Sec. 01.01.1988.15. Maryland's Infants and Toddlers Program

A. The Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program is established within the Executive Department. Its purpose is to plan, develop, and implement a comprehensive and statewide, interagency system of early intervention services in Maryland which will incorporate the policies and procedures for the required components.

B. The Subcabinet for Children and Youth shall monitor the Infants and Toddlers Program and insure interagency coordination and delivery of early intervention services;

C. The Maryland State Department of Education shall be designated the lead agency in accordance with the requirement for a single line of responsibility for the following purposes:

(1) The general administration, supervision, and monitoring of programs and activities receiving assistance;

(2) The identification and coordination of all available resources within the State from federal, state, local and private sources;

(3) The assignment of financial responsibility to the appropriate agency;

(4) The development of procedures to ensure that services are provided to handicapped infants and toddlers and their families in a timely manner pending the resolution of any disputes among public agencies or service providers;

(5) The resolution of intra and interagency disputes; and

(6) The entry into formal interagency agreements that define the financial responsibility of each agency for paying for early intervention services and procedures for resolving disputes and that include all additional components necessary to ensure meaningful cooperation and coordination.

D. The Maryland State Interagency Coordinating Council shall be established to advise and assist the Maryland State Department of Education in the development of the State Plan and in the performance of their lead agency responsibilities, preparation of applications, and shall submit an annual report to the Governor.

E. The Interagency Coordinating Council shall consist of fifteen members, including parents of handicapped infants and toddlers, public and private providers of early intervention services, representatives from the General Assembly, representatives of personnel preparation programs, and the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Human Resources, and Education.

F. State executive branch agencies shall, to the maximum extent possible, assist the Infants and Toddlers Program to implement the minimum components of the State Plan as required in P.L. 990457, Part H.

Effective date: October 25, 1988 (15:24 Md. R. 2745)