The “Early On Michigan Addendum” to the Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis of the Prenatal to Five System in Michigan was released in January offering important information about Michigan’s Early Intervention (EI) services provided to families with infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Prepared by Prenatal to Five Fiscal Strategies for the Think Babies Michigan Coalition, this report underscores the need for both equitable and effective EI services to be available to all families through Michigan’s Early On system.
The Addendum examines current investments and costs and identifies the future levels of funding needed to ensure consistent high quality service levels for all eligible children. The report analyzes in depth service delivery models as well as the true cost of providing them at the current level of service. The report also examines the additional cost of providing services to support increased service levels to ensure all eligible children can be served.
The “Early On Michigan Addendum” also outlines several recommendations including the need for investing in improving the coordination of services and systems, maximizing existing funding sources, and utilizing the true cost of providing services to inform future state investments. We encourage anyone with a stake in in Michigan’s early intervention system to read the report in full on the Think Babies Michigan Coalition.