Child development

How Early Intervention Works in Colorado

Save

Early Intervention Colorado is the state's Part C program for infants and toddlers with developmental delays or diagnosed conditions, and its lead agency changed in 2022 when a new state department took over. This guide covers how referral and evaluation work through a Community Centered Board, who qualifies, why Colorado doesn't charge families for services, what an IFSP can include, and how the transition to preschool special education works at age three.

Last updated: July 2026

Talk to a clinician

Gale can help you find a clinician in your state and request a visit.

Find care →

Colorado Moved Early Intervention to a New State Department in 2022

Colorado's Part C system, Early Intervention Colorado, changed lead agencies in 2022. State legislation, HB 21-075, transferred responsibility for early-intervention evaluations and program oversight to the newly created Colorado Department of Early Childhood, moving it out of the Department of Human Services where it had previously sat. A family searching for older information about the program may still find references to the prior department, so it's worth confirming which agency currently answers the phone.

Every state runs its own Part C lead agency under the same federal law 1, and Colorado's recent reorganization is a reminder that the agency name attached to a program is not fixed. A family whose child was referred before mid-2022 may have paperwork listing the old department, and updating that contact information is worth doing before assuming a phone number or email address still reaches the right office.

Referral and Evaluation Through a Community Centered Board

Colorado delivers Early Intervention Colorado locally through Community Centered Boards, regional organizations under contract with the state that handle referrals, evaluations, and service coordination for families in their area. A parent, relative, child-care provider, or pediatrician can refer a child directly to the Community Centered Board serving their county, and no doctor's note or diagnosis is required to start 2.

Once a Community Centered Board receives a referral, Colorado follows the same 45-day federal window every Part C program uses to complete an evaluation and, for an eligible child, hold the meeting to write the Individualized Family Service Plan 3. The evaluation itself usually pulls in more than one discipline, since a Community Centered Board typically brings in a developmental specialist alongside a speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, or occupational therapist depending on the concerns a family raises at referral, rather than relying on a single evaluator's judgment.

Who Qualifies for Early Intervention Colorado

A child birth through age two qualifies for Early Intervention Colorado with a developmental delay identified through a standardized evaluation in one or more areas, such as communication, motor skills, cognition, social-emotional development, or self-help skills, or with a diagnosed physical or mental condition known to carry a high probability of delay. A family does not need a completed diagnosis, autism or otherwise, before requesting this evaluation; the Part C evaluation is a separate process that can run well ahead of, or entirely apart from, a diagnostic evaluation 4.

A child who doesn't meet Colorado's delay criteria on a first evaluation can be re-referred later if the family continues to have concerns, since development is not always linear at this age. A family that disagrees with an eligibility decision keeps the same procedural protections every Part C system provides, including the right to request mediation or a due process hearing through the Community Centered Board or the state.

Colorado Charges Families Nothing for Early Intervention Services

Colorado is one of the states that does not charge families for Early Intervention Colorado services. There is no income-based sliding scale, no fee schedule, and no bill for evaluation, service coordination, or the therapies written into an IFSP. A family can choose to contribute voluntarily, but the state does not require it.

That sets Colorado apart from states that run a family cost-participation program tied to income, and it removes a step, an income and family-size calculation, that complicates enrollment elsewhere. State and federal Part C funding, along with Medicaid reimbursement for eligible children, covers the cost of the program instead, which is part of why Colorado has been able to keep the no-fee policy in place even as the lead agency itself changed in 2022. A family moving to Colorado from a state that does charge a sliding-scale fee should not expect any equivalent bill once enrolled here.

What an IFSP Includes and Who Delivers It

An Individualized Family Service Plan in Colorado can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, developmental intervention, service coordination, and family training, delivered by providers contracted with the local Community Centered Board 3. Speech-language pathologists are often central to the team when a family's main concern is a child's communication or social interaction, since screening and treating those delays falls within their training 5.

Most services happen at home or in a child-care setting rather than a clinic, consistent with the federal Part C preference for services delivered in a family's everyday routine 3. Many Community Centered Board providers use a coaching approach, showing a parent or caregiver how to weave a specific goal into a daily routine like mealtime or bath time, so practice continues between visits rather than being limited to the time a therapist is in the room.

