The New Jersey Department of Health has announced that it will again allow in-person early intervention therapy, with adherence to all state-mandated COVID-19 precautions. In the spring, at the start of the pandemic, services were suspended, leaving parents of young children with special needs waiting for these essential services to resume. However, in-person early intervention therapy was ultimately included in the state’s stage 3 reopening plans.

Members of the governor’s Restart and Reopening Commission, including Assemblyman Gary Schaer and Rabbi Avi Schnall, New Jersey director of Agudath Israel of America, brought this issue to the attention of the Governor’s office and the Department of Health, and it was determined that in-person early intervention therapy will begin on September 1.

Early intervention services are provided by the state to children under the age of 3 for a variety of developmental delays and disabilities. These services include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and others, and are based on the needs of the child and family.