Early Intervention in Colorado: who to call before age 3

How to refer a child to Early Intervention Colorado

Early Intervention Colorado says: "Anyone can refer a child to Early Intervention Colorado!" A parent, pediatrician or other doctor, relative, neighbour or child care worker can make the call. There are four ways:

A family can also call its local program directly (below). The state's other number, 1-888-777-4041, is for program information, not referrals.

The Early Intervention program for your county

Each county has one local EI Colorado program, often a community centered board, that provides the developmental supports. For the seven counties on this guide: Foothills Gateway (Larimer), Envision (Weld), A&I Avenues (Boulder), Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (Jefferson), Rocky Mountain Human Services (Denver), Developmental Pathways (Arapahoe), The Resource Exchange (El Paso). Each one, as its own page prints it:

Most local programs print no intake number of their own and send families to the state line. Other counties: the state's list of local programs.

Who qualifies for Early Intervention in Colorado

A child from birth through age 2 qualifies with any one of these, in the state's words:

• A delay of 25% or more in two or more areas of development, or 33% or more in one area.
• A diagnosed condition that will likely cause a significant delay (a panel of physicians keeps the list).
• Living with a parent who has a developmental disability.

The five areas are thinking and play, social and emotional, movement, communication and language, and self-help skills such as feeding and dressing. Colorado's rule also lets the team find a child eligible through "informed opinion of delay" when test scores alone do not reach the cutoffs, and no single test decides.

What Early Intervention costs

Nothing for eligible children: "There is no cost to families for the EI evaluation or EI services, for children who are eligible."

• No co-pays and no deductible for Early Intervention services.
• The service coordinator will talk with you about using Medicaid or private insurance, and services cannot be delayed or denied over that consent.
• Your own insurance premiums stay yours to pay.

Steps and timelines

The Early Intervention evaluation is free and voluntary: "The EI Colorado program is completely voluntary, and parents must provide permission at every point in the process." More than one professional does it, at home or in the community, and Colorado's rule and federal law both set 45 days from the referral to the evaluation and the plan.

1. 1
   Referral

   Anyone calls 833-733-3734, emails, or sends the online or fax form.

2. 2
   A call back within 7 days

   A care navigator explains your rights and the process.

3. 3
   The evaluation

   At home (in person or virtual) or in the community, with more than one professional. You take part and get results soon after, sometimes the same day.

4. 4
   The plan within 45 days

   The evaluation and the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) are done within 45 days of the referral, unless you ask for more time.

5. 5
   Services within 28 days

   Services start within 28 days of your written permission.

6. 6
   Reviews

   The IFSP is reviewed at least every six months, and a new one is written each year.

7. 7
   Planning for age 3

   Transition planning can start at 27 months and must be done by 33 months.

Source: Colorado's federal Part C report, FFY 2024 (child count dated 30 July 2025).

What Early Intervention services look like

Every eligible family gets one service coordinator, who "is available to answer questions, help families make decisions, and coordinate all the services that a child may need."

• The IFSP lists the supports and services for your child's developmental needs, built on your family's priorities.
• Services usually happen at home, in person or by video, or in another familiar place such as a grandparent's house. Colorado's rule calls these "natural environments": the family's home and community, written into the IFSP.
• Speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and assistive technology are among them, from speech-language pathologists, physical and occupational therapists and other specialists.
• You give written permission before services start or change.

What happens when your child turns 3

Early Intervention ends at the third birthday, and the school district's Child Find team takes over. If your child may qualify for preschool special education, someone from the district joins a transition conference with you and the service coordinator.

Children who turn 3 between May 1, 2027 and the start of the 2027 school year can choose the Extended Part C Option for that spring and summer, at no cost. How the move to preschool works.

Early Intervention and an autism concern

Early Intervention does not need an autism diagnosis; it looks at how your child is developing. For a diagnosis, ask your child's doctor for a referral to a developmental evaluation (clinics are on each county page).

Therapy through Health First Colorado can start before age 3 too. The state's billing manual lists children "under three (3) years of age" who are "At Risk for Delay" among those who can get behavioral therapy. For private plans, Colorado law makes autism treatment the primary service, and Early Intervention services "shall supplement, but not replace" it.

Private ABA can run alongside Early Intervention. Budding Futures ABA Therapy starts at 18 months, at home:

Every ABA provider on the state list, by county.

If your child is not eligible

You can refer your child again "at any time until their 3rd birthday" if new concerns come up. If you disagree with a decision, you can "request mediation at any time"; the state's family rights page lists the other options.

From age 3, ask the school district for a Child Find evaluation instead, and see Health First Colorado for a child with autism for therapy that does not depend on Early Intervention.

Questions parents ask about Early Intervention

Sources and dates

Read 9 November 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

1. Early Intervention Colorado: refer your child
2. Early Intervention Colorado: about the evaluation
3. Early Intervention Colorado: about services
4. Early Intervention Colorado: how it benefits children
5. Early Intervention Colorado: transitions and the Extended Part C Option
6. Early Intervention Colorado: family rights
7. Early Intervention Colorado: local programs
8. Colorado Department of Early Childhood: Early Intervention
9. Colorado rules, 8 CCR 1405-1 (Early Intervention)
10. Colorado Part C federal report, FFY 2024
11. Colorado Department of Education: Child Find
12. HCPF Pediatric Behavioral Therapies billing manual
13. Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 10 (insurance)
14. CDC: early intervention
15. Foothills Gateway, Inc., Early Intervention page
16. Envision, Early Intervention page
17. A&I Avenues, Early Intervention page
18. Developmental Disabilities Resource Center (DDRC), Early Intervention page
19. Rocky Mountain Human Services (Developmental and Behavioral Health Services), Early Intervention page
20. Developmental Pathways, Early Intervention page
21. The Resource Exchange (TRE), Early Intervention page