What is an Early Intervention Provider?

You may have heard the term “Early Intervention (EI) provider”. What does that mean and who falls under that role? This blog will answer those questions and many more.

Early Intervention (EI) is a program that provides supports and services for infants and toddlers from birth to age three who have developmental delays or conditions that may affect their development. According to federal guidance, children may be eligible for EI if they show delays in one or more areas of development or have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that is likely to result in a developmental delay. The goal of EI is to support young children’s development and help families meet their child’s needs during the early years.

EI providers are individuals, with a variety of professional backgrounds, who provide a range of services for infants and toddlers and their families. Every family in EI is assigned a service coordinator who coordinates all services a family receives (e.g., evaluations, accessing community resources, determining EI providers for eligible services, informing the family of their rights). Some EI providers conduct eligibility evaluations, some provide direct services to the family, and some do both.

Some examples of EI providers include:

• Developmental therapist – focus broadly on global development of the child in all areas
• Developmental therapists/hearing – focus on communication modes, amplification options, literacy, and language acquisition
• Developmental therapist/vision – focus on skills related to a child’s vision loss, focusing on maximizing functional vision
• Developmental therapist/orientation and mobility – focus on body awareness, spatial understanding, and travel skills for children with vision loss
• Nutritionist – focus on nutrition and feeding needs to support developmental progress
• Occupational therapist – focus on fine/small movement motor skills
• Physical therapist – focus on gross/large movement motor skills
• Speech language therapist – focus on communication and oral motor skills (e.g., talking, eating). 

Family-Centered Early Intervention

In Illinois, EI is family-centered, meaning providers work with and guide families to increase their abilities and confidence in supporting their child’s needs and development. This approach ensures children are successful in their home and other natural environments, such as childcare.

In Illinois, family members participate in choosing their early intervention providers. Once a family knows the services they are eligible to receive, they choose from a list of available EI providers. Then, service coordinators connect those EI providers with the family. 

EI providers collaborate with caregivers on supporting the child’s developmental and functional skills using materials the family already owns or can easily create. This is called “bagless” therapy. For example, to practice walking, an EI physical or developmental therapy provider might notice a family has a laundry basket that can be turned upside-down and used as a push walker.

EI services can be provided in several formats:

• In-person: The family and EI provider are physically present in the same location such as a home, childcare center, or clinic.
• Live video visits (LVV): The family and EI provider connect over the internet on an electronic device which allows the family to work with the provider remotely in real time.
• Phone consultation: The family and EI provider review the child’s progress by talking over the phone. 
• Hybrid: EI services are provided by a combination of the above listed choices.

The Vendor Model

Unlike an educator who works for a school district, in Illinois EI providers work under a vendor model. This means that vendors (EI providers) credential independently with the Illinois Department of Human Services rather than being directly employed by the state EI system. Once credentialed, providers enroll as approved vendors who can deliver EI services and bill the state system for those services. Vendors may then be an independent contractor (self-employed managing their own income, taxes, and billing insurance) or may work under an agency who would manage these tasks for them for a fee. 

Becoming an EI Provider

To become an EI provider in Illinois:

• A person needs a bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field, depending on the type of provider they would like to be. For example, to become a developmental therapist, a person needs a degree in a field such as Early Childhood, Deaf/Hard of Hearing or Low Vision, or Child Development. 
• They then need to complete the credentialing application through the Illinois EI system and finish required trainings through the EI Training Program. This process includes submitting documentation of education and licensure (if applicable), completing required orientation and system overview trainings, and meeting other role-specific training requirements before receiving an EI credential.

To become an evaluator:

• A person must first have at least one year of experience as an EI provider, receive their full EI credential, and then complete the evaluation credential application.

For additional information on navigating the requirements for new providers in the Illinois EI System, see the EI Training Program New to EI webpage.

IEL Resources

• Tool Kit: Early Intervention: Resources for Families, Childcare, and Early Childhood Teachers
• Resource List: Early Intervention

Web Resources