{"id":88069,"date":"2025-03-12T10:09:24","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T14:09:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/?p=88069"},"modified":"2025-03-12T11:11:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T15:11:18","slug":"mitp-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/mitp-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program Expands Eligibility for Early Intervention Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MEDIA CONTACT:<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Raven Hill, 410-767-0486<br \/><\/span><a href=\"mailto:raven.hill@maryland.gov\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">raven.hill@maryland.gov<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><br \/><br \/><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program Expands Eligibility for Early Intervention Services<\/b><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expanded eligibility will help more children catch up with their peers<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><b>BALTIMORE (March 12, 2025)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is expanding eligibility for the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program (MITP) to include infants weighing less than 3.5 pounds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This important update, informed by state data, recommendations from the State Interagency Coordinating Council, and research from the University of Maryland Children\u2019s Hospital (UMCH) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Follow-up Program, expands early intervention services to reach more children in need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cRaising the birth weight threshold is a clear step forward in Maryland\u2019s commitment to assuring <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">every child receives the support they need to reach their full potential,\u201d said <\/span><b>Dr. Antoine L. Hickman, Assistant State Superintendent, MSDE Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201cThe Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program is one of the most accessible in the country\u2014free of charge and available wherever families are, whether at home, daycare, or community spaces. By removing barriers and increasing eligibility, we\u2019re making it easier for children to access early intervention when it matters most.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Early intervention services guide families in incorporating strategies into their daily routines to support their child\u2019s physical, social, and emotional development. These services are provided by child development specialists who can deliver support in any natural and convenient setting for the family.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Referrals to the program can be made by anyone\u2014including parents, guardians, healthcare providers, childcare professionals, and family members. Research by the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program shows that 68% of children who receive early intervention avoid needing special education services by third grade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNearly 50% of infants with birth weights between 2.5 to 3 pounds, who were not born with another qualifying medical condition, end up with a development delay or atypical development by age three. With the expanded eligibility, an additional 400 children annually will now benefit from earlier access to services. This is important because the earlier intervention is started the better,\u201d said <\/span><b>Dr. Brenda Hussey-Gardner, Co-Director UMCH NICU Follow-Up Program<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The University of Maryland Children\u2019s Hospital, home to one of only two Level IV intensive care units for newborns in Maryland, provides the most advanced care possible for critically ill or premature newborns. As the state\u2019s oldest neonatal intensive care unit, it is a trusted provider of specialized care and valuable data. Through its NICU Follow-Up Program, the hospital works closely with the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program to assure continuity of care and comprehensive support for families.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program is a federal grant program under Part C of the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. In Maryland, free early intervention services are <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">provided to children with developmental delays or other disabilities, and their families.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For more information or to make a referral, visit <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/mditp.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MDITP.org<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<br \/><br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>###<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is expanding eligibility for the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program (MITP) to include infants weighing less than 3.5 pounds.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":231,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,5,9,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mediaalert","category-news","category-newsreleases","category-overview"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/231"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88069"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88069\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88077,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88069\/revisions\/88077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/msde\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}