About MakeThe First Five Count

This month, a two-year-old boy with a speech delay won't get the speech therapy he needs to help him communicate with his family or make friends...

A young girl with learning delays doesn't receive the early screening to identify a learning disability in time to begin therapy and give her a better start in school...

An 18-month-old girl with low vision won't receive glasses to help her see...

Every year, more than a million children with unidentified disabilities enter school with learning and health issues that put them far behind their peers and have a lasting, negative effect on their ability to meet their full potential.

When young children with special needs and developmental delays are diagnosed and receive early intervention services therapies that work to strengthen their physical, social, emotional and intellectual abilities at a very young age they are able to learn alongside other children their age, build lifelong skills and achieve their dreams.

However, the programs that provide these therapies for children with disabilities are chronically underfunded, even though they are incredibly effective and more than pay for themselves.

That's why Easter Seals created Make the First Five Count, an advocacy and awareness campaign designed to get children at risk of developmental delays or disabilities the right support they need to be school-ready and build a foundation for a lifetime of learning. As the largest provider of early intervention services, Easter Seals staff, therapists and families know what's possible when kids get the support they need during the first few years of life and also what happens when they don’t.

If you believe all kids deserve to start school ready and able to learn alongside their peers, take action now by signing the petition and telling your friends to speak out today.