Baby Watch Early Intervention Program Is In the Governor's Recommended Budget

Baby Watch Early Intervention is the program in the Department of Health that funds the local early intervention programs in the state of Utah.  Governor Herbert has included a funding request made by Baby Watch in his recommended budget which will now go to the legislative committees for approval.  There are a few ways parents of children receiving early intervention services can help.

• Contact your legislators by email or by phone, thank them for supporting Baby Watch Early Intervention Program in the past and ask for their continued support.  You can share your story with them or let them know why funding is important for your child and family.  Please refer to the program as Baby Watch Early Intervention Program instead of Davis Early Intervention Program, since we are only one of 15 programs that would benefit from the funding.
• Attend one or both of the events at the capitol next week for people with disabilities.  Disability Advocacy Day is January 30, 2020 from 12:30 to 3:30 at the Utah State Capitol Rotunda and  the Legislative Coalition for People with Disabilities (LCPD) Annual Legislative Reception is January 30, 2020 from 4:00 - 5:45 at the Utah State Capitol Rotunda.  Please register if you plan to attend the LCPD  reception at the utahparentcenter.org website events page or by calling 801 272-1051.   If you are able to attend the LCPD reception, let your legislator know and ask them to meet you there so you can talk with them personally.
• We may have opportunities for families to share their stories with the Social Services Appropriations Committee or the Executive Appropriations Committee in the coming weeks.  If you are interested, let me know and I will contact you if the opportunity arises.

Baby Watch Early Intervention Programs has not requested additional funding since 2017, however the number of children served has increased by more than 34% state wide.  Too many children go without early intervention services they need.  Utah’s Baby Watch Early Intervention Program serves only 2.75% of the children age 0 – 3, well below the national average of 4.97%.

You can find your legislator by entering your address on this website: https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp