Alaska Senate advances bill to expand early interventions for children with developmental delays

Melissa Lewis holds her three-month-old baby Twyla at a screening and event in support of Alaska infant learning programs at the Gold Town Theater in Juneau on Apr 29, 2025. She said while her baby is not showing signs of delays or needing intervention services, they attended the event to support the cause and more state funding and support for early childhood programs. (Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon)

By Corinne Smith

Alaska Beacon

The Alaska Senate approved a bill that would expand eligibility and services provided by early intervention programs for children experiencing developmental delays or disabilities.

The Senate Health and Social Services committee sponsored the legislation, saying the state’s eligibility requirements for services are restrictive compared to the rest of the nation. “Under Alaska’s current restrictive eligibility structure, many healthcare providers hesitate to refer children for services because they are unsure if the child will meet the state’s stringent developmental delay requirements,” lawmakers wrote in a statement introducing the bill.

Senators unanimously passed Senate Bill 178 on Wednesday, and it now advances to the Alaska House for consideration. 

Alaska parents and advocates have spotlighted Alaska’s growing need for early intervention services for families and children from infancy to age three. Infant learning programs that provide intervention services can include screening and assessments, targeted speech, movement and play therapies, as well as education and counseling for parents in child development. Research shows targeted interventions provide a wide variety of benefits for young children in their growth and development, and can reduce challenges and the need for special education services later in life.

Under current Alaska law, children must demonstrate a 50% delay in order to be eligible for early intervention services. If passed, the legislation would reduce the requirement to a 25% delay, thus expanding eligibility for these types of services and interventions.

An estimated 1,800 Alaska families are served each year by 17 infant learning programs across the state, funded by the state of Alaska and federal Medicaid, at no cost to families. 

Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, said Wednesday on the Senate floor the underlying goal of the bill is to expand access. “We know that early interventions will reduce the need for intensive interventions later in life,” she said, and urged lawmakers to consider the proposal a compounding investment.

“We know that 46% of children who exit an infant learning program at age three do not require special education services when they reach kindergarten. That equates to an average of $229,071 of potential savings over the course of that child’s K-12 education,” she said. 

Tobin said the estimated potential cost savings to the state is $38.9 million annually. 

“But the most important piece of this is helping support children and families,” she added. 

Additionally, the legislation would expand services that are eligible for Medicaid funding. The bill would also require the Alaska Department of Health to review the conditions that qualify as a disability and make recommendations to the Legislature on updating those conditions. 

According to a state fiscal analysis, the legislation is estimated to cost the Department of Health over $450,000 to implement the changes in policy, including two new full time positions to manage expanded eligibility, billing, and statewide staff training. 

Last year, the Legislature approved a significant boost in funding for existing early intervention services statewide, but Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed the $5.7 million increase. 

This year, the House and Senate have advanced draft budgets which provide a moderate increase in funding — by roughly $2.7 million next year. 

In addition, both bodies proposed additional funding in their draft budgets if Senate Bill 178 is passed and expands eligibility and services. The House draft version would add $3 million, and the Senate version would add nearly $3.2 million. 

A conference committee of six legislators from the House and Senate are currently in negotiations and compiling the budget proposals in the next few days, ahead of the legislative session’s end on May 20.

• Corinne Smith started reporting in Alaska in 2020, serving as a radio reporter for several local stations across the state including in Petersburg, Haines, Homer and Dillingham. She spent two summers covering the Bristol Bay fishing season. Originally from Oakland, California, she got her start as a reporter, then morning show producer, at KPFA Radio in Berkeley. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.