A statewide program that provides therapeutic and support services for infants and toddlers with development disabilities is struggling to keep up. Advocates for those early intervention services say children are spending months or longer on waitlists and that's an indication of systemic problems, including workforce shortages. A pending study facilitated…

We believe every child in New York who needs Early Intervention services should receive them. We encourage Governor Hochul and NYS legislators to make the investments necessary to ensure these therapies are available to every child. The Assembly and Senate have called for increased EI funding in their one-house budget…

New York’s Early Intervention Program is a powerful force for good in our state. As pediatricians, we know the crucial role of Early Intervention – the program, not just the idea – for children at risk for developmental delay or with complex medical needs. When a child isn’t sitting up,…

Early Intervention services are a mandated federal service that New York State is failing to provide for one of our most vulnerable groups, disabled children. New York comes in 48th in terms of service provision in our country. The failure to provide these services is careless and unjust. While I…

The Greece Central School District is facing a growing need for support services for students with disabilities. Some of the youngest students who qualified for early intervention as infants or toddlers did not end up receiving those services and are entering prekindergarten at a deficit, said Stacey Brindisi, executive director…

Chief Program Officer Brigit Hurley provides an update on the state’s effort to deliver early intervention services in a timely fashion, including cuts to funding by the Hochul administration that prompted a lawsuit by service providers.

New York State is being sued for failing to fully support early intervention services for children. The lawsuit is new, but the issue is not. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has been saying for years that the state is falling short in this area.

Early intervention service providers are suing the state Department of Health for “woefully inadequate” reimbursement rates that they claim violate state law. Agencies for Children’s Therapy Services, an advocacy group that represents providers, and two of its member agencies filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court, requesting the state increase…

When a young child is found to have a developmental delay or disability, intervention to help them at an early age can change the course of their life. That’s because the most active stage of brain development happens in the first few years of a child’s life, when more than…

New York’s early intervention providers haven’t seen a substantive raise in three decades — and vulnerable young children are losing out.

New York State’s Early Intervention Program is ranked last in the nation for the timely delivery of services, like physical and speech therapy, to young children with developmental delays. Right now, only half of the children who qualify for therapy are actually getting it, and that's having an impact on…

Brigit Hurley, Chief Program Officer for The Children’s Agenda, discusses the state of Early Intervention in New York and what advocates are determined to see accomplished in this year's budget.

Gov. Kathy Hochul calls herself New York’s “first mom governor.” She has promised that “your family is my fight.” But she has a track record of failing to follow through for thousands of our most vulnerable children: babies and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities.

As state budget negations resume Tuesday, advocates are hoping for more funding for the state Early Intervention Program. It provides services like physical and occupational therapy and speech pathology to children up to the age of 3 who need a little extra support. The Children’s Agenda is leading a campaign…

Families and advocates want the state to fund a study to assess what can help fix a clearly broken system. They also want at least a 5% pay increase for the therapists who continue to chip away at those waiting lists. “Everyone seems to say they don’t have enough money…

More than 80 parents, advocates and providers left the Rochester area Tuesday to embark on a trip to Albany to advocate for change. It's part of The Children's Agenda's "Kids Can't Wait" campaign.

By almost any measure, New York State's early intervention (EI) service model is in crisis. According to the Children's Agenda, providers are being severely underpaid, which is contributing to a shortage — and as a result, wait times are so long that some kids are aging out before ever receiving…

On January 1, 2025, New York State submitted paperwork to instate a long awaited 5% rate increase for Early Intervention, the federally mandated program that provides therapy to babies and toddlers with developmental delays. That increase was hard-won and passed in the 2024-25 NYS Budget last April. It was the…

Advocates for early childhood services are calling for an overhaul of how New York state funds early intervention ahead of Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address next week. Early intervention programs include speech therapy, physical therapy and other support services for children from birth to three years old,…

State lawmakers and Gov. Kathy Hochul honed in on the backlog of early intervention needs in this year’s budget, but not much progress has been made solving this critical problem.

