Dear Friend,
Early childhood development support services like Early Intervention have been a lifeline for millions of babies, toddlers, and families (mine included!) over the years. Yet right now, the Trump administration is moving to reduce and eliminate these critical services for children with disabilities as part of their ongoing efforts to undermine the needs of our nation’s families in favor of billionaires, corporations, and a ridiculous ballroom.
Tell Republican leaders in Congress: protect and fully fund Early Intervention!
Early Intervention is a federal grant program implemented by individual states under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that serves children ages 0-3. It connects infants, toddlers, and their families with appropriate developmental supports before school entry, [1] creating a strong foundation for their future in educational environments and beyond. [2] The most rigorous evidence suggests that Early Intervention services can improve children’s outcomes in areas including cognitive development, language/communication skills, behavior, and motor skills. [3] Other evidence suggests positive outcomes for parental health and wellbeing, such as maternal self-confidence and role satisfaction. [4] The bottom line is that early intervention not only provides critical developmental support to our littlest learners but also supports moms, parents, and families as well.
Raise your Voice for Babies and Toddlers!
Early Intervention services were a crucial resource for my children and me. When my son, Zakir, turned two, his pediatrician suggested Early Intervention when it became clear that he had delays in different areas of his development. I knew that I would take whatever steps my son needed for him to thrive, but I also felt uncertainty and fear as to what the future held for him. Early Intervention ended up not only supporting my son to reach critical developmental goals, they also empowered me as the mother of a neurodivergent child. Program therapists provided weekly speech and developmental intervention services for my son for a year and a half, and during these sessions, they also taught me strategies to incorporate in our day-to-day that helped us BOTH. My son is now thriving in middle school. My second child also received Early Intervention, and just like his big brother, he is excelling socially, emotionally, and mentally. Above is a photo of Zakir and me during our Early Intervention years!
Early intervention has helped millions of families and children like mine over the past few decades, and according to the latest available data, in 2024, approximately 458,920 infants and toddlers aged 0-2 received early intervention services. [5] However, after decades of changing so many lives for the better, this program is now at risk due to President Trump’s FY27 budget, which proposes consolidating part B 619 funds of the IDEA into a single formula grant to states. This would effectively eliminate dedicated funding for personnel training and development of the therapists and staff who deliver these critical services directly to the babies and toddlers who need them. This consolidation of funds could also result in less funding available to infants and toddlers overall as part of the IDEA program, dismantling public education and disability services for babies, toddlers, and children throughout the country.
This is completely unacceptable. CLICK NOW to tell Congress NO to funneling critical funds that children and toddlers with disabilities rely on to a wasteful ballroom and further tax cuts for billionaires!
The Early Intervention program helps provide hundreds of thousands of children and families access to a future where ALL children can have a chance to grow and thrive. Any cuts or moves to eliminate programs like this are simply unconscionable. This is why speaking up together and taking action matters!
Thank you for joining us to protect the services children with disabilities depend on.
– Nadia, Lauren, Nina, Kristin, Donna, and the whole MomsRising.org & MamásConPoder Team
P.S. Will eliminating Early Intervention and/or other disability protections impact your child and/or family? Share your Disability Rights story with us now!
References:
[1][2] The Value of Early Intervention for Infants and Toddlers
[3][4] Prenatal-to-3 Policy Center – Early Intervention Services
[5] Analysis of 2024 IDEA Data Shows Increase in Students Served
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