Here's What You Need to Know About Early Intervention in Central IL

Early Intervention or EI is among the most successful early childhood programs but can go unnoticed unless you are the parent, caregiver or grandparent of a child aged birth to three years with a special need. When children with developmental delays are identified as early in life as possible, resulting interventions are more effective and less costly.  High quality early intervention services can change a child’s developmental trajectory and improve long-term outcomes for children, families and their communities.

Created in 1986 through IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part C), Early Intervention is a federal program implemented at the state level and funded by both the federal and state governments. In Illinois, Early Intervention goes by the name, Child and Family Connections, and although similar in all fifty states, it operates under a different name in each state.  Twenty-five Child and Family Connections offices are geographically spread across the state and each offers the same services.  Families and caregivers are served by the CFC office located in their own community

In Central Illinois, Child and Family Connections (CFC) offices #14 and #16 act as the single point of entry into the Early Intervention system.  Any child aged birth to three years with a suspected developmental delay can be referred by anyone—physician, parent, grandparent, foster-parent, daycare provider-- to the local Child and Family Connections office for a free evaluation. If a 30% or greater delay is identified in a specific developmental area (speech, walking, etc), the child becomes eligible for specific therapies including speech/language, physical, occupational, developmental and many others.

Common developmental delays by 12 months include:

• Not crawling
• Not able to stand when supported
• Lack of single words like “mama” or “dada”
• Not pointing to objects
• Not seeking items the child saw you hide
• Not learning gestures like waving goodbye or shaking head

If a child is not meeting these or other developmental milestones before the age of three a referral to the local CFC office is warranted.

A comprehensive list of early developmental milestones through the first 5 years of a child’s life can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Learn the Signs. Act Early” website.  Additional milestones lists and a free online developmental screening tool can be found at “Make The First Five Count”.  Operated by Easterseals, the Make The First Five Count screening results are shared with your local Easterseals office.  If the results indicate a likely delay or disability, Easterseals will discuss the results with the parent/caregiver, and refer the child to the appropriate Child and Family Connections office.   CFC staff will reach out to the family, explain the voluntary Early Intervention programs, and its benefits so parents/caregivers can then access free evaluations and plan for appropriate therapy if necessary.  

Early Intervention for young children with delays, disabilities, and other special needs has been repeatedly demonstrated to:

• improve and enhance child development;
• empower families with children with delays and special needs to understand and support any needed therapeutic interventions; and
• lay a foundation that will improve the life of the child, and help them attain their fullest potential.

Early Intervention may reduce the need for specialized instructional support (Special Education) during a child’s school years.  Research has repeatedly demonstrated that every dollar invested in Early Intervention returns more than seven dollars in prevented future educational and societal expenses.  Positive early experiences are essential for later success in school, the workplace, and the entire community. Early Intervention makes that possible for thousands of children across Central Illinois and is an excellent return on investment.

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