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In this issue:

Part H

Early Intervention is a Bargain
and Keeps Families Together

Part H PULLS ALL EARLY INTERVENTION COMPONENTS TOGETHER and PROMOTES COLLABORATION AMONG AGENCIES and FAMILIES

Part H Is an amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1986.

This legislation recognizes the benefits of early intervention, provides Federal assistance as an incentive for states to build systems of service delivery, and recognizes the unique role of families in the development of their children who have disabilities.

Part H Is a program that has proved its worth in Minnesota by demonstrating high quality coordinated services for several years.

Part H COSTS LESS THAN OTHER ALTERNATIVES

In 1980 Minnesota served 880 children
The cost was $20.4 million and 830 children were placed out of home

In 1990 Minnesota served 2118 children Because of early intervention only 291 were placed out of home and the cost was only $24.3 million

Minnesota cannot afford to lose a program like PART H.

Why hasn't Minnesota approved Year 5 of Part H???

Some People Still Have Questions About:

1. entitlement
2. eligibility
3. flexibility
4. responsibility for unanticipated or disputed costs
5. cost implications

Here are the Answers....

1. Part H is Not a Typical Entitlement Program !!
   • Only core services are to be provided to eligible families at no cost.
   • Other required services may be completely or partially offset by third party sources or parental co-payments when applicable.
   • Only services defined in an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) must be provided.
     
2. Part H is for a limited population with strict eligibility criteria !!
   • Only about 2,500 children qualified for services in 1992-1993.
   • Only children O to 3 years who demonstrate significant disabilities.

And, what if there are "many" children who have not been identified and are not receiving services? It is certainly not Minnesota's goal to keep them hidden so we don't have to meet their needs!

3. Flexibility

Federal regulations allow each state to fashion its own program !!

• Of forty-four states so far involved, no two programs are exactly alike.
• Local IEICs have broad discretion... in how they spend Part H money. in designating a local lead agency (need not be the same agency as the state lead agency)
• Minnesota has the right to withdraw... if the requirements are too onerous, or if actual costs exceed anticipated costs.

4. No one state agency will be responsible for paying unanticipated or disputed costs !!

Proposed legislation provides a system for paying unanticipated costs and clearly defines agency responsibility for resolution of disputes.

5. There will be significant cost implications if we do not move now !!

According to an independent fiscal study commissioned by the Legislature:

Failure to Move Into Year 5 in 1994 Means

• THE END OF MINNESOTA'S PARTICIPATION IN PART H
• THE LOSS OF AT LEAST 3.9 MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR

But...parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities have come to know and appreciate the family-centered services and will continue to demand them. (The fiscal study reports that 98% of families surveyed were satisfied with the services.)

What Will the Cost Implications Be? ...If we Lose Federal Support

If we fail to move to YEAR 5 PART H...

• It will cost Minnesota an additional 2.4 million dollars each year just to continue the existing early intervention service
  • requiring new state or local revenues.
• We risk a return to a non-system with poor coordination and costly duplication of services.

If We Do Not Provide These Early Intervention Services....

• Minnesota's costs will probably be greater.
• More children may require expensive out of home care.

We can no longer wait!

The children and families who need these services cannot wait.

Today's infant or toddler will be in school soon.

If we have not provided comprehensive/coordinated early intervention services for these children and families:

• the education system will be faced with greater disability-related problems that could have been attended to earlier,
• the social service system will be dealing with complicated family issues that develop after several years of frustration and disappointment, and
• the courts will be dealing with children and families that just don't fit into the non-system.

FACT FIND CONCLUDES

Minnesota cannot afford to reject Year 5 of Part H.

Fact Find is published by the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), University of Minnesota, 40 Education Sciences Building, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN, 55455

ceed@umn.edu (email)
http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed (Web)

CEED provides information regarding young children (birth to age eight), including children with special needs, in the areas of education, child care, child development, and family education. CEED activities include research, training, and publications geared toward improving professional practices, supporting parents, and informing policy development.

The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator. The College of Education and Human Development is committed to recruiting, enrolling, and education a diverse population of students who represent the overall composition of our society. This publication is available in alternate formats upon request.

Copyright © 2004 by Center for Early Education and Development

These materials may be freely reproduced for education/training or related activities. There is no requirement to obtain special permission for such uses. We do, however, ask that the following citation appear on all reproductions:

Reprinted with permission of the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, 40 Education Sciences Building, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455; phone: 612-625-2898; fax: 612-625-6619; e-mail: ceed@umn.edu, web site: http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed.