I am planning on going into a new career once my kiddos are a little older, and i am researching different options. I am curious if anyone on hb has experience in this field, what the qualifications are etc. i love the idea of working with individual families instead of being tied to a classroom like i was as a teacher. 
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The qualifications can vary depending on what kind of therapy you want to provide. Specialized therapies (ST, OT, and PT) all require a Masters degree (and you will likely have to take some prerequisite coursework in order to be admitted to a Masters program unless your undergrad degree is directly related). There are also SLP-A, COTA, and PT-A jobs as well (assistants for each discipline). These jobs require coursework related to the field (Associate's degree, I think). BUT, if you are an assistant, you can only provide therapy, you cannot evaluate or create/alter treatment plans/goals, so there really is not a high demand for this in pediatrics. And the pay isn't really spectacular for the assistants, either
As a teacher (I'm assuming?), your best bet may be Developmental Therapy (DT). You need certification in early childhood development. DTs are very general--they do a bit of everything during "play therapy". The pay rate is more commensurate with a teacher, rather than an ST/OT/PT, but you do not need as much specialized education.
One other thing to consider is the EI system in the state where you want to work (every state is different!). In my area, for example, services are actually contracted out to private practice therapists for birth-2, so most therapists do not see this age group exclusively. We may see a few of the little guys mixed in with a varied caseload.
Lots to think about if you want to make a career switch. There are so many other considerations that I could go into, but I'm not sure how in depth you are wanting me to go... I would recommend contacting a therapist in your area and shadowing someone for a day or two if possible, just to see what it is really like. Hope that helps!
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@cyan: thank you so much!
i would be okay with the extra coursework if it would mean a much higher pay rate, but i am still 5+ years away from that option so i have plenty of time to decide. How flexible are the hours in this field? Is part time an option?
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@Mrs. Lion: I finished my masters degree in Early Childhood Intervention last summer. I believe here you need a bachelors in Early Childhood Intervention of Child Development to be a classroom teacher. My district has age 3-school age services they offer but the county offers birth to age 3.
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@ladybee: that masters sounds like what i want! My undergrad is elementary education (k-6) with a concentration in psychology (all of my psych courses were child development/behaviorial)
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@Mrs. Lion: pay rate depends on specialty, but honestly, it's not that great when you consider most therapists have students loans for 6+ years of education. Pay also depends a lot on insurance and reimbursement rates and demand, so lots of factors.
Flexibility is a huge plus, though. There is ALWAYS the option to do contract work on a per-visit rate. Many therapists with families will do this and just work when their kids are in preschool: school. You can really control your own schedule. The downside to contract work is, though, if a kid cancels or no-shows, you don't get paid for that visit. Sadly, this happens more than you would think.
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@cyan: yeah, i can see that. I run into that problem with tutoring. People cancel all the time.
Student loans wouldnt be an issue because i would probably have to teach for one more year and put the money aside in savings to pay cash for the degree...no loans for us. But if i am going to invest the time and money i want to have a pretty good return on investment. So much to think about. Ideally i would find something more flexible that doesnt require a masters....
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@Mrs. Lion: I would look into DT, then. Same deal with flexibility, but less coursework.
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@cyan: is DT a degree program or something else? I am having a hard time finding anything about it.
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@Mrs. Lion: usually just a teacher with early childhood credentials (I believe!) that works with kiddos one-on-one. To be honest, I am not a DT so I am less familiar with exact credentials. Sorry I can't be more helpful!
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@cyan: thats okay! Once upon a time i had my early childhood credentials, and i have an education degree. I will have to keep looking into it
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@Mrs. Lion: my suggestion would be to reach out to a private practice in your area that offers DT and ask if one of their therapists could spare a few minutes to talk/ email with you. Or let you shadow. You may have to try a few since therapists can get busy, but I field similar phone calls every other month or so. Most of us really love our jobs and are happy to help others pursue similar careers!
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What state are you in? I would imagine early intervention services vary from state to state- I'm in NJ. (In my pre mommy life!) I have a degree as a school psychologist working on a child study team. So I was the one who negotiated the testing and evaluation process as the kids age out of early intervention and enter the public school system. Not sure if you're interested in that side though!
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@autumn865: that is interesting too! I am in NC. Not sure how different things are...i definitely need to get in touch woth someone local. Maybe theres a way for me to do some volunteering somehow.
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@Mrs. Lion: We are just getting started with EI. Our case manager used to teach Head Start and just started her current job. She's awesome. I will ask her about her education & work background if I remember next time I see her. We went ahead & requested services from an "Early Interventionist" (which I think is like DT PPs mentioned). We haven't been assigned one yet, but I believe it will be a teacher with early childhood credentials. The woman who did our evaluation also had an early childhood background. She said she took the job when she got out of school and couldn't find a job in the schools, but has stayed because she ended up loving it. I am a teacher myself and new SAHM. I'm always fascinated with how people get into their jobs/careers and especially in the education field. I am getting started with some online teaching this semester at the high school level.
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@jhd: thank you so much!
It fascinates me too
i always just wanted to be a teacher in a traditional sense....my plan stopped with babies but now that i am there i am realizing that i am going to need more than babies in the future thats great that you found some online tutoring!
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