Early ACCESS: Partnership resources to help children grow and develop
You may have heard of Early ACCESS. It’s a partnership that provides resources to help children grow and develop.
As a parent, if you have a concern about your infant or toddler’s growth and development, you’ll do anything to make sure your child has access to any and all services available to help them.
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) work with public health organizations, human services organizations and the Child Health Specialty Clinics to assist families with children, ages birth to three years old.
Your AEA helps identify children that need special assistance and then coordinates services and resources your child may need to help them grow and develop.
By contacting your local AEA, the family and service coordinators begin their work in identifying and addressing specific family concerns as they relate to your child’s growth and development.
In addition, broader family needs are explored and can be addressed by other community organizations and resources.
All services provided to the child are in a natural environment such as the home or other community setting with children of similar ages and needs.
The scope of the services provided are as varied as the unique personalities of each child, and can include the following:
- Service coordination
- Screenings, evaluation and assessments
- Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP)
- Assistive technology
- Audiology
- Family training and/or counseling
- Health services
- Medical evaluations to determine eligibility
- Nursing
- Nutrition
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Psychology
- Social Work
- Special Instruction
- Speech-Language Therapy
- Vision
- Transportation
An infant or toddler under the age of three is eligible to receive services through the Early ACCESS programs if they meet the following requirements:
- They have a condition or disability that is known to have a high probability of later delays if early intervention services are not provided, or
- They are already experiencing a 25 percent delay in one or more areas of growth or development.
There are no costs to families for the following Early ACCESS functions:
- service coordination activities
- evaluation and assessment activities to determine eligibility or to identify the concerns, priorities and resources for the family
- or development and review of the Individualized Family Service Plan
If other services are needed, a service coordinator will work with the family to determine costs and arrangement of payment, which may include sliding fee scales or they may be provided free to the family.
For more information about receiving Early ACCESS services for your child, contact the AEA (the Iowa Area Education Agency Office) in your area and ask to speak to a representative in the Early ACCESS department.
Click here to access a podcast about Early ACCESS services.
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