Primary Provider Is, Primary Provider Is Not

TEAM EI Colorado Vision: Every child and family served by EI Colorado has access to a primary provider in addition to a diverse team of early interventionists that possess expertise to build family capacity to support the child in everyday learning

What is A Primary Provider?

A Primary Provider is…

• The designated team member who works most closely with the family to coordinate services and build caregiver capacity

• Knowledgeable in child development across all developmental domains, promoting child learning during participation in everyday activities, and parenting resources

• Selected based on family priorities, concerns, and the child’s developmental needs, ensuring a personalized approach

• Supported by the entire team through structured meetings, coaching, collaboration, and a potential joint visit

• Responsible for integrating strategies and interventions from all disciplines into their interactions with the family

• Focused on role release—learning skills from other disciplines and sharing expertise to holistically meet the family’s needs

• Utilizes evidence-based practices to coach parents on child learning opportunities during everyday routines and activities using toys and materials within the natural environment

• A flexible role that may change as the family and child’s needs and priorities change

A Primary Provider is not…

• The only provider involved in supporting the family

• Permanently assigned without regard for changes in the family’s priorities or needs

• Limited to their own discipline or area of expertise

• Solely responsible for the child’s progress or all aspects of service delivery

• Expected to work outside their scope of professional practice

• A replacement for specialists; instead, the primary provider collaborates and works alongside specialists

• A substitute for collaboration with other team members

What about Role Release?

Role release refers to the process in which team members share their expertise and knowledge across disciplines to support the child and family holistically. The primary provider becomes the central point of contact for the family, integrating strategies and skills from all team members into their work with the family. Through coaching and collaboration, other team members "release" aspects of their specialized roles by teaching the primary provider strategies and interventions that align with the family’s priorities and the child’s developmental needs. This approach ensures that the family receives consistent, coordinated, and comprehensive support, empowering them to embed strategies into their daily routines without requiring multiple specialists to work directly with the child.

In the TEAM EI Colorado model, providers may engage in role release and cross-disciplinary collaboration, but this is done through coaching and team-supported strategies, not through performing services outside of their scope of practice.

• For example, if a speech-language pathologist shares ideas with an occupational therapist to support communication during a visit, it’s still the family, not the occupational therapist, who implements the strategy under the guidance of their primary provider

• The primary provider remains responsible for maintaining their professional boundaries and consulting with the team when specialized expertise is needed