Early Intervention - Chicago,IL

It's a federal program, so yes, taxpayers pay. The money spent cuts the amount of money that would be spent if problems were left unaddressed and dealt with later in a child's life.

I think it is case by case. My friend's son was on early intervention when her husband was unemployed and it was free. Once her husband got a job, they had to pay on a sliding scale based on his income. When it was free I am guessing it is payed for by the state.

I would much rather mothers get 'free' testing, even if it is just to save 'mommy worry' than to keep putting it off because they don't have the extra money, or they don't think it's 'bad enough' to justify going through the hassle. (If it goes on a sliding scale, then that is going to add TONS of paperwork, income verification, etc...) The earlier a child is tested and diagnosed, the better the outcome is for the child. It's better to test early and put your mind at ease than to let a problem get really bad. The whole 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure' (or however the saying goes) holds especially true in these situations.

The state, so yes, taxpayers and no it's not totally free. In Tx our deal was if you report to the insurance co then you do not pay for 6months then if they cover your fees they pay if not, then you pay based on your household income after the first 6 months. We paid 50/mo for OT, Speech, Developmental and a Family Therepist, plus we got one respit a year. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

Add ... if it were not for what I thought was "needless testing" when my son was 2 then I would not be where I am today with my son, who is 5 thriving similarly to that of a typical child and will not be living off of MORE of YOUR tax dollars b/c he needs to collect disability and social security from childhood until the day he dies. So, would you rather spend a little here for "needless testing" or spend a lot paying for MY son??

Yes, it's free. I think it works differently depending on which state you are in. I live in California, and kids under 3 years old are evaluated by the local regional center. If you want your child evaluated, all you have to do is call them. No doctor referral is needed.

It is subsidized by state taxes. Each state runs their program slightly differently though so whether or not it is completely free to the user (as it is here in PA) or if it is on a sliding scale, etc, will depend on how that state runs it. But I believe that every state is required to have some kind of EI program.

The concept is that it is much easier - and costs much less - to address developmental problems early. Addressing them after a child starts school ends up costing taxpayers even more, because the school has to provide aids, etc, to address the issues.

Furthermore, is there any mom out there that would call EI 'for no reason save mommy worry'? I know people who have used EI, and every one of them really agonized before calling, because no mom wants to think, even for a moment, that something could be wrong with her baby. I don't know anyone who called JUST because it was free.

Early intervention is mandated by Federal law and is provided by the school district free of charge. It's purpose is to provide evaluation and treatment for conditions that are likely to cause learning disabilities.

There is another program for children older than 3 that is also free.

Call your local school district main office and ask for information.

After you SWH: Of course, it's the taxpayers that pay for it. It's part of the Federal plan, "No Child Left Behind." It's a great program that provides services and treatment for children who either already have learning disabilities or who have behaviors that indicate that if an intervention is not done, will have learning disabilities. It does it's best to insure school success for everyone.

Later: An evaluation isn't done just because parents ask for it. They screen all requests and only evaluate those who fit certain criteria.

To clarify the free part in Oregon. The evaluation and treatment given by the school district were free to my grandson. At a meeting school district staff and my grandson's parents decided that he would benefit from additional services given by private providers. Those were paid for by a combination of his private health insurance and co-pays. But the basic services are free in Oregon. They are a part of the school district budget. My grandson is in a school for special needs children and continues to receive speech therapy. I think that the Federal government provides some monies to the school districts.

taxpayers; you, your neighbors, your mailman, your bank teller, hair dresser, sales clerks, etc...............your are right NOTHING IS FREE

Not everyone who needs to have their child tested chooses to use Early Intervention. My son is currently receiving (necessary) speech therapy. I was advised by several people to seek services through Early Intervention. While I do know a great deal about EI, I chose to go through our insurance company. I did this because I knew it would be covered, I know that we are very fortunate to have this coverage and I really wanted those tax-payer dollars to go towards someone who genuinely couldn't afford it.

I'm not trying to make myself look good. I just wanted to point out that EI is an extremely necessary use of taxes, and it saves far more money than it uses. If the kids do not receive those services at a young age, they will more than likely need more expensive services later in life.

I do come from a family of educators, several of whom are early childhood educators, so I am surrounded by those who believe very strongly in the benefits of addresses concerns at an early age.

This is not in any way a waste of tax-payer dollars. This is a very important program that makes a big difference in the lives of many children!!!

Yes, it is free for children 0-3 then it transitions to the school. It is government and privately funded.
You just contact the local program in your area and ask for an eval.
edit:
one said in TX it is not completely free. Yes it is to the one receiving service unless you are going to a private facility--not an early intervention program.

If your private insurance does not cover it then yes it is taxpayer funded. You pay your portion on a graduated scale. Our insurance did not cover EI for our son so we paid our portion based on income, the rest was state funded. Great program and our son benefited from the PT and Speech therapy.