The Children’s Agenda CEO Larry Marx discusses child care and early intervention policies addressed by state lawmakers in the 2024 legislative session.

We highlight New York’s ongoing failure to provide adequate access to Early Intervention services for toddlers with Brigit Hurley, Chief Program Officer for The Children’s Agenda.

“Not being able to receive the proper services, as a parent is frustrating,” said Lynn Mordenga, parent advocate “and you’re just left in agony because you were promised a right to be able to have therapy for your child, because it’s a federal right.”

70 parents, advocates and providers from across New York went to Albany to urge state officials to increase rates for the Early Intervention program by 11%.

All child care programs are required to provide reasonable accommodations, but only a handful have services for children with special needs.

State lawmakers announced a renewed commitment to boosting Early Intervention programming for children.

A coalition of state legislators is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to raise reimbursement rates for the therapists and teachers providing services to children with developmental delays through the state’s Early Intervention program.

We sit down with Assemblymember Josh Jensen to discuss New York’s 2023-2024 budget.

We sit down with Assemblymember Jen Lunsford to discuss New York’s 2023-2024 budget.

Some lawmakers say the state of New York is failing young children, especially when it comes to vital early childhood intervention services.

The Children’s Agenda reports only about half of the children who qualify for Early Intervention are receiving services in a timely manner.

New York children with developmental delays are waiting longer than legally mandated time lines for services.

Local parents and care providers delivered a collective call in Albany to further help infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities.

These are federally mandated supports, where children have a right to get access to these services within 30-days, however families are having to wait upwards of 12-months to get connected.

Monroe County leaders and children’s advocates are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase reimbursement rates for therapists and teachers working with children with development delays in the state’s Early Intervention system.

There is a call to the Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature to increase funding for early intervention efforts that could help infants and toddlers.

The Children's Agenda is pleading for the governor and state lawmakers to confront the shortage of service providers in the early intervention program for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities.

Nearly 100 organizations across New York are calling for a boost in funding for early intervention providers due to a backlog of requests for services for the very youngest in our state to access care.

State regulators require that Early Intervention services begin within 30 days of a plan being established, but there just aren’t enough providers to keep up with demand.

The Children’s Agenda is calling for an end to school suspensions for students Pre-K to Grade 3. 84% of Monroe County parents support solutions not suspensions.

Close to 300 children are now waiting for early intervention services: help with things like speech and motor skills.

Parents and advocates say the recently adopted New York state budget does not deliver on early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities.

The Children's Agenda conducted a first-of-its-kind poll of Monroe County parents. The responses from 400 parents countywide identified issues their children and families are facing and solutions they support.

A county-wide poll is revealing many parents are facing a series of similar struggles.

Monroe County families are in crisis, according to a recent poll conducted by The Children’s Agenda.

The Children’s Agenda says mental health is a top concern for parents in Monroe County. The organization released findings from a survey.

Hundreds of Monroe County parents participated in a first-of-its-kind poll conducted by The Children's Agenda.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul last week signed legislation to increase funding for Early Intervention services for young children with developmental delays and also pledged a major funding increase for specialized schools serving children with disabilities.

Some students with disabilities may see a boost in support this coming year as Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a package of bills into law on Thursday that would do just that. The new legislation includes designating a newly established Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board. The board would in part help…

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello called for new legislation that would increase early intervention resources in New York for children and students during an address Saturday.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello is calling for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to make sure kids in New York with special needs can get the help they need paid for.

Monroe County has dedicated September as Early Intervention (EI) Awareness Month.

Early intervention services are required for young children with developmental disabilities and delays, but the federal government doesn’t mandate who pays the bill, so in New York it usually falls on taxpayers. Brigit Hurley, senior director of advocacy and program for The Children’s Agenda, breaks down legislation awaiting the governor’s…

The major problem, advocates say, is that the state sets reimbursement rates for Early Intervention services in each county and hasn't raised them since at least 2011. Some rates were cut around 2010 and are now lower than they were during the 1990s.  "This pattern of inadequate compensation has led to a critical shortage of…

During the week of February 22nd, the Kids Can’t Wait Campaign will be holding Virtual Advocacy Days. We invite you to raise your voice, from the comfort of your home, alongside other advocates from across New York State.

