This petition was created by Illinois EI parents: Kesha Harris, Erika Reffett, and Stephanie Jimenez. Anyone who cares about infants and toddlers with disabilities and delays can sign this petition to support Illinois EI families! 

What is the problem?

As parents and caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays, we know firsthand the impact that Early Intervention (EI) services (such as speech, developmental, occupational, and physical therapies) can have on our children, especially when accessed early and in a timely manner. We have seen the incredible progress our children have made, including being able to stand and walk unassisted, start to communicate, and even no longer needing special education services later on. For many of us, Early Intervention is the reason our children were able to defy the odds when we were always told what they couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to do. The parent education, support, and coaching our families have received has been invaluable, and Early Intervention is the reason we are not just surviving, but thriving.

This is why we are deeply concerned that, across Illinois, thousands of families are on waiting lists for Early Intervention, unable to access critical therapy services that they are legally entitled to receive, and hundreds more are waiting each month to complete the intake/evaluation process and receive a service plan.

Despite an Illinois law that requires services to begin within 30 days of parental consent to their child’s service plan, we are being forced to wait months or even a year for services. During this time, our children may turn three and become ineligible for the Early Intervention program without ever being able to access the care that we need. We know that EI services are most effective when provided during the first three years of a child’s life—a unique window of time in which our children's developing brains are most capable of change. Our babies can’t wait!

Why is this happening? 

Waiting lists for services are historically high right now, primarily due to a shortage of providers and service coordinators. EI providers continue to leave the system because the math doesn’t add up for them to stay. While providers have received some rate increases in recent years, they have not been enough to keep up with inflation. Most therapists must cover their own health insurance and travel costs, both of which continue to increase. The system has lost hundreds of EI providers over the past five years, and providers continue to leave the field to work in other settings that offer higher pay. With this loss of providers and inability to bring in enough new providers across the state, there is a need for significant long-term investment both to maintain the system and to recruit and retain the workforce so that our infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities have more equitable access to the EI services they need. 

What are we asking for?

The Illinois General Assembly has an opportunity to address the Early Intervention program’s stubbornly high service delays and workforce crisis. Join us in urging Governor Pritzker and the Illinois General Assembly to prioritize a significant investment for Early Intervention in the state’s 2026 Fiscal Year budget, and sustained annual investments for EI in Illinois’ Smart Start plan. This would allow the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) to address immediate and future program needs to ensure that our babies get the support that they need and are entitled to have. Funding can be used immediately to increase compensation for providers and service coordinators and improve the referral and evaluation process for families. Without immediate action, more therapists will leave the program entirely, causing further harm to our infants/toddlers with delays or disabilities. Help us get the funding we need to get our babies off waiting lists for EI! 

Note: By completing this petition, you will be opted-in to receive news and email updates from Raising Illinois, a coalition of advocates working to meet the needs of Illinois’ expecting families, infants and toddlers by expanding access to more affordable and equitable high-quality learning experiences, health services and economic supports. You can unsubscribe from these emails at any time.

Note: Please support Illinois Families for Early Intervention, Inc - a 501(c)(3) non-profit co-founded by parent advocates working to advance Early Intervention in the State of Illinois.