Early Intervention: Information for Providers
The NYC Early Intervention Program is committed to ensuring that children and families receive high-quality services. The program provides technical assistance and program monitoring to ensure that providers adhere to all laws, policies and procedures.
The program also provides support in the use of family-centered best practices for delivery of Early Intervention services to children and families.
How to Become a Provider of Early Intervention Services
You must have a Provider Agreement with the NYS Department of Health to provide service coordination, evaluation or services in New York City. You may provide Early Intervention services in a family’s home or community or in a facility, as approved by the State.
For information on how agencies and individuals can get a Provider Agreement, email bei@health.state.ny.us.
After you receive an Appendix Provider Agreement from the State, email EITA@health.nyc.gov for information on how to get started providing services in NYC.
Resources
- NYC Policy and Procedure Manual, Forms and Oversight Information
- NYC Early Intervention Provider Directories (Excel): These directories list all agencies providing Early Intervention services in New York City. The directories are provided in Excel format so that they can be easily downloaded, sorted and searched.
- Evaluation providers have an agreement with the NYS Department of Health to provide evaluation services to children. Service coordinators are required to ensure that parents are able to select an evaluation provider that meets their needs.
- Information on Family-Centered Best Practices in Early Intervention
- Early Intervention Web-Based Trainings and Other Training Opportunities
Document Transfer System (DTS)
In partnership with Health Department, New York City Public Schools introduced the Document Transfer System. It is a secure, web-based system that allows Early Intervention service coordinators to upload and transmit transition documents electronically to New York City Public Schools.
The Document Transfer System makes the transition from Early Intervention to the Committee on Preschool Special Education more fluid. It provides child and family information to New York City Public Schools in a way that better facilitates the agency's outreach to families.
All service coordinators are required to exclusively use the Document Transfer System to submit transition documents to New York City Public Schools.
- Guide to the Document Transfer System
- Watch: Introduction to the Document Transfer System (DTS) for Service Coordinators
- Watch: Document Transfer System (DTS) Training for Agency Administrators
For questions about the information in these resources, email preschoolSPEDsystemshelp@schools.nyc.gov.
Transition Out of Early Intervention
New York City Public Schools preschool special education services can support children ages 3 to 5 with disabilities or delays in development. These services are provided free of charge to families. Preschool services can help support a child’s learning, speech and language, physical development, social-emotional skills, and other areas. The New York City Public Schools EI Transition Team can assist families and service coordinators with transition issues.
Referrals
Parents, healthcare providers, social service and daycare providers can make a referral to Early Intervention or Developmental Monitoring via the EI Referral Portal. If you unable to use the portal, call 311 and ask for "Early Intervention" to complete the referral by phone.
Early Intervention providers must use the New York State EI-Hub case management system to make referrals. EI Providers are required to complete the EI-Hub Referral training.
- Providers who are approved to submit referrals directly into the EI-Hub should continue to do so.
- If the EI-Hub flags the child as a duplicate, the provider should submit the referral through the Referral Portal.
- EI providers who do not submit referrals directly into the EI Hub should use the Referral Portal.
- No referrals should be submitted via fax once the Referral Portal is available.
Employees of the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), or agencies contracted with ACS, must call the Citywide ACS Referral Hotline at 877-885-KIDZ (877-885-5439) to make a referral to the Early Intervention Program.