Three of Jaclyn Vasquez’s four children were born prematurely and in need of early intervention services, including her 4-year-old twin daughters who spent a total of 19 months in the hospital post-birth to receive all of the available necessary therapies: developmental, occupational, physical, speech, nutrition, vision, orientation and mobility.

Vasquez, a former special education educator and Chicago Public Schools administrator, said sometimes the only available options during the COVID-19 pandemic were to see therapists who could meet with the family via Zoom.

All eligible children — meaning infants and toddlers who have or are at risk of developing disabilities or developmental delays — are federally entitled to early intervention, or EI, services.

EI comprises an array of developmental and social-emotional services like speech and language, occupational and physical therapies and social work that are designed to improve the long-term outcomes of a child and family’s life. Yet roadblocks remain in the way of families who need access to the life-changing resources.

One of the major barriers to access is the lack of providers available.

“We need to make, year over year, significant investments until we get this workforce to an adequate compensation,” said Karen Berman, a senior director of Start Early, a nonprofit that focuses on enhancing the lives of expectant families and children from birth to age 5. “We’re lagging behind all five border states.”

A report published by the organization found that nearly 500 EI providers have left Illinois since 2019. As a result of low staffing, nearly 9% of eligible families have been delayed in receiving services.

“We’ve had many years of compensation neglect for this workforce…,” Berman said. “These providers really need a 50% wage increase in order to pay them a competitive and really livable wage.”

The first three years is a significant developmental window in a child’s life and a major indication in how the rest of that child’s life will turn out.

“Understanding when there’s concerns and intervening early is critical to having the best outcomes in school and in life,” Berman said.

Berman, Vasquez and other advocates are calling on Gov. J.B. Pritzker to increase the state funding going toward early interventions by $60 million by launching a campaign called “Babies Can’t Wait!”

“Not every child is gaining the access that they need or the support they need to ensure (that) child is able to live up to their best potential life outcomes,” Vasquez said. “This funding is necessary and needed for every single family to not just survive, but to thrive.”

Her daughter, who was once unable to crawl, is now walking and even dancing.

Start Early is hosting a rally at 11:30 a.m. Friday at the Federal Plaza in Chicago, 233 S. Dearborn St. To stay informed and up to date, visit raisingillinois.org.

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