Early Intervention is a Strong Investment for Ohio’s Children

By Kathy Lawton, PhD, BCBA-D, Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Erica Wallace, Ohio Association of County Boards

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During the first three years of a child’s life, every interaction and responsive experience strengthens the foundation for future development, learning, and well-being. Early Intervention services offer children and families the support they need when it matters most.

Early Intervention is more than a program – it’s a proven investment in stronger families, healthier communities, and reduced long-term costs in education, social services, and healthcare. By helping families build confidence and competence to support their children’s development within everyday routines, EI transforms early challenges into lifelong opportunities for success

Every day in Ohio, Early Intervention (EI) is transforming the lives of real families and laying the foundation for a lasting impact on long-term development and improved outcomes for families over their lifetime. Here are just a few examples of recent Early Intervention experiences in Franklin County:

• The Early Intervention Service Providers and Service Coordinator partnered with the family every step of the way helping them navigate complex medical referrals, coordinating with specialists, and providing the encouragement and information they needed to make confident decisions about their child’s care. Together, they secured a specialized eye surgery designed to grow with the child until age 20. Because of this early support, his vision has greatly improved he now only needs glasses, sees clearly, and is thriving. This story shows the heart of Early Intervention and why it’s such a powerful investment by stepping in early, we can change the trajectory of a child’s life and potentially prevent the need for future special education or long-term developmental supports

• The Early Intervention team supported a mother who was nervous about going into the community with her daughter, who struggles with outbursts. The provider did a library visit with mom. Mom witnessed her daughter interacting with other kids for the first time and was also able to connect with another mom of a child with autism. Mom ended the visit feeling uplifted and encouraged.

• During a recent visit with a family, a child signed “more” for the first time to request a favored activity. Dad was so excited and started immediately texting the good news to his family!

• A child made a word approximation for the first time during an intervention session, and she was so happy because she previously thought he wasn’t talking at all.

Actual stories like these are living examples of the power of Early Intervention.

Early Intervention is not just a support service, it’s a strategic, evidence-based investment in the future of Ohio’s children and families.  Early Intervention (EI) services play a critical role in supporting the healthy development of infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. In Ohio, children are eligible for EI if they have a diagnosis likely to result in a developmental disability or delay, or a developmental evaluation was administered and indicates a developmental delay or through informed clinical opinion

After eligibility is determined, a child and family-directed assessment (FDA) are conducted. The child assessment, conducted by qualified personnel, identifies the child’s functional strengths and needs across key areas such as communication, physical (including vision, hearing, gross and fine motor), social-emotional development, and cognition. The family-directed assessment identifies the families’ priorities and concerns.   

The team, including the family, then uses comprehensive information from the assessment process to develop unique outcomes to address the child’s needs and family’s priorities.  Next, the team identifies the early intervention services needed to meet these outcomes and identifies the best primary service provider (PSP) to deliver the services.  All this information is incorporated into the child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

Timely and comprehensive eligibility determination, assessments, and IFSP development ensures children receive the services they need as early as possible. Every family has access to a team of professionals, with one serving as the primary service provider (PSP). The PSP provides intervention services in the family’s natural environment using familiar people in familiar contexts and brings in other service providers as needed to achieve the family-identified priorities.

Throughout a family’s Early Intervention experience, an Early Intervention Service Coordinator (EISC) is the central point of contact supporting the family through the EI process. The EISC coordinates the eligibility and assessment process and development of the IFSP, monitors ongoing service delivery to ensure services are delivered consistently with the IFSP, connects families to appropriate services and resources, and ensures consistent follow-up and support throughout their EI journey.

A large body of research shows that Early Intervention works. Early Intervention is consistently acknowledged to be an effective way to improve the long-term developmental outcomes of young children and families (Perez & Rios, 2024). Early Intervention supports the development for families of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences (Tollan, Jezrawi, Underwood, & Janus, 2023) and with children who possess a spectrum of impairments (Lee, 2004; Teacher Institute, 2025). Of note, Early Intervention can reduce long-term Special Education placements by 50% and supports overall kindergarten readiness (Linder, 2025).

By identifying delays early and connecting families to the right supports through EI, we can reduce the need for more intensive—and more expensive—services later in life. This not only improves individual outcomes, but also contributes to cost savings for schools, healthcare systems, and communities. Decades of research have consistently shown that the upfront financial investment of early intervention saves society money long-term (Linder, 2025; WHO, 2018).  Early intervention programs can produce cost savings of up to $17 for every $1 spent by reducing the need for later special education and health services (Linder, 2025).

To ensure Early Intervention services are timely, effective, and accessible to families across Ohio, sustained and sufficient funding is essential. Without it, programs may not be able to meet growing demand or deliver the high-quality support that young children and their families need during this critical period of development.

We recognize and appreciate the State of Ohio’s recent investment in Early Intervention, particularly the increase in funding to support service coordination and evaluation. This step demonstrates the state’s commitment to young children and their families, and it’s already making a difference in local communities.

Ohio has taken important and commendable steps by increasing funding for EI, particularly in the areas of service coordination and evaluation. These increases reflect a growing recognition of how critical it is to reach children early and provide comprehensive, family-centered care. These investments are already helping to stabilize service delivery and ensure more equitable access across counties.

However, continued and sustained funding growth is necessary. As demand for services increases—due to greater awareness, population changes, and growing developmental needs—we must ensure that the EI system can keep up.

No eligible family can be turned away, or experience delays due to insufficient resources. Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and every family should have access to the support they need during these crucial early years.

By continuing to invest in Early Intervention, Ohio is not only supporting today’s families, but also laying the groundwork for a healthier, more resilient, and more productive future for all.

Works Cited

Lee, M. (20204) NCACIA: National Crimes Against Children Investigators Association https://www.ncacia.org/post/why-early-intervention-is-key-to-preventing-child-abuse-and-neglect. Accessed 9/24/25.

Linder, J. (2025). Early intervention boosts development, saves costs, and improves lifelong skills. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org-early-intervention-statistics/.

Perez, M. & Rios, N. (2024). The effectiveness of early intervention programs for children with special needs. Journal of Literacy and Education, 4, 14-18.

Teacher Institute (2025). The critical role of early intervention for Multiple Disabilities: https://teachers.institute/disability-intro/early-intervention-multiple-disabilities/. Accessed 9/24/25.

Tollan, K., Jezrawi, R. Underwood, K., Janus, M. (2023). A review on early intervention systems. Current Developmental Disorders Report, 10, 147-153.

WHO: World Health Organization, 2018. Nurturing care for early development: A framework for helping children survive and thrive to transform health and human potential.

Mission and Key Principles of Early Intervention: Mission and Key Principles | Ohio Early Intervention