Early Intervention and Your Rights

Early Intervention (EI) is a program that gives therapy to children who are younger than three years old and who have delays in how they walk, talk, learn, move, or behave.  You can find out more about EI at our FAQ here.

Getting EI Services

To get started, you can ask for your local EI office, or Child and Family Connections (CFC) by calling 1-800-323-4769.  You can also find your local CFC office’s contact details here.  Anyone (a parent, doctor, day care provider, or friend) can ask for a CFC to test a child for EI services.  Someone from the CFC should get back to you within 2 business days. 

Early Intervention Rights Fact Sheet

Families in EI have rights, including the right to receive services within 30 days of parent consent.  This fact sheet explains your rights in Illinois:

Early Intervention EN Early Intervention ES

For more resources on EI, please see the Illinois EI Clearinghouse website: https://eiclearinghouse.org/

Early Intervention Complaint Guide

If you have a problem with EI, you can ask your CFC for a meeting to talk about the problem.  If the meeting doesn’t fix the problem, you can file a state complaint.  You must file the complaint within 1 year of the problem.  EFE’s Complaint Guide has instructions and forms you can use to help file a state EI complaint.  Find EFE’s Complaint Guide here: 

EI Complaint Guide EN EI Complaint Guide ES

When sending in your complaint, you can email your complaint form to DHS.EIquestions@illinois.gov.  But you can and should also send it to the new IDEC email address Questions.IDEC@illinois.gov.

More Resources and Updates on Early Intervention

1. New Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC)

As of July 1, 2026 the newly formed Illinois Department of Early Childhood (“IDEC”) will be responsible for all early childhood programs and services, including Early Intervention.  This is meant to combine staff formerly under multiple state agencies (including IDHS, ISBE, DCFS) under “one roof.”

Your rights have not changed, however.  The transition to IDEC does not affect your rights or the services your child should receive through Early Intervention. 

For any questions regarding Early Intervention or the transition to IDEC, contact IDEC customer service at Questions.IDEC@illinois.gov

2. Early Intervention in Illinois: Rights, Roadblocks, and Real-World Tips

Equip for Equality was featured in a video produced by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago speaking on Early Intervention in Illinois: Rights, Roadblocks, and Real-World Tips.  You can find links to the videos here:

Video In English: https://vimeo.com/1172190510/a1cadb0433?fl=pl&fe=vl

Video In Spanish: https://vimeo.com/1172190543/cdf46c5e3d?fl=pl&fe=vl

3. Illinois Answers Project Story on Early Intervention

Illinois Answers Project Reporter Meredith Newman wrote about families’ legal rights to Early Intervention services after discussing with Equip for Equality.  You can find more, including how families can advocate, here:

https://illinoisanswers.org/2026/06/04/illinois-children-early-intervention-therapies-your-rights-complaints/

4. CBS News Story on Early Intervention:

CBS News Chicago’s Lauren Victory reported on one family’s struggles with Early Intervention and families’ legal rights, and featured Equip for Equality in the story.  Read the article and watch the report here:

https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/mother-shares-early-intervention-issues/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPK1geMQ8DY