State(s) of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education: Looking at Equity

1. Impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic

2. Race and Ethnicity

3. Gender

4. The State in which a child lives

The report finds areas were EI and ECSE are unequal, and sometimes clearly inequitable too. Most striking, we find that children living in states with lower median state median incomes are less likely to receive both EI and ECSE. Asian, Black, and Hispanic children are less likely than White children to receive EI and ECSE. The differences are especially large for Black children and flip at school-age. Boys are twice as likely as girls to receive EI and ECSE. And, like other early childhood education programs, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in many fewer children receiving EI and ECSE.The report explores these themes further, highlighting both within and between state variations in who has access to EI and ECSE and where children receive services. We also lay out recommendations for increased funding, better data, and a national commission to explore the issues highlighted in the report.

Table of Contents

• Full Report
• Executive Summary
• Key Themes
  • – Covid-19 Pandemic
  • – Race & Ethnicity
  • – Gender
  • – State Variation
• Guide to the State Profiles
• Glossary
• Endnotes
• National Profile
• State Profiles
• Appendix Tables
• National Press Release / En Español
• Press Briefing

State Profiles

Click a state to view its profile.

State Profiles

Territory Profiles

American Samoa

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Federated States of Micronesia

Guam

Republic of Palau

Puerto Rico

Republic of the Marshall Islands

Virgin Islands

Suggested Citation: Friedman-Krauss, A. H., & Barnett, W. S. (2023). The State(s) of Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education: Looking at Equity. New Brunswick, NJ: National Institute for Early Education Research.