About Our Early Intervention Program
Children's Educational Services, Inc. is an approved provider of the New York State Early Intervention Program, serving infants and toddlers from birth to age 3 in Chautauqua County who have a developmental delay or disability. Services are family-centered and delivered wherever your child naturally lives, plays, and learns.
Support for Your Child and Your Family
What makes Early Intervention truly different is that your family is part of the process. Your child's specialist doesn't just work with your child, they work with you. You are provided the strategies and confidence to support your child's growth in everyday moments, not just during scheduled sessions.
At Home
Where daily routines become learning opportunities.
In Childcare
Support provided wherever your child spends their day.
A Third Space
In any natural setting where your child lives and grows.
Services Your Child Receives
Every child is different, so no two plans look quite alike. Services are tailored to your child's individual needs and delivered by New York State–certified and licensed professionals. Based on your child's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), services may include:
Special Education Instruction
Supporting how your child communicates, thinks, plays, and connects with the world around them.
Speech Therapy
Finding your child's voice through building the words and understanding that come with communication.
Occupational Therapy
Refining the self care & fine motor skills, as well as sensory processing that help your child navigate their world.
Physical Therapy
Helping your child build the strength and balance, to move freely with confidence every step of the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Special education services are provided at no direct cost to your family. Funding comes through county taxes and state funds set aside specifically for special education services.
An Individualized Family Service Plan outlines your child's developmental goals and the services they'll receive. Unlike a school-based IEP, the IFSP is designed around your whole family — keeping the focus on supporting your child's growth within your everyday life. It's created by a team that includes you.
No. A formal diagnosis isn't required. If you, your pediatrician, or your child's daycare provider think your child might need extra support, that's reason enough to contact your local county health department and request an evaluation. The evaluation itself is what determines whether your child is eligible for services.
It depends on your child. The type, frequency, and duration of services are based on your child's individual needs and written into their IFSP. Some children receive support a few times a week; others need more or less. The plan is reviewed regularly so it keeps pace with how your child is growing.
At age 3, children transition out of the Early Intervention Program. If your child still needs support, they may move into preschool special education services through the Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE). We'll help coordinate that transition so nothing falls through the cracks. Learn more on our Special Education Programs page.