State Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) on Early Intervention Overview

The ICC Provides Advice & Assistance to the Department of Developmental Services

Members of the ICC are appointed by the Governor. The council is comprised of parents of children with disabilities, early intervention service providers, health care professionals, state agency representatives, and others interested in early intervention.

The ICC meets four times a year and encourages a family-centered approach, family-professional partnerships, and interagency collaboration, while providing a forum for public input.

Interagency Coordinating Council On Early Intervention (ICC)

ICC Mission Statement

The mission of the ICC is to promote and enhance a coordinated family service system for infants and toddlers, ages birth to three years, who have, or are at risk for having, a disability, and their families, utilizing and encouraging a family-centered approach, family-professional partnerships, and interagency collaboration.

The History of the ICC

California has a long history of providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers, ages birth to three years, and their families.  In the 1960s and 1970s, special education services for infants and toddlers were provided in public schools and funded through various local, state, and federal sources.  With the advent of the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Lanterman Act) in 1969, California demonstrated its support of young children with prevention and early intervention services for infants with developmental disabilities through the regional center system.  This was a huge effort and viewed as a major investment in California’s children.

In 1988, the first ICC convened to provide advice and assistance to the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) regarding implementation of a coordinated early intervention system in California.  In 1993, after five years of state and local planning activities in preparation for full implementation of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Governor signed the California Early Intervention Services Act (CEISA: Title 14, Government Code section 95000 et seq.)  CEISA established state authority to enhance California’s early intervention service system to meet the new federal requirements under Part C.  CEISA assigned DDS as lead agency in collaboration with California Department of Education (CDE).  Other collaborative partners involved in the ICC include Department of Social Services (DSS), Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC), and First 5 California.

Although the early intervention landscape has changed over the years in California, the ICC has continued to follow, advise, and assist DDS on the state of the early intervention community.

The changes have included amendments to CEISA that brought the addition of provision of family support services by Early Start Family Resource Centers (FRC).  FRCs provide services such as parent-to-parent support, information dissemination and referral, public awareness, family-professional collaboration activities, and transition for families.  CEISA also clarified state coordination and collaboration with families and communities, service coordinator competencies and caseload size, evaluation and assessment, parent rights, referral to local FRCs and monitoring efforts.  Lastly, CEISA was amended to clarify that the Part C program is based on existing systems and how regional centers must comply with the Lanterman Act.  This includes regulations related to vendorization and rate setting as long as the application of state law does not conflict with early intervention statutes.


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Last modified: June 28, 2022