MOLINE, Ill. — Early intervention providers are asking the state of Illinois for $60 million in additional funding.
They're part of a program that helps children from birth to age three with developmental delays or disabilities catch up to their peers. When children get these therapies, providers said they do better in school, and later on in life. But low pay for providers has led hundreds to move to healthcare fields with better wages.
After East Moline mom Tatum Metzger had her second child, she began to notice he was a bit different from other kids. She and her son Abel's daycare teacher noticed he wasn't making eye contact or responding to his name.
"You see your kid struggling to communicate, and not really participating with the other kids that are his age and really just like off by himself," Metzger said.
She was referred to Illinois' Early Intervention Program, where Abel received developmental, speech, occupational and physical therapy.
Abel, now four years old, has made a lot of progress since then, but he could've gotten help even sooner. It took a year from when he joined the program to start regularly seeing his therapists.
"Finding the providers is what took the longest," Metzger said. "It was just difficult. We had to wait for other children to age out of the program because there just wasn't enough providers in our area."
Those providers are a scarce resource. Since Fiscal Year 2020, the number of providers in Illinois has dropped from nearly 4,300 to about 3,800.
Early intervention physical therapist Ann Seaberg serves six counties in Western Illinois. She's the only physical therapist in five of those counties.
"You don’t do it for the money," Seaberg said.
Providers are only reimbursed for the time they see a child — not for time spent driving or cancelled appointments. Seaberg said she drives about 500 miles a week.
She also doesn't get benefits like health insurance or paid time off. That makes it hard to recruit qualified providers.
But non-profit Start Early, and its initiative Raise Illinois, hopes to attract more therapists by calling for a $60 million funding increase for the program.
"It would be amazing to start to see some of that waiting list that is throughout the state decreased," Seaberg said.
Even with the wait, Metzger said the program has changed her son's life for the better.
"Having the opportunity to even be a part of the program, just, it was awesome. I really am so thankful," Metzger said.
According to data from the Illinois Department of Human Services, nearly nine percent of families who need early intervention in Illinois are waiting for services. That's about 3,000 children across the state.
Since 2022, funding for Illinois' Early Intervention program has increased by just over $50 million. This year's budget gives the program less than $162 million.