The Early Intervention Program

Health | NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)

People with disabilitiesPregnant & new parentsBabyToddler

The Early Intervention Program helps children under age three who have learning disabilities and may need support with things like talking, walking, learning, or playing. The program will work with your family to build a personalized plan with clear goals and services to help your child grow and thrive.

Heads Up

  • EIP is available to all families in New York City regardless of income or immigration status.
  • EIP is free. If you have health insurance, including Medicaid, it may be billed — but you will never pay out of pocket, and your coverage will not be affected.
  • Your child can leave the program at any time. Around the time your child turns two, you and your EIP team will start planning together for what comes next.
  • When your child turns three, they may qualify for preschool special education services through the Department of Education (https://www.schools.nyc.gov/learning/special-education/help/committees-on-special-education) .
  • If your child is not eligible for EIP and is under three, you can enroll them in Early Intervention Developmental Monitoring (https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/early-intervention-developmental-monitoring.page) — a free program that tracks whether your child is meeting milestones for their age.

    • Eligibility

    To be eligible for EIP your child must:

  • Live in New York City.
  • Be under the age of three (up to two years and 11 months).
  • Be evaluated (program staff will help you choose an evaluating agency).

    How to Apply

    Anyone can refer a child up to age three for EIP. To refer a child, you can:

  • Call 311 and say that you want to refer a child to EIP.
  • Refer your child online using the NYC EIP Referral Portal (https://eireferral-nychealth.cityofnewyork.us/nyc/s/?language=en_US) .

    Get Help

  • Call 311 and ask for information on the Early Intervention Program.
  • Visit the Early Intervention program website (https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww1.nyc.gov%2Fsite%2Fdoh%2Fhealth%2Fhealth-topics%2Fearly-intervention.page%3Futm_source%3DGoogle_Search%26utm_medium%3DEnglish%26utm_campaign%3DEarly_Intervention_FY20&data=05%7C02%7Cjlai%40nycopportunity.nyc.gov%7C615426474da646b26d3908de761511db%7C73d61799c28440228d4154cc4f1929ef%7C0%7C0%7C639078030332717136%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=dJkl08fBCvnIi8LLwnet%2FZuPwTV5Twwhak68FsL6Idg%3D&reserved=0) for more information.
  • Text “EI” to 55676 or “TEMPRANA” for Spanish (“TEMPRANA” en Espanol) to sign up for Text to Families
  • Learn about milestones on (https://growingupnyc.cityofnewyork.us/age/2-months/#section-milestones) Growing Up NYC to learn more about your baby’s development.

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