Preschool Early Intervention (ages 3-5)

If you have concerns about your child’s development, support is available. The Preschool Early Intervention Program, operated by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, serves eligible children in Allegheny County, ages 3-5, who are experiencing developmental delays or disabilities.

Families can access free screenings and evaluations to identify their child’s needs in areas such as communication, adaptive skills, cognitive development, fine motor, gross motor, and personal/social skills. If eligible, children may receive early intervention services at no cost to families, including developmental support, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision and hearing services, and family support services. Services are provided by a highly qualified team of special educators, therapists, and paraprofessionals.

Children must be between the ages of three and five and demonstrate a developmental delay on a standardized assessment to qualify. Services are delivered in the least restrictive environment, as determined by the IEP team, and may take place in a child’s preschool, childcare setting, Head Start or Pre-K Counts classroom, the home, a small group early intervention setting, or a specialized preschool classroom.

Early intervention is designed to identify needs early and provide targeted support to help children build the skills they need for success in school and beyond. If you have questions or would like to explore whether your child may benefit from services, we encourage you to contact the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s Preschool Early Intervention Program at 412-394-5904.

Please note: The AIU’s Preschool Early Intervention Program was formerly known as the AIU DART Program and DART Early Intervention.