Early Intervention B/VI

Ohio's Early Intervention Support and Services

Ohio's Early Intervention (EI) is a statewide system that provides coordinated early intervention services to parents of eligible children under the age of three with developmental delays or disabilities. EI is grounded in the philosophy that young children learn best from familiar people in familiar settings. Every family served in EI will have a local EI team that consists of a service coordinator, service providers, and your family. Your team works with you in your home or other places you and your family spend time to develop a coordinated plan called an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). You and your team will work through your IFSP plan to use your existing supports and resources—and build upon them—to learn to enhance your child’s learning and development.

Services and special education are given to those who are eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This is a federal law that is divided into three sections: Part A, B, and C. Part A explains the specifics of the law. Part B addresses services for children between the ages of 3-21 via an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Part C is the section in which services are addressed to children birth to age 3 via an Individualized Family Service Program (IFSP).

Once you have contacted EI, a service provider will evaluate your child to determine your child’s eligibility and service needs. A medical diagnosis from an ophthalmologist may be useful along with the results of other assessments/evaluations.

Keep personal copies of all documentation pertaining to your child. Especially medical, ocular, and EI-related documents. Around the time your child approaches 2.5 years of age, the IFSP team should meet to talk about the transition into school services and an IEP.

Click here to access Ohio Early Intervention Services or call (800) 755-4769.

Want a more detailed overview about early intervention?

Check out the Red TreeHouse, a program at the Ronald McDonald House® of Cleveland, Inc. (RMH). Redtreehouse.org is Ohio's online resource supporting the well-being of Ohio’s families and children with challenges, disabilities, and health care needs. It was created to provide a welcoming and vibrant online community for families and professionals to explore and connect to resources and supports for children and young adults.

Would you like more information about Early Intervention Resources in Ohio?

Now you have an easy way to access all things related to early childhood in Ohio's state agencies! This site is a resource for all people interacting with young children — whether a parent, grandparent, caretaker, teacher, child care provider — there is valuable information for all. The Bold Beginning! website provides all this for you.

Explore information about Ohio’s available early childhood programs and services for children, families, and communities in Ohio. It also includes a list of developmental milestones. Milestones are skills or abilities that children are typically able to do by a certain age, such as smiling, crawling, and communicating. The way your child learns, plays, and behaves will provide clues about your child’s cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development. Developmental milestones are important, because they can indicate whether or not your child would benefit from early intervention. If your child is having challenges with any of the milestones, consult your child’s pediatrician and consider contacting Early Intervention (see above) for support. Anyone can make a referral for early intervention, including parents. EI will assist you with your child’s developmental skills.

Would you like to locate Early Care and Education Programs?

Ohio’s Child Care Find section of Ohio’s Bold Beginnings website provides a searchable database for early care and education programs to meet your needs. You also can learn more about a Programs' licensing status, Step Up To Quality rating (a tiered quality-rating and improvement system for early learning and development programs in Ohio), and inspection results.

Want to learn more about your child’s development?

Check out these developmental charts to help you monitor your child’s progress. WonderBaby.org provides guidance charts for the development of children who are B/VI.