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About OTEEC

What is the OTEEC Partnership Model?

The Occupational Therapy Embedded in Early Childhood Education (OTEEC) Model is an innovative approach that integrates occupational therapy (OT) services directly into early childhood education settings. OTEEC provides all children, regardless of developmental status, immediate access to supportive and preventative occupational therapy practices within their everyday classroom routines. By fostering collaboration among therapists, teachers, and families, the OTEEC model promotes children’s learning, confidence, and overall development in a natural, inclusive environment.

An image of an early childhood center classroom with various children's drawings and workbooks.

How OTEEC Works

Guiding Principles

  • Embedded within daily routines: Occupational therapists support children and teachers throughout the natural flow of the day, from arrival to transitions, making therapy authentic and integrated rather than separate.
  • Grounded in the school’s philosophy: Occupational therapists align their practices with the Early Childhood Education Center’s (ECEC) educational philosophy and pedagogical approaches (e.g., play-based, Reggio-Emilia), ensuring consistency and relevance.
  • Culturally and contextually responsive: Occupational therapists learn about the demographics, cultural factors, and community needs of each center to provide equitable, culturally relevant support for all children and families.
  • Collaborative and emergent: Occupational therapists co-plan with teachers and adapt their role based on classroom needs, ensuring services are shaped by the school community rather than imposed.
  • Inclusive and whole-community focused: Occupational therapists serve not just children with identified needs but the entire classroom community—children, families, teachers, and administrators—to enhance participation for all.

Goals and Mission

The goal of the OTEEC partnership model is to integrate OT into the daily life of early childhood education centers so that all children—regardless of ability, culture, or language—have equitable access to meaningful participation in their early learning environments.

The mission of the OTEEC partnership model is to equip and position occupational therapists as embedded partners within early childhood education centers. Guided by each center’s philosophy, culture, and community, embedded occupational therapists collaborate with teachers, families, and administrators to co-create authentic, culturally responsive practices that enhance learning, engagement, and inclusion. This model seeks to demonstrate and sustain why every early childhood center benefits from having an embedded OT as part of its core educational team.

Brain Science of Early Development

Basic Brain Development in Early Childhood

Early childhood is a period of rapid brain growth, where experiences shape and reorganize neural connections. Responsive caregiving and nurturing environments build strong brain architecture, supporting cognitive, emotional, and social skills. These early interactions even influence gene expression, laying the foundation for lifelong learning and well-being.

How Do Social and Emotional Experiences Impact Brain Growth?

Positive relationships and secure attachments foster healthy brain wiring, reduce stress, and strengthen learning and emotional regulation. In contrast, chronic stress or adverse experiences disrupt neural connections and limit developmental potential. Social-emotional experiences literally shape the architecture of the brain across the lifespan.

What Role Do Health and Physical Development Factors Play in Learning?

Nutrition, sleep, and low exposure to toxins create the physiological conditions needed for healthy brain growth and learning. Regular physical activity and good health habits boost cognition, memory, and emotional regulation. Without these supports, learning, mood, and behavior are at risk.

(Immordino-Yang et al., 2019)

Aspirations

One aspiration of the OTEEC model is to see early education centers build and incorporate a Multitiered System of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a comprehensive framework designed to provide high-quality, differentiated instruction and caregiving to meet the diverse developmental, behavioral, and learning needs of all young children.

It is structured in multiple tiers, with the foundation being universal supports for all children, and progressively more intensive, targeted supports for children who need additional assistance. The framework emphasizes prevention, data-based decision-making, collaboration among professionals and families, and developmentally appropriate practices to support the whole child across multiple domains.

In early childhood centers, MTSS is used as a guiding structure for OT by integrating OT services within the tiered model to promote development across areas such as self-regulation, motor skills, and sensory processing. Occupational therapists collaborate with educators and families to:

  • Conduct universal screening to identify children who may need additional support.
  • Implement tiered interventions tailored to each child’s unique needs, blending direct therapy, environmental modifications, and caregiving strategies.
  • Use ongoing progress monitoring to assess effectiveness and adjust supports accordingly.
  • Promote a team-based approach that includes families, caregivers, and professionals to ensure supports are responsive and developmentally appropriate.
  • Preventatively address potential developmental concerns before they require special education referral, thereby emphasizing a proactive role for OT within the MTSS framework.

This integration helps ensure that OT services are provided in a systematic, timely, and holistic manner that aligns with the child’s overall developmental trajectory and learning environment.

(Division for Early Childhood, 2021)

About OT

Occupational therapy (OT) is a client-centered health profession that enables individuals, groups, and populations to participate in meaningful activities and occupations that support their health, well-being, and participation in daily life. It involves evaluating and addressing factors such as person, environment, and occupations to facilitate engagement and performance. Through customized interventions, occupational therapists help clients develop, recover, or maintain the skills necessary for everyday activities. The overarching goal is to promote independence and improve quality of life.

Learn more about OT on the American Occupational Therapy Association website.

Why every child benefits from OT?

Every child benefits from OT because early childhood is a critical period for developing essential skills such as socialization, language, and cognition, which are foundational for success in school and life. OT supports all children, including those with subtle delays or at risk, by fostering positive development, promoting health and wellness, and creating equitable educational experiences

In Dr. Fyffe’s 2024 publication, parents described how occupational therapy supported their children’s development in areas such as motor skills, self-regulation, and engagement in risky play. These experiences led them to realize that occupational therapy is not solely aimed at children with disabilities but can broadly promote growth and learning for all children. This inclusive perspective is encapsulated in the theme “Every child could benefit,” highlighting how OT nurtures essential developmental domains—fostering confidence, participation, and overall well-being—regardless of a child’s initial developmental status.

How does every child access OT?

In the OTEEC Partnership Model, every child can access occupational therapy through a system that emphasizes immediate and universal availability within early childhood education centers. Specifically, children do not need a referral or to meet a specific developmental threshold to benefit from occupational therapy services. The embedded model enables occupational therapists to work alongside all children, supporting their engagement and participation in classroom routines and activities. This accessible, proactive approach fosters early support and promotes health and development broadly, ensuring that no child is excluded from receiving occupational therapy based on traditional eligibility criteria.

What is embedded OT?

Embedded OT means having an occupational therapist directly within a setting—like a school, early childhood center, or community program—so support happens naturally during everyday routines. Instead of pulling children out for separate sessions, the OT works alongside teachers, caregivers, and peers to build skills right in the moment. This approach makes therapy more practical, collaborative, and tailored to real-life environments. It helps children succeed where they live, learn, and play.

Guiding Framework

The OTEEC Partnership Model is an integrated approach where occupational therapists are embedded within early childhood education settings. Rather than providing therapy through referrals or waiting lists, therapists are actively involved in daily classroom activities, collaborating with teachers, parents, and administrators.

They work to create inclusive learning environments, co-develop activities, and support every child’s development directly within the classroom. The model emphasizes universal access, equity, and prevention, ensuring that all children, regardless of their abilities, receive timely and ongoing OT support as part of the school’s routine practices. This collaborative and embedded approach aims to enrich educational experiences and promote positive outcomes for all children.