CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY

What CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY does

The Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) is a North Carolina state government entity operating under the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS), Division of Child and Family Well-Being, within the North Carolina Early Intervention Section (NCEI). It serves as the state's lead agency for North Carolina's Infant-Toddler Program (NC ITP), delivering federally mandated early intervention services under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to families with infants and toddlers from birth through age three who have developmental delays, disabilities, or established conditions with a high probability of developmental delay. CDSA delivers services through a network of 16 regional offices distributed across all North Carolina counties, providing developmental evaluations, Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSPs), service coordination, and family training. Therapeutic interventions — including occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and special instruction — are delivered in natural environments such as family homes, childcare settings, and community locations rather than clinical facilities.

The organization employs approximately 103 staff across its regional network and maintains its administrative headquarters at 1915 Health Services Way in Raleigh. Services are delivered at no direct cost to eligible families; CDSA contracts with local therapists and special instructors who provide interventions under each child's IFSP, with service coordination handled by CDSA staff. Funding flows from federal Part C IDEA allocations administered through NCDHHS, supplemented by state appropriations, and the agency reports to state program administrators and county human services partners rather than competing in a commercial market.

No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML systems, or differentiated software architecture is disclosed in the available material. Program information is disseminated primarily through the official NCDHHS / beearly.nc.gov website and through direct outreach via the 16 regional CDSAs. Family access follows a referral-then-evaluation pathway (self-referral or provider referral), followed by eligibility evaluation and individualized service planning. The agency operates exclusively inside North Carolina's jurisdictional boundary as a publicly administered program and has no commercial revenue model.

Name

CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY

Legal name

Children's Developmental Services Agency

Website

https://beearly.nc.gov

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) is a North Carolina state government entity operating the state's Infant-Toddler Program under Part C of IDEA, delivering early intervention services through 16 regional offices to families of infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Intervention Services for Infants and Toddlers

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Service Coordination / Case Management (IDEA Part C) (EDACAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Developmental Therapy / Early Childhood Special Instruction (EDACAFAG), Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA), Mental Health & Infant/Early Childhood Consultation (0–5) (EDACAFAO)

Keywords

• Early intervention services
• Developmental disability services
• Infant toddler program
• Occupational therapy services
• Speech language pathology

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Funded through North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) as part of the Division of Child and Family Well-Being. Operates under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which provides federal funding to states for early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) administers the North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program (NC ITP), providing early intervention services for infants and toddlers (birth to age three) with developmental delays, disabilities, or conditions likely to result in developmental delay. Services include developmental evaluations, individualized family service plans (IFSPs), therapeutic interventions (occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology), service coordination, and family training and counseling, delivered primarily in natural environments such as family homes and community settings.

Product overview

The Children's Developmental Services Agency (CDSA) is a network of sixteen local agencies across North Carolina that administer the North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program (NC ITP). The NC ITP is an early intervention program that provides support and services for families with children from birth to three years who have special needs. The program includes developmental milestone tracking, eligibility determination, family outcomes surveys, referral processing, and a central directory of resources. The NC ITP is led by the North Carolina Early Intervention Section (NCEI) within NCDHHS' Division of Child and Family Well-Being.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• North Carolina Infant-Toddler Program (NC ITP)

Quantifiable outcome

• Early intervention during birth-to-three critical period produces positive developmental outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Local Service ProviderscoreOthersLocal service providers (occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, special instructors, etc.) deliver early intervention services under contract/coverage agreements with the 16 CDSAs. These providers work with families in natural environments to implement individualized family service plans (IFSPs).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Easter Seals: National nonprofit network providing early intervention, developmental therapies, and disability services for children birth-to-three and beyond. Comparable to CDSA in delivering OT/PT/SLP and family support, though operates across many states and via a mix of public and private funding.
• Help Me Grow National Center: National network helping states build early childhood systems that connect at-risk children with developmental services. Highly comparable to NC ITP/CDSA's role as a centralized entry point for families into early intervention services.
• Pediatric Therapeutic Services (PTS): Provider of school- and early-intervention-based OT, PT, speech, and social-emotional services under contract with public agencies. Comparable to the contracted local therapy providers that deliver CDSA services in natural environments.

Broad incumbents

• Zero to Three: National nonprofit focused on infant and toddler development, policy, and training. Comparable in mission emphasis on the birth-to-three window, although it operates primarily through advocacy, training, and resources rather than direct therapy service delivery.
• Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (ECTA): Federally funded center supporting state Part C and Part B Section 619 programs. Operates in the same regulatory and programmatic space as CDSA at a national policy and technical-assistance level.
• The Arc of the United States: Large national organization advocating for and serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including early years. Overlaps with CDSA's mission on early identification and family support but with broader scope and national scale.

Others

• March of Dimes: National nonprofit focused on maternal and infant health, including early identification of developmental risks. Adjacent to CDSA's target population (infants and toddlers) but with a maternal-health rather than early-intervention therapy focus.

Regional players

• Bright Beginnings (state early intervention analogues): Other state Part C early intervention agencies (e.g., other state CDSAs, regional Infant-Toddler Programs) operating under IDEA Part C with similar birth-to-three scope. Directly comparable in service mix and regulatory framework, but each is bounded to its own state geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children's-developmental-services-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES AGENCY