to provide the highest quality intervention services and engage many UofM students who are preparing to work with young children and their families. Early intervention produces lasting developmental changes that impact children and their families long after they leave our care. It is exciting to be part of the change! It is exciting to see families grow and thrive.”
The announcement said RIP will receive $464,980 from the TN Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, which will ensure the agency’s services to 2027. The program teaches parents strategies "to become teachers and therapists for their own children," according to the news release.
