Programs For Children Younger Than 3 In Jeopardy

The basics in education take on a whole new meaning in a Riverside School District program in which therapists help developmentally delayed toddlers learn to walk and talk.

But the Riverside program and similar programs operated by the Mead, Deer Park and Nine Mile Falls school districts may lose state funding if the Legislature passes the governor’s proposal for special education.

The proposal would eliminate money for programs that help children younger than 3 years old. And Cliff Christianson, Riverside’s special services director, fears the programs would be lost if the money is.

“The first three years of a child’s life are a precious time when changes can happen for children,” Christiansen said.

Education specialists say $1 spent in early childhood intervention saves $10 later. When children reach school age, schools are required to provide intervention services, Christianson said.

“What’s early childhood intervention?” physical therapist Dan Conley asks. “Three years old? By that time there can be permanent problems.

“By the time you’re 3 years old, you move the way you are going to move for the rest of your life. So you can pay now when they’re little, or you can pay later.”

Early childhood programs can help toddlers with all kinds of problems, including Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy and congenital birth defects.

But to do that, school districts must make a commitment of staff and space.

On a bright February morning, a team of Riverside Elementary teachers, aides and therapists take turns feeding and playing with six toddlers.

In the hallway, 3-year-old Justin is strapped onto a bicycle, with his mother and a teacher holding him up and speech therapist Kris Marshall, wearing a clown suit, coaxing him toward her.

When Justin was 7 months old, his parents suspected he was developmentally delayed. As he grew, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Now Justin is on the verge of walking.

“The bike encourages walking,” physical therapist Dan Conley said. “If Justin can learn how to ride a bike, it makes it much easier to teach him to walk.”

Special education directors take the program for toddlers seriously because the results can determine whether a child will succeed in school later.

“These programs are very close to the heart,” said Jaime Seaburg, student services director for the Nine Mile Falls School District.

“This is not a program I would give up easily. But unfunded programs tend to get washed away.”