Hundreds of New York toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities may lose access to in-home speech, behavioral, occupational and other therapies next week – because the coronavirus pandemic has prevented them from getting the services approved by their local school district.

An unspecified number of New York 3-year-olds with developmental delays and disabilities may lose their state-provided services next week if the state does not extend a key deadline, according to a group of 80 advocacy organizations.

Distancing measures in place to slow the spread of COVID-19 have pushed early intervention services like Kaia’s physical therapy — required by both state and federal law for children under 3 years old — into the virtual realm.

Over 60% of New Yorkers live in a child care desert, meaning more than 50 children under age five with no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care spots. The trip is free and breakfast and…

The Children’s Agenda is organizing an Early Childhood Advocacy Day trip to Albany for parents and providers to urge legislators for more support of affordable child care and funding for Early Intervention and preschool special education services. The trip is free and breakfast and lunch is provided. The bus will…

There are key moments in a child’s development that act as the foundation for all future learning, behavior and health. Stress during this short window of time could lead to negative outcomes including developmental delays and even adult heart disease. What makes this moment in a child’s life so critical?

More than three-quarters of the brain develops in early childhood, before kids even get to preschool or kindergarten. That means that giving children every opportunity to learn, grow and develop from age zero is fundamental. And that’s why the Children’s Agenda Inc. was established some 15 years ago.

The Greater Rochester Community of Churches Faith in Action Network is celebrating 100 years of bringing together Rochesterians from different faith traditions. 

The Greater Rochester Community of Churches is marking its 100th anniversary with an event that showcases faith and arts this weekend. The County Executive and County Legislator Candidate Forum will be held October 16 at the Schottland Family YMCA starting at 7 p.m.

Election Day is just over three weeks away. Voters have a wide range of issues that they prioritize. Guest talk about children in need in our community and funding for early intervention services and preschool special education services. The conversation comes in advance of an upcoming candidate forum hosted by The Children's…

A new statewide coalition that launched Thursday, Raising New York, seeks to tackle the social, emotional, economic and educational inequities among the state's youngest residents.

After 2 years, how is the “First 1000 Days on Medicaid Initiative” shaping up?

Even as preschool special education providers began inking contracts with Monroe County this week, the county has continued to clarify what those contracts mean.

Advocates are demanding Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo to keep her promise to thousands of children in the county in need of Pre-school Special Education Services.

Advocates for children with disabilities packed the Monroe County Legislature tonight over the funding crisis in preschool special education. 

Families and advocates confronted leaders Tuesday night over preschool special education service rates in Monroe County.

Providers of preschool special education say Monroe County went back on its promise to raise the reimbursement rate for services across the board by 15 percent. Representatives for the county say there are misunderstandings and misinformation.

When Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo announced she was proposing a 15% "across-the-board" increase in reimbursement rates for preschool special education, providers and advocates hailed it as a significant step toward fixing a broken system. Two months later, they read the fine print.

The Children’s Agenda is seeking stories to help to address provider shortages within the Early Intervention and Preschool Special Education systems across New York State.

Parents and advocates for special education students in Monroe County celebrated Tuesday. That's because Monroe County lawmakers voted to increase reimbursement rates for preschool special education service providers.

Monroe County's Early Intervention services are in crisis, just as they are in counties across the state.

The budget proposal approved Wednesday by the New York state Assembly includes a pay increase for therapists who work with the state’s youngest residents.

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo on Tuesday proposed a 15 percent rate hike for preschool special education providers, a welcome boost that could have significant practical and political implications for other parts of the deeply flawed system for providing services to young children.

Legislation submitted by Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo would see a 15 percent increase - across the board - for County-set reimbursements for Preschool Special Education service providers. 

Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo proposed an increase in pay Tuesday for special education providers who haven’t seen one in almost a decade.