FAQ

To be eligible for EIP your child must: Live in New York City. Be three years old or younger. Be evaluated.

Learned Kids' staff will help you to get through evaluating process smoothly.

If you have health insurance, it may be used to help pay for early intervention services. The EIP can bill your insurance only if it is licensed or regulated by NYS. You will not have to make out-of-pocket payments or co-payments. The county and state will pay these expenses for you. NYS law prohibits payments made for early intervention services from counting against annual and lifetime caps that your insurance policy calls for.

Fill out the form by the link below and you will receive step by step instructions and referral form immediately.

The IFSP is a written plan for services that is developed for your child and family. It includes all the details about the services that your child and family will receive. It will therefore be specifically written for your family. The IFSP centers on the outcomes you hope your child will reach.

You have many rights. These include the right to say Yes or No to having your child participate in the EIP. You have the right to take part in all decisions. Meetings are held at times and in places convenient for you. All information about your child and family is confidential. You have the right to have your opinions heard and considered if you disagree with others. See The Early Intervention Program: A Parent’s Guide for more information.

A Child Services Specialist can assist families with providing support and resources to access services to improve the quality of life for their children with special health care needs and their families.

Most evaluations can be completed within a few weeks, and then a meeting is scheduled to review the results and determine if your child is eligible to receive services under early intervention.

These are services such as speech therapy and special instruction which can be conducted in the child’s home.

The decision to have an evaluation is up to you, the parent. The process is completely voluntary. Further, when the evaluations are completed, the decision to have your child receive services is also completely voluntary. If you suspect that your child may need extra stimulation or services that will increase their development in one or more areas, then it is advisable to have an evaluation. Then, you decide if you wish to accept the recommendations of the evaluation team.

You can wait and see if your child improves or catches up, even if they are somewhat behind in a developmental area. However, our approach is to be proactive. Our philosophy is when in doubt, check it out. An evaluation can tell you if an early childhood professional believes your child needs any extra help in an area of development, or not. Having a professional opinion can ease your mind and answer your questions.

Most children improve with the help of intervention. Some children improve very quickly, and some more slowly. If you feel your child is improving quickly, share your observations with your therapist. Also, if you have concerns that your child is not learning quickly enough then share that as well to determine if other therapies may also be needed.

We accept EI, CPSE for services and private pay for both evaluation and services. We do not currently accept new CSE children.

CPSE children must go through the DOE’s tiered system. Please contact us for more information and to schedule an intake meeting.

Private Pay: We do not work directly with insurance companies and considered an Out-of-Network program. Private pay families pay SMILE directly and seek reimbursement from their insurance company. Occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language therapy are often eligible for reimbursement from insurance companies. We provide the necessary documentation and treatment codes for reimbursement. It is your responsibility to check with your insurance company and determine what, if anything, will be reimbursed to you after the session. This is based on your individual insurance plan and associated benefits, and not influenced or changed by SMILE.