I think that anyone with "mommy worry" can call to inquire early intervention services. Many times a pediatrician will refer based on their own observations.

Your SWH is curious... is it your impression that a large population of people are needlessly using the "free services" because they are unnecessarily concerned about their child's development?

I don't see everyone asking for it when there's no real need.... rather the opposite. Many people are not aware of the services or of the fact that their child might not be developing properly or that there are things that can be done to help them "catch up."

Can you elaborate on your question?

I am not sure, but is "early intervention" the same as a "pre k screening"? Maybe every area calls it something different, I was just wondering since you seem to be getting a wide range of answers. My daughter goes to a public pre K school through the school district in a a "low income" area. I did inquire about a pre k screening and discovered she had a problem hearing in her right ear and needed some speech therapy. The pre k screening, school enrollment and speech therapy cost me nothing out of my pocket. It is funded, in part, by property tax monies that we pay... just as all public schools are.

I am furious!!!
Early Intervention is NOT FREE! When the four screeners came from Early Intervention, for the "free evaluation" (that was the only thing that was free), they told us that, if our son qualifies, the sessions would be based on our combined annual salaries. After I provided all of our finances and income tax history for our household of six (6), they told us we would pay $30 per month for the "participation family membership" in the program. We started receiving invoices for $100 per month immediately (last February), and then we began receiving invoices for about $71., for each session, from the agency that sent the providers. My co-ordinator told me to wait for the bills to pass through my insurance (UHC PPO didn't pay a dime--$1500 deductable for EA!), and then my portion would be reassesed. One month, May, the lady didn't show up after repeatedly making and breaking appointments, several times each week.
Beginning June, my husband lost his job (and he is still unemployed without unempolyment)., and at the end of July, my son turned three (we thought we were out of the program!). I was frantic with piles of bills from them, since I am the only one supporting my household of six! Intervention told me that I must pay $100 for every month (even the month that no one showed up), but they would give me a break for July, and charge only $60, possibly because his birthday occurred before the end of the month(?).
Now, to make matters worse--my son is not allowed to attend regular Chicago Public School Preschool. He will be screened, and they intend to keep him in a Special Needs Program. He does not qualify for the regular 2-1/2 hour daily (five day per week) program, and after screening, he will qualify for the single session per week Special Needs Program. He has now been labeled "Special Needs"! His only problem was chewing and swollowing, and a slight delayed speech, due to a bilingual home. We now send him a couple of days per week to a private preschool (we now have an equity loan!!!), and he eats without any issues with his classmates, and speaks both languages quite well. My husband wants to move out of Chicago to get out of the system!
MAYBE, if no one in the household is employed and the family is on food stamps, it could be free. But don't ever believe that ANYTHING from the government is free, and WITHOUT strings attached!

It is free. However, they will ask about insurance. It is great and you must have it before your child turns 3. After 3 years old, they do not come to the house, you must go to the nearest school.
Yes, it is a state-funded program. So you have already paid for it somewhere along the way.. via taxes.

I know if I had gone ahead with an evaluation it would have been completely free to my family and the school district would have paid for it, which means taxpayer dollars. The teacher who wanted the evaluation done bitched that it was a "state money thing" when I told her the district head advised us to wait. Uh, yeah - New York State is not really rolling in the dough at the moment. Ironically, it was a private school, which is somehow able to tap into public school services for these types of early intervention situations.

Beyond evaulations, I'm not sure. Probably a blend of public and private funding.

BTW, not downing early intervention - just unnecessary testing!

it is a federally funded program they get part of their money back from the insurance companies ex money for speech therapies. I am not sure but it is funded by the school boards. just like grade school, jr high and high school.

I suppose for some that it might be free. However, our experience is that we end up paying a portion of the fees as determined by our combined incomes. The state pays (when it gets around to it) any balance to the service providers.

In Illinois, it is not provided for free. If you have private insurance, you must use that first. Whatever is not covered by your insurance is paid by the family, based on income. We never received any services for free. I'm sure there are some families that have such low income that pay little to nothing. Services can vary greatly in Illinois from county to county, but participants are required to pay something.

All school systems are required by laws to provide free services to all the children in their school district if they need special services. It is part of the schools budget and where their money comes from is various places. Taxes pay a minimal amount of school costs.

They are required to have a school nurse, should people who are well off have to pay her a fee for taking their child's temperature where a person who has a limited income gets her to do that for free? What about the secretary, if she calls a parent of a well off child to tell them their child had an accident and needs a change of clothes, they should pay her a fee for calling? No, it's part of the budget, part of their job descriptions. And part of the school psychologists job description is to do evaluations and suggest avenues of assistance to those needing more assistance than others. Each child is equal with out looking at their wealth or lack of it. They all get access to the same services.