What does being “at risk for developmental delay” mean?
Being “at risk for developmental delay” covers a large range of possibilities. The children may be diagnosed with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy or other known genetic and chromosomal anomalies. Or the children may be born prematurely which means that they may be slower to reach developmental milestones.

How do families find out about The Bell Center?
Many times, pediatricians or nurses in newborn care units refer families to The Bell Center. Other families hear about The Bell Center from friends or family members who have been involved with The Bell Center and Service Guild or who have had children in the program.

What happens when a family calls The Bell Center?
Thanks to advanced prenatal testing now available, many families know that they are going to have a child with special needs before the baby is born. Often these families will visit the center as they prepare for their child with special needs. Recently, a family expecting a child with Down syndrome visited the center for several hours. They left with a profound sense of hope and encouragement after seeing how well our toddlers with Down syndrome are doing with the help that our staff and volunteers provide.

Who is The Service Guild of Birmingham and how does the organization interact with The Bell Center?
The Service Guild is a local women’s volunteer organization which was founded in 1958 to serve mentally challenged children and adults. In 1984, The Service Guild focused its attention on providing early intervention services and began the Early Intervention Program which has grown to become The Bell Center in just 20 years.

Members of The Service Guild provide support to The Bell Center in two very important ways. Not only do Guild members work one-on-one with the children in the toddler groups each day, but also they raise funds to support the work of The Bell Center.

Is there a cost to families for the programs?
Families pay a nominal monthly tuition, and scholarships are available to qualifying families.

Could I volunteer to work at The Bell Center?
By all means! We need compassionate and energetic volunteers aged 18 years and older to work with the precious children of The Bell Center. If you’re interested in discussing volunteer work, send an email to jcolquett@thebellcenter.orgt. We’ll get right back to you!

How do I arrange for someone from The Bell Center to speak to my civic or professional organization?
Send an email to jcolquett@thebellcenter.org with information about the group and when it meets, and we’ll arrange for a speaker to come to your group.