Pennsylvania’s Pre-school Early Intervention (EI) Program serves over 50,000 children (ages 3-5) who have disabilities and/or developmental delays.

What is Early Intervention?

Pre-School Early Intervention is:

• Program for children ages 3-5 who have developmental needs and/or disabilities.
• Administered by the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) through a collaborative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS).
• Primarily funded through state allocations in the DHS budget (a portion is federally funded).
• 80% of children in Pre-school EI are served by Intermediate Units (IUs) who are contracted via OCDEL to provide EI services.
• Mandated program for ALL pre-school children with disabilities who seek them under state and federal law*.

Services that may be offered in Early Intervention Programs:

• Speech and Language Therapy
• Behavior Plans and Modifications
• Audiology Services
• Special Education Instruction
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy
• Autism Services
• Psychological Evaluations

State and Federal law* requires Pre-School Early Intervention providers to:

• Proactively find children that might need EI services.
• Evaluate all children who might need EI services.
• Serve ALL children with qualifying delays and/or disabilities.
• Provide services at NO COST to children and/or families.

Current Challenges Facing Pre-school EI Programs

• The number of services children require and receive has increased dramatically resulting in multiple high-cost services per child.
• Providers by law can’t decline to serve additional children, even if the cost to serve the children exceeds the original funding allocation.
• Federal funds (School Based Access) that supports the EI program have drastically decreased throughout the years.
• Program operational costs have increased (facilities, transportation, salaries and pension).
• The 2020-2021 Pennsylvania state budget only funded EI for five months (through Nov. 30, 2020). Note: other education services that fall under PDE were fully funded (PreK-12); EI falls under the PA Health and Human Services budget, which was only partially funded.

What Needs to Happen

In order to continue to provide mandated* services to our most vulnerable children, the legislature needs to pass an amended state budget that fully funds Pre-School Early Invention Services through June 30, 2021.

Education Stakeholders Send Letter to PA General Assembly

On Oct. 13, 2020, fifteen (15) education stakeholders sent a letter to the PA General Assembly asking for their support in fully funding Early Intervention Services through 6/30/2021. 

PAIU members: visit the EI Advocacy page for more information (log-in required) 

UPDATE:  The General Assembly passed, and the Governor signed, an amended FY2020-2021 state budget that fully funds and adds a 3.5 percent increase for EI services through June 30, 2021. Thank you to the legislature for recognizing the need for EI services for our most vulnerable students. 

*Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); PA Act 212 of 1990