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<title>How Do I Get Family-Centered Early Supports and Services (FCESS) in New Hampshire for a Child Under 3? Referral Steps, the 45-Day Rule, and What It Costs | Achieving Stars Therapy</title>
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<div class="hero"><div class="hero-inner"><span class="location-badge">New Hampshire Early Intervention</span><h1>How to Get FCESS for a Child Under 3</h1><p>Family-Centered Early Supports and Services is New Hampshire's early intervention program for children from birth to age 3. A parent can refer their own child. No physician referral is required, and no diagnosis is required.</p></div></div>
<div class="quick-info"><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Ages</div><div class="info-value">Birth to 3</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Referred By</div><div class="info-value">Anyone, incl. parent</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Deadline</div><div class="info-value">45 days</div></div><div class="info-item"><div class="info-label">Diagnosis</div><div class="info-value">Not required</div></div></div>
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<section><p>FCESS is New Hampshire's early intervention program for infants and toddlers, the birth-to-3 system every state runs under Part C of the federal IDEA law. It does not require an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, and it does not require a doctor to sign off before you call.</p>
<p>That last part surprises people. <strong>A parent can refer their own child.</strong> You do not need permission.</p></section>
<section><h2>The referral, step by step</h2><ol>
<li><strong>Call the state's Birth to 3 line at (603) 271-4488</strong>, or contact your regional FCESS program. Any adult can refer: a parent, a pediatrician, a daycare provider.</li>
<li><strong>Intake.</strong> The program gathers basic information about your concerns.</li>
<li><strong>Evaluation.</strong> A team assesses communication, motor skills, social-emotional development, cognition, and self-help.</li>
<li><strong>Eligibility, then the IFSP.</strong> If your child qualifies, the team writes an Individualized Family Service Plan with you.</li>
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<div class="highlight-box"><p><strong>The 45-day clock.</strong> Federal Part C rules give the program 45 days from the referral date to finish the evaluation and hold the IFSP meeting. That deadline is your leverage. Write down the date you called.</p></div></section>
<section><h2>What FCESS gives you, and what it doesn't</h2><p>Expect a service coordinator, a family-centered plan, and services like speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and family coaching, usually delivered where your child already spends time.</p>
<p>What it usually is not: intensive applied behavior analysis. FCESS is built around coaching families and supporting development broadly. It is not a 20-hour-a-week behavior program.</p>
<p>The two can run at the same time. A toddler can have an IFSP through FCESS and receive in-home ABA billed to Medicaid or insurance. Achieving Stars Therapy starts children as young as <strong>18 months</strong>, squarely inside the early intervention window.</p></section>
<section><h2>What happens at age 3</h2><p>FCESS ends on the third birthday, and the team runs a transition to your local school district, which takes over under Part B with an IEP instead of an IFSP. School services are educational, not medical, and they are often thinner than what the family had. Families who want continuity line up private ABA before the birthday, not after.</p></section>
<section><h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Does FCESS cost anything?</h3><p>Evaluation, eligibility determination, service coordination, and the IFSP are provided at no cost to families under federal Part C rules. Some services may involve insurance billing, which the program discusses with you up front.</p></div>
<div class="faq-item"><h3>Can we do FCESS and ABA at the same time?</h3><p>Yes, and plenty of families do. For how the two fit together, see <a href="/guide/nh-birth-to-3-and-aba-therapy">Birth to 3 and ABA therapy</a>. Achieving Stars Therapy runs in-home ABA alongside early intervention in <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-manchester-nh">Manchester</a>, <a href="/location/city/aba-therapy-nashua-nh">Nashua</a>, and across <a href="/location/states/aba-therapy-new-hampshire">New Hampshire</a>.</p></div>
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<p class="disclaimer">The 45-day evaluation and IFSP requirement comes from federal Part C of IDEA. Program details verified with New Hampshire DHHS sources on July 14, 2026.</p>
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<h2>Under 3 and Want ABA Too?</h2>
<p>Free benefits check. BCBA-led, in-home, flexible day and evening scheduling.</p>
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<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Call</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="tel:8336663115">(833) 666-3115</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Email</div><div class="cta-item-value"><a href="mailto:info@achievingstarstherapy.com">info@achievingstarstherapy.com</a></div></div>
<div class="cta-item"><div class="cta-item-label">Ages</div><div class="cta-item-value">18 months to 15 years</div></div>
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