What is California Early Start?
California Early Start is the state's early intervention program for infants and toddlers from birth to age three who have a developmental delay or an established risk condition. Services are coordinated by regional centers and provided at no cost to families.
0–3
Years old
The short answer
Early Start is California's implementation of Part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It provides evaluation, service coordination, and therapy to children under the age of three who are not developing as expected. The program is administered by the California Department of Developmental Services and delivered locally through 21 regional centers, which authorize vendored providers to deliver the services written into each child's plan.
Who pays for Early Start?
Early Start services are funded by the State of California. Families are not billed, and providers like Every Child Achieves do not accept insurance or cash pay for Early Start services. There is no cost to the family for evaluation, service coordination, or the therapy authorized in the child's plan.
Where do services happen?
Early Start services are delivered in the child's natural environment — the everyday places where a child learns, plays, eats, and sleeps. For most families that means the home, but it also includes day-care, preschool, a grandparent's house, or the park. Learning happens inside daily routines, not in a clinic room.
Who qualifies for Early Start?
A child under three may be eligible if any of the following apply:
- Under 24 months at referral with a 33% delay in one or more areas of development.
- 24 months or older at referral with a 50% delay in one area, or a 33% delay in two or more areas.
- An established risk condition of known etiology with a high probability of resulting in delayed development.
- Infants and toddlers at high risk of a developmental disability due to a combination of biomedical risk factors.
Covered Services
What Early Start can include
Occupational therapy
Supports play, feeding, sensory processing, and the fine-motor skills a toddler uses all day long.
Physical therapy
Builds strength, balance, and the gross-motor milestones that lead to rolling, crawling, and walking.
Speech and language therapy
Grows early communication — gestures, sounds, first words, understanding, and feeding safety.
Child development services
Coaches families through learning, behavior, routines, and social-emotional development at home.
Step by Step
How Early Start works
A referral is made
Anyone who is concerned about a child's development — a parent, pediatrician, hospital, or child-care provider — can refer a child to the local regional center.
An evaluation is completed
The regional center evaluates the child's development and reviews medical history and records at no cost to the family.
Eligibility is determined
Early Start eligibility determination may take up to 45 days from the point of referral.
An IFSP is written
Eligible families and their service coordinator write an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) describing the services, frequency, and outcomes for the child and family.
Services begin in the natural environment
A vendored provider such as Every Child Achieves delivers services where the child's day actually happens — home, day-care, preschool, or the park.
Common Questions
Early Start, answered simply
Does my child need a diagnosis to qualify?
No. A formal diagnosis is not required. Eligibility is based on the evaluated developmental delay or an established risk condition, so many children begin services long before any diagnosis exists.
What happens when my child turns three?
Early Start ends at age three. Before that birthday, the service coordinator leads a transition planning process to the local school district's preschool special education services or other community supports.
Can I choose my provider?
Families can tell their service coordinator which vendored agency they prefer, and that preference is considered, but the regional center makes the referral. Every Child Achieves has no influence over where a child is referred.
Is early intervention worth it if the delay is mild?
The first three years are when the brain forms connections fastest, which is why early intervention is designed to start as soon as a concern appears rather than waiting to see whether a child catches up.
Clinicians: this is the work we do every day
Every Child Achieves is a 100% state-funded Early Start provider. Our occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists deliver care in person, in each child's natural environment.