The COVID-19 crisis has made delivering early intervention services much more challenging and could exacerbate racial inequities in health and education. But we can only fix what we can measure--so it is vital that states collect and report better data. A survey of state coordinators of early intervention services in fall 2020 focused on Black and…

Just as schools are working to appropriately address K-12 students' unfinished learning caused by the pandemic, early intervention systems are focusing on addressing the missed opportunities the pandemic created for young children and their families. Young children missing these opportunities for early intervention services are potentially at…

This article describes some of the extraordinary accomplishments of the second cohort of states to participate in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Financing Policy Project (IECMH-FPP). The purpose of the IECMHFPP is to support states' advancement of IECMH assessment, diagnosis, and treatment policies that will contribute to the healthy…

Because the earliest years of life are a period of incredible growth, they present an opportunity to shape strong and positive development. Good health, secure and stable families, and positive early learning environments are necessary to foster children's physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development during this significant period. Yet…

Kansas Early Head Start (KEHS) provides comprehensive services following federal Head Start Program Performance Standards for pregnant women and eligible families with children from birth to age 4. KEHS was implemented in 1998 using Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) quality set-aside dollars augmented by a transfer of federal…

Since 1999, Nebraska's Early Head Start Infant/Toddler Quality Initiative has supported Early Head Start (EHS) and community child care partnerships to improve the quality and professionalism of infant and toddler care. EHS programs apply to receive funding to establish partnerships with center-based or home-based child care.The initiative has…

The federal Early Head Start (EHS) program was created in 1994 to address the comprehensive needs of children under age 3 in low-income families and vulnerable low-income pregnant women. In addition to early learning opportunities, EHS's comprehensive early childhood development programs provide children and families with access to a range of…

This 1992-1993 fiscal year performance report provides an overview of Kentucky's early intervention system of building comprehensive services for infants, toddlers, and families. This Part H program has served 1,054 young children who are developmentally delayed or who have an established risk. Highlights are presented of goals, services, and…

This newsletter article describes early identification of children who have hearing impairments in Oregon. Oregon was selected to demonstrate a model system for early identification that had been developed in Utah. A new birth certificate was designed, which enabled the Oregon Health Division to screen for risk factors for hearing loss. A…

This report describes states' eligibility policies for developmentally delayed and at-risk children, aged birth to 3 years to be served under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The report is based on policy analysis of 49 states' eligibility policy documents. Results indicated that the wording in states' definitions…

This paper discusses how the 50 states and 7 jurisdictions that participate in the Part H program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for infants and toddlers define "developmental delay." A table summarizes all the states' and jurisdictions' definitions and their approaches to serving children at risk of having…

This report provides descriptive information on variations in selected features of state and local early intervention systems. Information was gathered from 20 states as part of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS). Results indicate a considerable variation along a number of dimensions, including: eligibility criteria; type…

This report on Colorado's efforts to develop early intervention services for infants and toddlers with special needs and their families begins with a planning matrix displaying the program's philosophical base, methods, and system components. The report points out that the statewide service system should be designed to ensure access for all…

The Better Care for the Babies (BCTB) Project was initiated in April 1989 to help states improve the quality of infant and toddler child care, especially for low-income children whose parents are in the labor force and/or making the transition from welfare to work. The BCTB Project initiated ongoing, negotiated, goal-directed technical assistance…

This paper discusses how states and jurisdictions define "developmental delay" and "at risk" in their definition of eligibility for services to infants and toddlers under Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. It reviews the procedures and criteria used to determine developmental delay and outlines the…