Turning Three: Colorado's Handoff to Part B

Early Intervention Colorado ends at a child's third birthday. Before then, the IFSP team holds a transition conference to plan the move to Part B preschool special education, delivered by the local school district, where eligibility is determined separately rather than continued automatically 6. Reviewing how an IFSP becomes an IEP before that conference gives a family a clearer sense of what changes and what doesn't. Bringing the current IFSP and recent evaluation reports to that conference generally helps the school district's team move faster, since they can build on the Community Centered Board's existing paperwork instead of starting from scratch.

Families relocating should know that Part C eligibility doesn't transfer between states automatically. A family that used early intervention in Pennsylvania, early intervention in Tennessee, early intervention in Texas, early intervention in Utah, or early intervention in Vermont and then moves to Colorado will need a new referral to a local Community Centered Board, since each state sets its own eligibility rule and cost structure under IDEA Part C 1.

Common questions

No. Eligibility is based on a developmental delay or a diagnosed condition with a high probability of delay, not on an autism diagnosis specifically. A child showing social or communication delays can be referred to a Community Centered Board and evaluated for Part C services well before, or separately from, any autism evaluation.

No. Colorado charges no family fee for evaluation, service coordination, or any therapy written into an IFSP, regardless of household income. A family can contribute voluntarily, but the state does not require or expect it, and there is no fee schedule to review before agreeing to services.

The Colorado Department of Early Childhood has led the program since 2022, when state legislation transferred responsibility from the Department of Human Services. Older materials may still reference the previous agency, so it's worth confirming current contact information before referring a child.

A parent can contact the Community Centered Board serving their county directly and request an evaluation, without a doctor's referral or a completed diagnosis. Relatives, child-care providers, and physicians can also refer a child with the family's knowledge, but a parent does not need any of them to start.

Early Intervention Colorado ends at the third birthday. The IFSP team holds a transition conference beforehand to plan the move to Part B preschool special education through the local school district, where eligibility is assessed again under different criteria than Part C used.

Related

Say it back

How would you explain this to someone you love?

Two or three sentences, just as you’d say it. Gale reflects back what you focused on — a mirror, not a quiz.

Talk to a clinician

Gale can help you find a clinician in your state and request a visit.

Find care →

When a developmental concern shouldn't wait on a program timeline

  • —Loss of previously gained words, gestures, or social responses at any age
  • —No evaluation scheduled well beyond the 45-day window after a Community Centered Board logs the referral
  • —A child not yet referred by around 30 months, since planning the move to Part B preschool takes additional lead time

This article explains how Colorado's public early intervention system works. It is general education, not medical or legal advice, and cannot determine whether a specific child is eligible.

References

  1. 1.Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (federally funded) (2024). Part C of IDEA. ECTA Center. link ✓That each state designates its own Part C lead agency responsible for the statewide early-intervention system, applied to Colorado's Department of Early Childhood.
  2. 2.Center for Parent Information and Resources (OSEP-funded) (2023). Part C of IDEA: Early Intervention for Babies and Toddlers. Center for Parent Information and Resources. link ✓That a family can refer its own child for a Part C evaluation directly, without a professional initiating the referral.
  3. 3.U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (2024). Part 303 (Part C) — Early Intervention Program For Infants And Toddlers With Disabilities. IDEA — sites.ed.gov/idea. link ✓The federal regulatory requirement of a timely evaluation and IFSP after referral, and what early intervention services under an IFSP can include, delivered in natural environments.
  4. 4.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024). Accessing Services for Autism Spectrum Disorder. CDC — Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). linkThat families can access early intervention (Part C, birth to 3) without waiting for a formal diagnosis.
  5. 5.American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2024). Autism (Practice Portal). ASHA Practice Portal — Clinical Topics. link ✓The role of speech-language pathologists in screening, assessing, and treating social communication and language delays in young children.
  6. 6.U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (2024). IDEA Part C: Early Learning and Early Childhood. IDEA — sites.ed.gov/idea. link ✓The transition from Part C (birth-3) services toward Part B preschool special education at age 3.

6 sources, numbered by first appearance. General health information, not medical advice. AI-assisted editorial content — citations link their sources. Editorial policy

← Back to the health library