Effects of ECI cuts

The need for Early Childhood intervention services continues to dramatically increase. We know that healthy care in the first 5 years of a child's life is crucial to their development. Bruce Perry M.D. Ph.D, Senior fellow of Child Trauma Academy, reveals that we are born with an undeveloped brain. During the development of the brain it "oganizes and grows in a sequential fashion" starting with the brain stem. If the child experiences chronic or traumatic stress in the first years of life their brain can become "sensitized, overreactive and dysfunctional" (Bruce Perry). Early intervention with this population of children is crucial in identifying possible delays and stressors due to delays in a child's development. According to Department of Assistive and Rehavilitative Services ECI has been growing around 7% annually. As the number of children needing ECI services increases the budget has remained stagnate creating a gap between service needs and service delivery. With a budget that is shrinking fewer special needs children are being served which inevitably costs the state more money down the road. ECI services are designed to provide upfront services early on which will help offset later costs in special education, diagnostic services, disability services, and juvenile justice services.
Another service provided through ECI is respite care. Respite care is a support service for families to get a needed break to run errands, work or just relax. The funding for respite care has remained the same over the years even with the increasing number of children ECI has served. The ECI program recieves federal funding from the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which mandates that they provide services to all eligible children. DARS reports the ECI service system at the present time is "not sustainable and may not be delivering the benefits to children and families that lessen their dependence on special education and other state services over time." (Dept. of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services.

(DARS) 2012-2013 Legislative Appropriations Request
Bruce Perry Neurosequential Model