Georgia Department of Public Health - Southeast Health District - Babies Can't Wait - Wayne County Health Department

Wayne County is one of the more populous counties in this part of the district, with a local hospital and a reasonable base of primary care. Families here can often combine a Babies Can’t Wait plan with private therapy in Brunswick or along the coast, which is a meaningful option once a child ages out of the program at three.

That transition is worth planning early. Babies Can’t Wait ends on a child’s third birthday, and eligible children move to preschool special education services through the local school district. Wayne County families should start that conversation with their service coordinator around thirty months, not at thirty-five, so nothing lapses in between.

Wayne County families are better positioned than most in this district for what comes after early intervention, because Jesup’s location puts Brunswick and the coastal corridor within practical reach. That opens up private therapy options that simply do not exist for families further inland.

Use that access deliberately. Around your child’s second birthday, start mapping what the post-three plan looks like: which school district services you will pursue, and which private providers in Brunswick or along the coast you want on a waitlist. Waitlists for private speech and occupational therapy frequently run several months, so a referral placed at thirty months is worth far more than one placed at thirty-five.

Ask your Babies Can’t Wait service coordinator to write the transition plan into your Individualized Family Service Plan rather than treating it as an informal conversation. A documented transition plan is much harder for anyone to let slide.

Babies Can’t Wait is Georgia’s statewide early intervention system for children from birth to age three, run by the Georgia Department of Public Health under Part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Eligible children can receive speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, developmental instruction, service coordination, and family training, delivered in the child’s natural environment. An Individualized Family Service Plan is written with the family, and the eligibility evaluation is provided at no cost.

The statewide intake line is (800) 429-6307. No physician referral is needed and a parent can self-refer. Eligibility ends on the third birthday, when children who still need support transition to preschool special education through their local school district — a separate determination that should be started around thirty months, not later.