Parents plead for state to spare First Steps

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Vivien Kozak was diagnosed with Down syndrome after she was born, but now, with help from therapists, the 10-month-old is starting to roll over and crawl.

Her mother, Laura Kozak, said the child started in the state's First Steps program within three months of birth, and she credits it for the progress her child has made.

That's why Kozak joined with dozens of others at the Capitol on Wednesday to urge lawmakers and Gov. Matt Blunt to back down from the governor's proposal to end the program.

First Steps helps children from birth to age 3 with developmental or physical disabilities, such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and hearing or vision problems. It offers children services such as speech therapy, occupational and physical therapy, and sign-language instruction, often at the family's home. A family's income is not a factor.

More than 8,000 Missouri children participated in First Steps in the 2004 fiscal year, according to education officials, and the average cost per child was about $2,976.

Blunt contends private insurance or the government Medicaid program for the poor could cover many of the same services for many children. But Blunt also said he wants to make sure the government still help children whose services are not covered by either Medicaid or private insurance.

"Children that need the services that are currently being provided by First Steps will continue to have access either through private insurance or programs in state government," Blunt said Wednesday.

Program supporters presented the governor's office with about 20,000 petition signatures urging the continuation of First Steps. They also packed a legislative committee room to testify in support of the program before the House Education Appropriations Committee.

Another parent, Diane Kodelja, of Oakville, said she doesn't know what to expect for her 21-month-old daughter, Veronica, whose brain has not developed as it should.

But she said the First Steps program is helping the child through various therapies and is teaching her family how to work with her, even on things that sound simple, such as waving goodbye and developing her tongue muscle.

"Without her First Steps program, I would be so lost," she said. "There is no comparable program. There isn't any other help."

Kozak, Kodelja and several other parents said their families have private health insurance but it doesn't cover the therapy. A few have insurance that offers limited help, but they said First Steps provides more frequent therapy.

If the program were eliminated, Kozak said her family would try to pay for her daughter's services, but it would be a financial struggle. Kozak said she would consider moving her family to another state where the government does provide such services.

"Right now, we'd be at a loss," she said.

Parents said that the money spent in early years to help children with basic things such as movement and speech outweighs the costs that government, especially school districts, would pay in later years if children receive no help until they turn age 3.