States maintaining children with disabilities within child care facilities
In Illinois, a significant bill has been passed by the Legislature this year, requiring hospitals to distribute detailed information on early intervention therapies to families with severely premature infants. The bill, which awaits action by the governor, is part of an ongoing effort to create more awareness about the early identification of infants who need these therapies.
The bill's goal is to ensure that families of premature babies receive the necessary information and guidance on critical therapies they are entitled to. This is particularly important as many families in Illinois and other states are leaving the hospital with no information or guidance on these vital therapies.
The bill also requires the state's early childhood systems to prioritize the early identification of infants who automatically qualify for the therapies due to their low birth weight. This is significant in addressing the issue of children with disabilities and developmental delays being expelled from child care programs, as mentioned in the case of Selina Likely's daughter.
The bill is an example of how journalism can inspire legislative action. The bill was proposed by state Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, in response to a piece published by Sarah Carr, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. This organization provides in-depth, fact-based, unbiased reporting on education, telling the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient.
Similar state initiatives supporting child care for children with disabilities exist across the U.S. Beyond Ohio, programs that pay family caregivers or provide specialized child care grants and technical assistance are common. For instance, Connecticut offers paid family caregiving under several developmental disability waivers, while New York has an OPWDD waiver permitting parents or guardians to provide personal care services for adult children.
Maryland's Therapeutic Child Care Grant Program funds medically based child care for children under 6 years with developmental, physical, social, emotional, or behavioral delays. The Ohio PROMISE program extends child care vouchers with higher reimbursement rates for children with disabilities and invests in multi-level teacher training and support to improve inclusive child care settings.
Federally supported technical assistance networks like the OSEP Early Childhood IDEA Centers provide states with training, resources, and support to implement services under IDEA for children with disabilities from birth through age 21. The National Center for a System of Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) further supports the advancement of coordinated care systems at state and national levels.
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- With the focus on education, the organization's investigation into inequality in education led to a bill in Illinois that aims to support families of premature infants, additionally addressing the issue of mental health by advocating for early identification and intervention therapies.
- In an effort to bridge the gap between science and health-and-wellness, the recently proposed bill in Illinois requires detailed information on early intervention therapies for premature infants, addressing developmental delays and strengthening the state's early childhood systems.
- The bill in Illinois targets the innovative integration of health-and-wellness services by prioritizing the early identification of infants and their access to crucial therapies, addressing not only physical development but also mental health concerns that may arise in their later years.
