Early Intervention Programmes for Infants and Children (EIPIC)

EIPIC stands for Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children. This programme is for special needs children aged 0 to 6 years who are diagnosed by a medical doctor and recommended for early intervention. It provides learning and therapy services to help the child learn developmental skills and minimise the development of other disabilities. EIPIC also gives early support to parents and caregivers on how to help their child learn.

Once a child is on the EIPIC programme, a professional team of staff, including teachers, therapists, social worker, will work with the parents on the needs of the child and the developmental goals to be achieved. This will be documented in the child's Individualised Education Plan (IEP). The amount of intervention support given to each child will depend on the child's IEP. parents and caregivers are expected to be involved in this programme and transfer the child's learning at the centre to the home environment. The outcome of EIPIC is to prepare the child for school, be it mainstream or special school.

Parents can make enquiries and request for their child's placement in EIPIC through the Disability Information and Referral Centre (DIRC). The list of agencies providing EIPIC is found in the Service Matrix below. DIRC will advise parents according to locality preference, types of services needed, parents' work schedule and other requirements before referring parents to the centre of their choice. Staff of the respective agencies will discuss with parents the child's functioning and needs to ensure appropirate placemenet

What EIPIC is not

EIPIC is not a childcare, play school or kindergarten programme. The intensity and frequency of early intervention is recommended based on professional assessments on the developmental needs of the child; not just on the severity of the disability.

Support from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and National Council of Social Service (NCSS)

Generally, EIPIC provides an average of 5 hours of intervention per week (applicable for children 18 months and above). MCYS and NCSS provide funding support for EIPIC programme based on this service model. Parents will have to pay a fee for the EIPIC service for their children. Fees payable will vary depending on the centres. Parents may qualify for means-tested subsidy on the fees, based on their family per capita income. Parents may approach social workers at the respective centres to apply for this subsidy.

The service matrix below shows the key features of the EIPIC programme at each of the centres. Some centres provide more than what MCYS and NCSS fund under the EIPIC service model. Parents are advised to choose the intervention package that suits the needs of the child and family.

Click here for the EIPIC Service Matrix.

Click here for a list of EIPIC Centres.

 

 

The 'AI' status is issued by the Ministry of Community Development Youth and Sports (MCYS) Baby Bonus Branch. For more information, visit the Baby Bonus website