Despite widespread bipartisan agreement, New York State failed to pass any increase for childhood early intervention providers. Assemblymember Harry Bronson called it “dumbfounding” and his single biggest disappointment in the new budget. Assemblymember Jen Lunsford agreed. Assemblymember Josh Jensen said the need was obvious, and children will suffer as a result.

So why did it fail? What will providers do next, with so many workers frustrated with low pay and heavy workloads? And most importantly, where do children go if there aren’t services they need? Our guests discuss it:

• Brigit Hurley, chief program officer for The Children’s Agenda
• Amanda Wilbert, OTR/L, regional director and occupational therapist with Step By Step Pediatric Therapy Services
• Kristi Reisch, MA, CCC-SLP, speech language pathologist