Recent Illinois legislation strengthens the role of hospitals and particularly the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in connecting families to the Illinois Early Intervention (EI) Program. Babies are cared for in a NICU for a variety of reasons, ranging from issues found during prenatal care to a baby being born prematurely or before the due date.
In this new legislation, NICU staff will provide written information about EI to families whose child is admitted to the NICU. In addition, a hospital staff member will initiate a written referral to the EI program for a child who automatically qualifies for the program. This has been common practice for many NICUs, but this legislation strengthens this role.
In addition, the legislation modified the Department of Early Childhood Act to expand the public awareness focus to include identifying infants who automatically qualify for the EI program. This legislation specifically mentioned infants who were born weighing less than 1,000 grams. A list of eligible EI diagnoses is available from the Illinois Department of Human Services, but other factors can make a child eligible for the EI program.
To support NICU staff and families, the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse recently created a set of resources, including an Early Intervention fact sheet, an informational booklet for NICUs to share with families, and a resource guide. The Getting Started in Early Intervention: The Early Intervention Process section on the EI Clearinghouse website can help families to understand the EI program and the process once referred.
This resource, Early Intervention: A NICU Parent’s Guide to Early Intervention Services and Resources, was created in collaboration with Claire Margaglione, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate student studying in Human Development and Family Studies who participated in an internship at the EI Clearinghouse in the Fall of 2025.