Program Description
The Early Intervention Program is a federally funded program that provides services to children from birth to age three who have developmental delays or disabilities. In New York City the program is administered by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which contracts with private agencies to provide services. A child does not have to be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for services.
Type of Services
Many services are provided to children with disabilities and their families through the Early Intervention Program. They include: family training, counseling, home visits, parent support groups; medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes; nursing services; nutrition services; occupational and physical therapy; psychological services; service coordination; social work; special instruction; vision; health services need to allow the child to benefit from other early intervention services; speech and language pathology, audiology (hearing care); assistive technology services and devices; transportation to and from Early Intervention services.
Cost
If a child is eligible for the Early Intervention program, the family will not have to pay for the services the child receives, regardless of the family’s income.
Back to Top
Referrals
Anyone can refer a child to the Early Intervention Program by calling 311 and asking for the Early Intervention office in their borough. The operator taking the referral will ask for information about the child, including the caretaker’s name and address. An Initial Service Coordinator (ISC) will be appointed to work on the child’s case. The ISC will contact the family to get consent and to set up an appointment for evaluation.
Consent
Early Intervention is a voluntary program. The Early Intervention Program must get consent from the child’s parent before evaluating the child and before providing any services to the child. A parent can withdraw consent for Early Intervention evaluations and services at any time. The only time the child's biological parents will not be the ones to sign consent is when a surrogate parent has been appointed by the Early Intervention program. A surrogate parent may be necessary if 1) the biological parent is unknown; 2) after diligent efforts, the whereabouts of the biological parent cannot be ascertained; 3) the biological parent's rights have been terminated in Family Court; or 4) the parent voluntarily appoints a surrogate parent.
Evaluations
Early Intervention evaluations usually take place in the child’s home. Children referred for Early Intervention are evaluated by several professionals. The children receive a general health assessment, including vision and hearing screenings. This can be done by their regular doctor. Their records are reviewed (with parents' consent) by the Early Intervention evaluation team. The team also assesses the children’s strengths and weaknesses in each area of development (physical, speech, language, social-emotional, etc.).
Eligibility
Children from birth to three years of age will be eligible for Early Intervention services if they have a developmental delay or disability.
A developmental delay means that a child has not attained developmental milestones expected for the child’s age in one or more of the following areas of development: cognitive, physical, communication, social-emotional, or adaptive development. The age of a child will be adjusted for prematurity. A developmental delay is defined as:
A disability is a physical or mental condition (such as down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, vision or hearing impairment) that has a high probability of causing a developmental delay.
IFSP Meeting
After the child has been evaluated, the Initial Service Coordinator will arrange for a meeting with the parent. At this meeting, the team will decide if the child is eligible for services. If so, they will draft an Individualized Family Service Plan. An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is a written plan for the Early Intervention services the child will receive. It should state what services will be provided, who will provide services, when, where and how often services will be provided. The IFSP should involve the parent in the process as much possible. The IFSP meeting is usually held in the Regional Early Intervention office. The IFSP must be completed within 45 days of the initial referral unless the parent stops the process.
Early Intervention services end during the year that a child turns three years old. If a child turns 3 between January 1 and August 31, the child can stay in the program until August 31 of that calendar year if she is found eligible for pre-school special education services before her third birthday. If the child turns 3 between September 1 and December 31, the child can stay in the program until December 31 of that calendar year if she is found eligible for pre-school special education services before her third birthday.
The Early Intervention Service Coordinator will review the steps needed to transition your child from Early Intervention to Preschool Special Education. The parent or the Service Coordinator should send in a written request for evaluations to the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE) at least 3 months before the child’s 3rd birthday. Click here for more information on the CPSE process.
If a parent has a disagreement with the Early Intervention staff at any stage of the process or if the Early Intervention Program is not providing the services listed on the child’s IFSP, the parent should speak to the Service Coordinator. The parent can also reach out to the appropriate Early Intervention borough director.
Brooklyn
Linda Carmichael
(718) 722-3310
Bronx
Ireti Bobb
(718) 410-4110
Manhattan
Jeanette Gong
(212) 487-3920
Queens
Agatha Guadagno
(718) 271-1003
Staten Island
Catherine Ayala
(718) 420-5350
If these steps fail, the parent also has the right to: