The Economic Progress Institute supports Representative Carson’s H 5164, which would establish a task force, managed by the Children’s Cabinet, to develop recommendations to improve access to early intervention and early childhood special education services, and direct the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to seek $250,000 to support this work.
All children deserve equal access to high-quality education. For babies and young children with disabilities or developmental delays, Rhode Island’s Early Intervention program - which provides free developmental and educational support for children under the age of three - is a critical piece of achieving equal access to high-quality education. Early Intervention has been proven to have lasting beneficial effects throughout a child’s life with improving socioemotional development, academic performance, and employment outcomes. However, babies and young children are not able to get their needs met through Early Intervention due to service delays and inadequate staffing. As of January 2025, there were almost 300 infants and toddlers waiting for Early Intervention services an average of 104 days, in violation of federal and state requirements.
A public-private early education IDEA services taskforce would develop a plan for a coherent system of educational and developmental services for babies and young children with developmental delays and disabilities. The Economic Progress Institute urges passage.