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Speakers urge House Finance to restore $5.72 million for Infant Learning Program and expand eligibility
Summary
Parents, providers and state disability advocates testified in favor of a $5,720,000 increment to the Alaska Infant Learning Program (ILP) and lowering the eligibility threshold from a 50% developmental delay to 25% to reach more children early.
Juneau — Testimony at the Alaska House Finance Committee’s final public hearing on the operating budget on March 14 focused heavily on early intervention funding, with providers and family members urging lawmakers to retain a $5,720,000 increase proposed for the Alaska Infant Learning Program and expand eligibility.
Niamh Dardis, director of the REACH Infant Learning Program, told the committee the ILP has had "11 years of flat funding" and said the increment would allow eligibility to drop from a 50% developmental delay to 25%, enabling earlier service for more children. Dardis said the change would shift Alaska away from being "one of the most restrictive states in the nation for accessing intervention services for the 0 to 3 population."
The nut graf: Supporters argued early intervention reduces future special-education costs and improves long-term outcomes. Dardis cited research estimating that expanding eligibility could increase access by roughly 77% and produce as much as $34 million in annual special-education savings.
Providers described service gaps under current rules. Hillary Landers, a speech-language pathologist with REACH, said grant funding currently covers children with delays at or above 50%, but children with 25–49% delays must often wait until age 3 to qualify for preschool services. "We are missing that really small critical window," Landers said, noting higher program costs such as travel, rent and lodging that have not been covered by grant levels unchanged for 11 years.
Jim Shull, a REACH board member, and several rural callers echoed the request. Patrick Reinhart, director of the Governor’s Council on Disabilities and Special Education, identified the ILP expansion as the council’s top priority and urged the committee to consider the long-term savings to the state.
Committee members heard specific examples of need and program operations, including that some ILP activities (family service coordination, screenings, grant applications, referrals) are not billable to private insurance and therefore rely on state grant funds. Speakers asked the committee to preserve the $5,720,000 increment as part of the final operating budget.
Ending: Several witnesses said expansion would reduce future special-education placements and keep families in-state; the committee accepted written testimony through 5 p.m. and adjourned the public hearing at 3:41 p.m.
