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Parent tells lawmakers Babies Can't Wait 'changed our lives' as early intervention identified seizures and sped therapies
Summary
A Georgia mother told the committee how Babies Can't Wait early‑intervention services delivered at home connected her family to therapy and specialists, helped identify infant seizures leading to successful surgery, and provided case management that sustained the family through prolonged NICU care.
A parent and a policy researcher gave the House Study Committee a human perspective on early intervention services funded and administered in part by public‑health entities.
Callan Wells of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students summarized Babies Can't Wait as the state’s Part C early‑intervention program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and emphasized its home‑based model and federal/state funding mix.
Ansley Hill, a mother whose son received Babies Can't Wait services, described a series of medical emergencies following premature birth and how Babies Can't Wait staff "came to our house" to evaluate needs, arrange occupational/physical/speech therapy, and connect the family to specialists and durable equipment. She credited a Babies Can't Wait physical therapist with noticing subtle seizure activity that led to diagnosis and a hemispherectomy; she reported the child has been seizure‑free since the surgery seven years ago.
Hill told lawmakers that the program’s home visits reduced family isolation after long NICU stays and provided concrete help (therapies, wheelchair fitting, school‑transition planning) that otherwise would have been difficult to arrange at home. She urged the committee to preserve and continue funding for early‑intervention services, saying, "Babies Can't Wait changed our lives".
Committee members thanked Hill for the testimony and emphasized the program’s role in supporting families and connecting medical, social and educational services. No fiscal actions were taken in the hearing; GEARS said it will provide additional recommendations at a later meeting.
