Overview
The first few years of a child’s life are a critical period for the identification of developmental delays and disabilities, as this is when nearly 90% of brain development happens. Serving infants and toddlers from birth to age three, New York State’s Early Intervention program provides no-cost services to address a child’s physical, speech, or other developmental needs. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that these services be delivered in a timely manner (30 days from parent consent of the service plan in New York).
A recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association found, as have others, that when children with developmental delays and disabilities receive EI therapies, they are significantly more likely to meet proficiency standards in third grade language arts and math, resulting in compounded savings in the PK-12 system.
Despite the importance of this program and the IDEA’s legal mandate, New York State has repeatedly failed to make the necessary investments to ensure Early Intervention providers are there when children need them.
This is the first time we have had this amount of data about Early Intervention at the county level. Our team has done the research so that you – families, advocates, policymakers, and community members – can view the latest information about the state of Early Intervention in every county, and how each county compares to statewide data.
To view all 62 counties’ fact sheets, click the button to “Download this Report”.
To view the facts for a specific county, go to our County Level Research and Fact Sheets page and choose your county.