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Early intervention important to nation

Early Intervention is a vital program for young Illinois children diagnosed with developmental disabilities or delays. Its therapies help infants and toddlers get on track for hitting developmental milestones at a crucial stage in their growth.

Unfortunately, among Illinois children deemed eligible for EI assistance, almost 10% experienced service delays this past year, according to the state Department of Human Services — double the delays seen five years ago. These problems are rooted in subpar support for a hardworking, highly-educated but underpaid workforce of service coordinators and therapists.

I understand the significance of these early childhood programs from two levels, starting with the progress I see my own, 2-year-old grandson making. Speech, occupational and developmental therapies are helping him overcome his speech delays in impressive ways.

Secondly, I’m a retired Brigadier General with the U.S. Marine Corps and a member of the Mission: Readiness organization of retired military leaders who recognize an important lesson from research: The strength of our national security hinges largely on our investments in the well-being of children and youth — investments such as Early Intervention. High-quality early childhood programs help prevent the physical, cognitive and social factors that combine to disqualify a shocking 77% of American youth from consideration for military service, a statistic that comes from the U.S. Department of Defense.

Last year, through the Smart Start initiative, Gov. Pritzker and fellow Illinois policymakers began injecting significant new resources into our state’s birth-to-5 system, including EI services. I join fellow Mission: Readiness members in encouraging more of the same as policymakers wrap-up plans for the FY25 state budget, including a boost of at least $40 million more in Early Intervention to reduce its service delays, reach children more quickly and bolster Illinois’ contributions to national security.

Roger Machut

Elgin

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