The Early Childhood Service Intensity Instrument (ECSII)

The earliest years of life are the optimal time to build supportive and healthy child/caregiver relationships. Positive experiences help young children build brain architecture, and they help to set skills necessary for healthy development. Establishing strong, healthy relationships from the start can lead to optimal development and lessen chances for engagement in unhealthy behaviors as children grow to adulthood and beyond.

The Early Childhood Service Intensity Instrument© (ECSII) is a standardized, biopsychosocial assessment tool to help anyone who provides services to infants, toddlers, and children from ages 0 to 5.

Benefits of Using the ECSII

  • Learn more about infants and toddlers and the importance of early intervention to promote healthy development,
  • Understand the importance of the attachment and bonding relationship between child and parent/caregiver,
  • Assess intensity of need based on identification of risk/protective factors within a child’s environment
  • Align with AHCCCS trauma informed care initiatives,
  • Helps identify sources of trauma in children,
  • Identify risk factors in a child’s environment and find ways to enhance child’s environment to reduce risk,
  • Get support to help improve parenting skills,
  • Help providers clue in to look for details in these areas:
    • DOMAINS (Categories of Evaluation):
      1. Degree of Safety
      2. Child/Caregiver Relationships
      3. Caregiver Environment (Strengths/Stressors)
      4. Functional Developmental Status
      5. Impact of the Child’s Condition
      6. Services Profile
        • Caregiver/child involvement
        • Service fit
        • Service effectiveness
  • Increase knowledge of EPSDT requirements, especially those related to developmental surveillance, anticipatory guidance, social-emotional health of children three to five days old through five years old.

Who Should Use the ECSII?

  • Health plan administrators, clinical and administrative staff, health plan coordinators & care managers,
  • ALTCS case managers,
  • Provider staff including, BHPP, BHT, BHP,
  • Office of Individual and Family Affairs (OIFA) staff,
  • Peer and/or Family Support staff
  • Developmental disability case managers
  • Early childhood educators,
  • DCS Case Managers and staff
  • Maternal/Child Health professionals
  • Policy makers and advocates in child-serving agencies.

For more information about training, use, and implementation of the instrument, please visit AACAP’s ECSII webpage AACAP’s ECSII webpage.

Read Frequently Asked Questions about ECSII to learn more.

Revised 05/10/2024