Jacob’s Ladder, a nonprofit Indiana First Steps Agency, will be opening its doors Wednesday, Jan. 16, for a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house.

The ribbon cutting is to take place at 1 p.m. and will be followed at 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. by an open house event at it’s newly remodeled location at 3540 Commerce Drive, Warsaw, Ind.

Jacob’s Ladder will have physical therapists, speech therapists and at least one COTA available during the open house to speak with interested families.

Although Jacob’s Ladder began evaluating the children on its waiting list at the end of November, the official scheduling of the children is still pending.

Jacob’s Ladder is an approved Indiana First Steps Agency, which is an early intervention program offering physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy to children that have been diagnosed as developmentally delayed. This includes diagnoses of Autism spectrum disorders, Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Spina bifida, Juvenile Arthritis and other developmental disorders.

First Steps works with children and families from birth until 3 years of age; school programs tend to focus on skills needed to succeed in the classroom.

Jacob’s Ladder addresses all areas of development including life skills and socialization, and will work with the child and family until the child reaches the age of 18 in most cases. Jacob’s Ladder does work closely with school system therapists to cover needs that may not be addressed otherwise.

At Jacob’s Ladder, the goal is to teach “skills for the job of living,” helping the child with eating, playing and interacting skills that may be not be possible in traditional rehab settings. Some children may be left out of more traditional camps and other social opportunities. Jacob’s Ladder wants to become a focus for children and families to get together and share, with play groups for kids and support groups for families.

For more information on Jacob’s Ladder, visit www.jacobskids.org or call 219-764-4888.