Child development

How Early Intervention Works in Virginia

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Infant & Toddler Connection delivers Virginia's federally required early intervention system through a local point of entry in every city and county, paired with a family fee structure built around a monthly cap rather than an open-ended per-service charge. This guide covers how to refer a child, what the 45-day evaluation involves, how Virginia's fee cap works, and what happens at the transition to preschool at age three.

Last updated: July 2026

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Infant & Toddler Connection: Virginia's Early Intervention System

Virginia's federally required Part C system is called Infant & Toddler Connection of Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services has served as the state's designated lead agency since 1987, serving children from birth to their third birthday who have a disability or developmental delay 1.

Rather than a single statewide intake line, every city and county in Virginia maintains its own local early intervention system with a designated central point of entry, published in that locality's public awareness materials, whose job is to receive every referral and inquiry from families and other referral sources. Which local system a family reaches depends entirely on where they live, even though DBHDS sets the eligibility rules the same way statewide.

Referring a Child in Virginia

A parent, other family member, or professional who is concerned about a baby or toddler's development can refer that child directly to their locality's central point of entry, and Virginia does not require a physician's order or a completed diagnosis first 2. Families can also reach Virginia's Part C central directory through Virginia 2-1-1, a partnership between the state's early intervention system and its department of social services, if they are unsure which local system covers their address.

Once a referral reaches the local system, a service coordinator is assigned and stays involved through evaluation and, if the child qualifies, through the life of the Individualized Family Service Plan 3. A parent does not need to be certain a concern is significant; the evaluation itself makes that determination.

Who Qualifies for Early Intervention in Virginia

A child under three qualifies with a documented delay in an area such as communication, motor skills, cognition, social-emotional development, or adaptive skills, or with a diagnosed condition carrying a high probability of causing such a delay 4. Virginia, like every state, sets its own delay threshold above the federal floor, so a family moving from another state should not assume the same cutoff applies here.

Virginia's local systems also carry a specific duty for a narrower group: a community services board must refer to the local point of entry any child under three identified as affected by illegal substance exposure or withdrawal, so that infant is connected to evaluation without a family having to navigate the request themselves. An autism diagnosis, by contrast, does not have to come before a referral for any child 2.

The 45-Day Evaluation Timeline

Federal law requires the evaluation and the first IFSP meeting to be completed within 45 days of an accepted referral, and every local system in Virginia is held to that same clock 5. The evaluation is provided at no cost to the family, regardless of income or insurance status.

If a family suspects their local system is falling behind that 45-day window, asking the assigned service coordinator directly what is holding up scheduling is the most direct path to an answer, since the deadline is a federal entitlement rather than a target a locality can treat as optional. A family whose child does not qualify should still receive a written explanation and information about other resources nearby.

Virginia's Family Fee Cap

Virginia charges a sliding fee scale for some ongoing IFSP services, but the fee structure sets a monthly cap — a maximum a family will pay in a given month no matter how many services, or how often, their child receives 1. Evaluation, assessment, service coordination, and IFSP development themselves are always free, and no child is denied a needed service because a family cannot pay.

Because the specific fee scale and cap amount are reviewed and can change, it is worth asking the local system directly, at intake, what a household's monthly cap would actually be. The cap exists specifically so a family with a child using several services in one month is never billed for each one separately.

The IFSP and Where Services Happen in Virginia

The local team and family produce an Individualized Family Service Plan, or IFSP, listing the specific services a child will receive, how often, and where 5. Virginia, like most states, delivers the majority of these services in a child's natural environment — home or child care — rather than requiring a family to travel to a clinic.

The plan is reviewed periodically and can be revised if a child's needs change before the next scheduled review. A family can decline any one service on the IFSP without losing eligibility for the rest, and can ask their local system for an earlier review if something is not working.

Turning Three: Virginia's Move to Preschool Special Education

Eligibility for Infant & Toddler Connection ends at a child's third birthday, and the local school district, working under the Virginia Department of Education, takes over deciding whether the child qualifies for preschool special education under Part B 67. Transition planning is required to start well before that birthday specifically so services do not lapse.

A child does not start over from zero — the existing evaluation and IFSP inform the school district's review, though how an IFSP becomes an IEP involves its own eligibility categories, its own team, and its own paperwork. The federal law underneath Infant & Toddler Connection is the same nationwide: a family relocating would find early intervention in Utah, early intervention in Vermont, early intervention in Washington, early intervention in District of Columbia, or early intervention in New Hampshire built on the identical IDEA Part C floor, run by a different state Part C lead agency with its own local structure and fee rules. Only the lead agency running that state's Part C system, and the rules attached to it, actually change from one state to the next.

Common questions

No. Eligibility is based on a documented developmental delay or a diagnosed condition likely to cause one, and neither requires a completed autism evaluation first. A family can refer to their local Infant & Toddler Connection system while a separate autism evaluation is still pending or not yet scheduled.

No. A parent or other concerned family member can refer a child directly to their locality's central point of entry without a physician's referral first. A pediatrician's note can add useful medical history, but Virginia does not require one before an evaluation can begin.

Evaluation, assessment, service coordination, and IFSP development are always free. Virginia applies a sliding fee scale to some other services, but sets a monthly cap on what any family pays, and no child is denied a needed service for inability to pay.

Every city and county in Virginia has its own central point of entry for Infant & Toddler Connection, so where a family lives determines which local system they work with. Virginia 2-1-1 can help a family find the right point of entry if they are unsure.

Infant & Toddler Connection eligibility ends at age three, and the local school district decides whether the child qualifies for preschool special education under Part B instead. Transition planning starts well before the birthday, using the existing evaluation and IFSP as a starting point rather than beginning from scratch.

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When a developmental concern needs faster attention

  • —Loss of words, gestures, or social skills a child previously had, at any age
  • —No response to their name and no pointing or waving by 12 months
  • —No back-and-forth smiling or shared enjoyment with a caregiver by 6 months
  • —A new feeding, sleep, or seizure-like event alongside the developmental concern

This guide is general information about Virginia's public early intervention system, not medical or legal advice for any specific family. Confirm current eligibility, fees, and the assigned local point of entry directly with Infant & Toddler Connection.

References

  1. 1.Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (federally funded) (2024). Part C of IDEA. ECTA Center. link ✓Authoritative reference on Part C program structure, including that states designate their own lead agency and may charge a family cost share, such as a capped fee scale, for some services under federal rules.
  2. 2.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 completed formal autism diagnosis.
  3. 3.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 ✓Step-by-step parent-facing guidance on how families access Part C early intervention, including the local point of entry and service coordinator's role from referral onward.
  4. 4.U.S. Department of Education (2024). IDEA Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C). U.S. Department of Education. link ✓That IDEA Part C provides early intervention services to children birth through age 2 with disabilities or developmental delay, administered by a state-designated lead agency.
  5. 5.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 45-day timeline from referral to a completed evaluation and initial IFSP meeting, and IFSP content requirements, under Part C.
  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) toward Part B preschool special-education services at age 3.
  7. 7.U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (2024). About IDEA. IDEA — sites.ed.gov/idea. link ✓That IDEA Part B guarantees FAPE for children ages 3-21 and that the IEP is the vehicle for that entitlement, distinct from the Part C IFSP.

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

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