Below you will find a variety of Illinois-specific resources related to Early Intervention. This page contains the following sections:
The All Kids program offers Illinois' uninsured children comprehensive healthcare that includes doctors visits, hospital stays, prescription drugs, vision care, dental care and medical devices like eyeglasses and asthma inhalers.
Child Find (Look What I Can Do)
Child Find is a continuous process to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with suspected disabilities who may need early intervention or special education services. In Illinois, the Child Find Project provides free public awareness services as part of the comprehensive Child Find system, such as the Family Guide, Family Rights booklet, and brochures on Early Intervention, along with "swag" like magnets, growth charts, pencils, and packed folders.
The Early Intervention Central Billing Office (CBO or EI-CBO) is responsible for processing all billing claims
The purpose of this online course is to help all Illinois Mandated Reporters understand their critical role in protecting children by recognizing and reporting child abuse.
Established in 1937 and administered by the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) is the Illinois Title V agency that provides care coordination for families and children with special health care needs. DSCC, governed by Administrative Rules, helps children grow and develop to the full extent of their abilities.
This directory serves as a statewide resource for families, providers, and other interested groups or individuals to access an array of sources, in accordance with Part C Regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Monitoring ensures that EI providers are meeting state and federal regulations regarding the delivery of Early Intervention services to infants and toddlers.
The Illinois Job Board provides professionals and those interested in careers in early care and education with specific information about early care and education jobs in Illinois and the qualifications needed to apply for them.
(Formerly "89 IL Admin Code 500" or "Rule 500", updated July 1, 2026 to reflect lead agency change from IDHS to IDEC) This Illinois state law provides the operational rules for the Illinois Early Intervention System.
This Child Find Project offers information and resources related to the earliest possible identification of young children and their families who may benefit from early intervention and special education services.
IDEC is the lead agency for the Illinois Early Intervention System as of July 1, 2026. The Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) brings early childhood services under one roof.
The Illinois Subdivision of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is dedicated to promoting parent-professional collaboration, to advocating for policy, planning and best practice in prevention and intervention, and to supporting those who work with or on behalf of infants and young children with special needs and their families by promoting collaboration and communication among organizations, practitioners and family members, innovations in research and the development of new knowledge, dissemination and use of information about research, resources, best practices, and current issues, and professional development through an array of activities and strategies.
The mission and purpose of the Illinois Developmental Therapy Association is to provide the highest quality services to children with disabilities and delays and their families through promoting and supporting the interests of Developmental Therapist.
The Illinois Early Childhood Asset Map (IECAM) provides demographic data on young children and data on early care and education (ECE) services in Illinois. The demographic data include data on population, poverty, language, and working family conditions. ECE data include data on slot-based services such as Preschool for All, Head Start, and child are; and non-slot-based services such as early intervention and Parents Too Soon.
The Illinois Early Learning Project is a source of evidence-based, reliable information on early care and education for parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children in Illinois. They offer a variety of resources in many languages. Additionally, they feature the Illinois Early Learning Guidelines for Children Birth to Age 3, which provides early childhood professionals and policymakers a framework for understanding child development by presenting information on what children know and should do and what development looks like in everyday life.
Another popular resource is the "Tip Sheets" which are easy-to-read, one-page resources on a range of topics for parents and teachers of young children. All Tip Sheets are available in English, Spanish (Español), and Polish. Selected Tip Sheets are available in Arabic, French, Korean, and Simplified Chinese.
The Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse identifies and collects research-based and best-practice early intervention information to share with families. This free lending library for Illinois residents offers a variety of materials for families and professionals. Ask the librarian about the resources available and requesting items, which can be mailed directly to your home.
The Illinois Occupational Therapy Association (IOTA) is the official representative of the occupational therapy profession in the State of Illinois. This website aims to provide information for IOTA members, advertisers, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, students, and consumers.
The mission of the Illinois Physical Therapy Association is to empower its members to advance ethical and professional best practice of physical therapy. This website is designed to provide professional information and information about the practice of physical therapy in Illinois to physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.
Illinois Service Coordination Model and Study
The following documents illustrate the Illinois Service Coordination Model and provide a report of the IL SC Study from 2009:
ISHA's Mission is to support and advocate for speech-language pathologists, audiologists, and the individuals they serve with communication, hearing, and swallowing disorders.
Developed by Provider Connections, these videos are intended to assist EI providers in completing the application(s) necessary to become either credentialed and/or enrolled to provide services in the Illinois Early Intervention System.
Credentialing, enrollment, and technical support to EI providers interested in the credentialing and enrollment process.
A guidebook for all providers in the Illinois Early Intervention System. Includes the Illinois Principles of Early Intervention, important policies and procedures, definitions, and attachments. All providers are required to familiarize themselves with the Provider Handbook.
Referral Forms
The following forms are used to make referrals for the Illinois Early Intervention system:
You may also be interested in our Referral to Illinois Early Intervention module - (no credit offered for viewing). This is an interactive resource for ANYONE wanting to learn more about making a referral! The module includes an overview of eligibility and details on making a referral.
(Updated in 2026) These online learning modules available as a resource to individuals wanting to learn more information about the components of the Early Intervention System in Illinois. To take this course for EI credit, please register and complete in our learning management system.
Learn more about the systems that support Illinois Early Intervention! This interactive graphic highlights the key stakeholders that work together to support children and families in Illinois Early Intervention. Explore an overview of who they are, what they do, where to find key resources, and how to contact them. This resource is great for anyone new to EI and is also available in a printable version (pdf).
STAR NET Regional Offices
STAR NET provides training, consultation, and resources to the early childhood community in Illinois. The following links to the regional offices:
