PLEASE DO NOT CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY - THIS ONLY GOES BACK TO CHANGE.ORG AND DOES NOT GO TO EI CO.

SHARING IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO TO GET THE WORD OUT!

We, the undersigned, urge immediate action to protect Colorado’s Early Intervention (EI) Program, which provides life-changing services for infants and toddlers (ages 0-3) with developmental delays and disabilities. A recently discovered $4 million budget shortfall this year and potential funding cuts in 2025-2026 threaten essential services, leaving our most vulnerable children without critical support and forcing highly trained providers out of the field.

Proposed Cuts for Children:

• Limit therapy sessions to just 4 hours per month, regardless of clinical need or medical complexity.
• Kids turning 3 on/after May 1, 2025, will receive 1 hour of therapy per month until preschool starts.
• For children on Medicaid: restrict services to only occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech services and prohibit access to greatly-needed essential disciplines such as:
  • Nutrition (RD)
  • Social Emotional providers (LCSW)
  • Behavior Analysts (BCBA)
  • Developmental Interventionists (DI)
  • Early Childhood Special Educators (ECSE)
  • Teachers of the Deaf (ToDs)/hearing (CHIP)
  • Vision services
• Delay starts of services for newly eligible children by up to 28 day
• Loss of assistive technology support

Proposed Cuts for Providers:

• Slashing services means dramatically reduced caseloads and income
• No payment for cancellations or no-shows
• No payments for new provider training, follow-up surveys, or the $30 stipend for Medicaid-billed speech/language sessions.
• No Mileage or Travel Reimbursement
• Loss of ability to collaborate professionally on interdisciplinary teams

Why This Matters:

Restriction on Services: Children will be restricted to just 4 hours of therapy per month, regardless of medical complexity. Families will be forced to choose between essential services like feeding therapy and motor skill development.

Disenfranchising Medicaid Families: Children on Medicaid will lose access to Registered Dietitians, vision specialists, social-emotional providers, and developmental interventionists, widening health disparities.

Shift Responsibility to the School System: If Early Intervention services are reduced as proposed, the responsibility of supporting children with unaddressed developmental challenges will shift to the school system. Schools are already underfunded, and teachers are not equipped to manage classrooms with a high number of IEPs. There are also not enough in-school providers to meet the current demand. 

Loss of Trained Specialists: Over 1,000 specialized EI providers risk losing their caseloads, their livelihoods, and their passions - with no legal protections. Many counties already have provider shortages and long waitlists—these cuts will make rebuilding our highly skilled EI workforce nearly impossible.

We Demand Action:

• Immediately bridge the $4 million funding gap to prevent service disruptions - whether state funded or via private/endowment funds.
• Increase the EI budget for FY 2025-2026 to maintain and expand critical services.
• Protect full access for children with Medicaid to all EI disciplines, including nutrition, vision, and social-emotional support
• Early intervention is not optional—it is a legal right through IDEA and an investment in Colorado’s future. If these cuts move forward, children will face lifelong consequences, and our state will lose the skilled professionals who support them.

We call on our parents, providers, and legislators, to act now. Sign this petition to protect Colorado’s most vulnerable children!

Please submit questions/concerns directly to CDEC.

For additional information please contact Lenita Hartman at Lenita.Hartman@state.co.us or call EI Colorado at 1-888-777-4041.

Contact Information for anything else - Kendra Dunn, Deputy Director, Office of Program Delivery, Colorado Department of Early Childhood, kendra.dunn@state.co.us.

** PLEASE SHARE AND DO NOT CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY - THIS ONLY GOES BACK TO CHANGE.ORG AND DOES NOT GO TO EI CO **