A proud graduate gets a congratulatory hug after receiving his diploma for successfully completing the three-year early intervention program at the University of Miami’s Linda Ray Intervention Center. He was one of 27 3-year-olds who were awarded diplomas recently during a ceremony at the center, a UM Department of Psychology initiative that provides early-intervention services to high-risk children with developmental delays and children in the child welfare system.

The graduates have been served by the center since they were newborns, as part of the Miami-Dade County Pre-K Program for Children with Disabilities. Twenty-two of them will enter Head Start in August on par with their peers as a result of the intervention services.