Seeking Excellence in the Ordinary at Myna Early Intervention

Posted on August 3, 2026

By Betsy Burns, CQL Quality Enhancement Specialist

Myna Early Intervention was a joy to work with! The accreditation week was full of honest, positive conversations about the organization’s strengths and opportunities. During the week and throughout the entire CQL Accreditation process, their team was responsive, transparent, enthusiastic, and open to feedback. Their dedication to their mission and vision is evident in the many testimonials from the families of those supported.  

Myna’s mission is to provide personalized, evidence-based early intervention services that, with compassion and innovation, support families and their children with individualized supports. Myna strives to be a “beacon of hope,” providing guidance, inspiration, and encouragement during difficult times.  

The organization’s values fully reflect what CQL found in its systems and practices. Myna really does find “excellence in the ordinary” through its high-quality work, leveraging innovation and ensuring that all ideas and “bold thinking” are part of its unique blend of individualized strategies to build brighter futures for children and their families. 

The team at Myna is, in fact, truly a “dream team,” ensuring that equality and mutual respect are maintained by bringing together employees whose unique skills blend to create a cohesive, well-oiled machine. This collaborative approach to finding solutions, supporting one another, and, in so doing, supporting children and families is not just commendable; it is genuine. By working in collaboration with the families of the children receiving services, everyone is able to be involved in the process so the children can achieve their goals in a holistic way. Refreshingly, the organization also does an outstanding job of supporting its staff in achieving a true work-life balance, which is often talked about and written in policy, but not always practiced by some agencies!  

To that end, quality staff begins with a quality culture – one built on something one can see, trust, and feel. I was there, I saw it, I felt it, and it simply felt good to facilitate this accreditation. Bravo!

About Myna Early Intervention

Myna Early Intervention, operating in Fargo, North Dakota, provides support for children from infancy to age three who need extra support involving their communication, cognitive, or physical development. The specialized programs they offer include speech, self-care, as well as occupational and physical therapy, providing comprehensive care tailored to the needs of each child. Through their mission and vision, they focus on empowering families and their children through a personalized, evidence-based early intervention approach so every child can thrive to reach their full potential. 

Through evaluations, individual family service plans, home visits, and consultations, their proactive approach ensures each child receives the essential support they need right when they need it! 

Myna Early Intervention recently achieved Quality Assurances Accreditation. We asked Krista Lindberg, Myna Office Manager, a series of questions about who they are as an organization, along with their experience with the CQL Accreditation process. 

What are some notable changes in your organization over recent years?

Over the past year, our organization has experienced significant and meaningful growth, evolving from a small start-up operating out of a single conference room with just two staff members, to a multidisciplinary team that will include nine full-time staff by August. We have expanded into our own dedicated building, marking an important milestone in establishing a stable and welcoming space for the families we serve.  

Our services have grown to include social work, early childhood special education (ECSE), occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy, allowing us to support children in a more holistic and integrated way. In our first year alone, we have served over 110 children, reflecting both the high level of need in our community and our commitment to increasing access to early intervention services. 

What are your goals as an organization?

Our goal is to expand access to high-quality early intervention services so that more children and families, especially those who may not otherwise know these supports exist, can receive the help they need as early as possible. We are deeply committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment where families feel supported, empowered, and connected to meaningful resources.  

Through offerings like our free playgroups, we aim to reduce barriers and build community for the families we serve. Looking ahead, we hope to further this mission by developing a resource library that allows families to trial equipment and tools that can positively impact their child’s development and daily life. 

What organizational values or practices are you most proud of?

At Myna Early Intervention, we are most proud of our commitment to being humble, hungry, and smart, and how these values guide our daily interactions and services. We practice humility by listening to and incorporating feedback from the individuals and families we serve, ensuring care remains person-centered and responsive. Our team demonstrates hunger through a strong commitment to continuous learning and improvement to better support meaningful outcomes. Being smart allows us to use emotional intelligence and thoughtful communication to build strong relationships and deliver high-quality, collaborative care.

Why did you decide to pursue CQL Accreditation?

We decided to pursue CQL accreditation to ensure we are building our organization on a strong foundation of best practices, accountability, and continuous improvement. As a growing early intervention provider, we want to be intentional about delivering high-quality, person-centered services and ensuring that our systems and practices reflect that commitment.  

CQL provides a structured framework that helps us evaluate and strengthen the way we support individuals and families. Ultimately, we view accreditation as a way to hold ourselves to a higher standard, so we can continue providing the most effective, consistent, and meaningful services possible.

What is the impact of accreditation on your employees?

CQL accreditation has encouraged us to be more intentional about listening to and supporting our employees in meaningful ways. One example of this is feedback we received about our employee surveys lacking specificity. In response, we revised the surveys to include more targeted and relevant questions, which has helped staff provide clearer and more useful feedback. This has strengthened communication within our organization and allowed us to better understand and respond to staff needs, ultimately supporting a more engaged and supported workforce.

What is the impact of accreditation on children and families?

CQL accreditation strengthens the quality and consistency of the services we provide to the children and families we support. It helps ensure that our work stays grounded in person-centered practices, where each child’s needs, goals, and family priorities guide the care they receive. The framework also pushes us to be more intentional and reflective in how we deliver services across disciplines. Overall, it supports ongoing improvement, so families experience more reliable support and meaningful outcomes for their children.

How have the Basic Assurances^® (BA) improved your systems and practices?

CQL Basic Assurances^® have helped us strengthen how we monitor and improve our systems, even in areas where we were already performing well. We are now implementing a Quality Improvement Committee to regularly review whether we are meeting federal and state timelines and to ensure accountability across services. As part of this process, we will also review samples of Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs) to better understand the balance of child-based and family-based outcomes and ensure plans remain truly family-centered. In addition, we are introducing family satisfaction surveys twice a year to create more consistent feedback loops that help us understand what we are doing well and where we can continue to improve.

How do you envision the future of your partnership with CQL?

Our first experience with the CQL accreditation process was very positive, even though we initially felt nervous and unsure about whether we had everything fully in place. Working with Betsy helped our team feel supported and more confident, and it gave us a clearer understanding of how our practices align with CQL standards. Moving forward, we envision using CQL not just for accreditation cycles, but as an ongoing framework to guide quality improvement within our organization. We would like to continue using CQL standards and feedback to strengthen our internal processes, support staff development, and ensure we are consistently delivering person-centered, high-quality services.

“It is incredibly powerful to witness the work this team does each and every day. Their dedication to supporting families is unmatched, and what stands out most is the consistency of their compassion and commitment. No matter the circumstance, they show up with patience, respect, and a genuine desire to make life better for the individuals they serve.”

Myna Early Intervention Employee

Have questions about CQL Accreditation?

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Since 1969, CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership has been a leader in working with human service organizations and systems to continuously define, measure, and improve quality of life and quality of services for youth, adults, and older adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities. CQL offers accreditation, training, certification, research, and consultation services to agencies that share our vision of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people.