Joliet is Will County's seat, and its Child and Family Connections office for Early Intervention is actually headquartered in the city. School-age special education, though, is split across separate elementary and high school districts, a common Illinois arrangement that trips up families new to the area.

This page lists the working phone numbers and web addresses behind those systems, plus the statewide programs — the PUNS waiver waitlist, Illinois' autism insurance mandate, Medicaid's ABA benefit — that apply the same way in Joliet as anywhere else in the state.

Statewide programs, numbers, and rights are on the Illinois page. This page adds the local entry points that are specific to Joliet (Will County).

Early intervention under 3: Illinois Early Intervention (Part C)

Illinois Early Intervention is the birth-to-3 program, and it changed hands on July 1, 2026 to a brand-new state agency, the Illinois Department of Early Childhood. Joliet's own Child and Family Connections office, run by Service Inc. of Illinois, sits at 2300 Glenwood Ave. in the city and covers Will, Grundy, Kankakee, and LaSalle counties. Anyone close to the child — a parent, relative, or doctor — can start that referral, and the first evaluation is free with no diagnosis required beforehand.

• Illinois Early Intervention (Part C)
• Referral phone: 815-730-2617 (CFC 15, Will County) · 1-800-843-6154 (statewide locator)

New to early intervention? Read the plain-language guide first.

School districts and special education

Illinois requires every district to actively locate and evaluate, at no charge, any child from birth through 21 who may need special education. Joliet's elementary-age students and its high schoolers fall under two separate districts, so families often need to contact both across a child's school career. Put your request in writing; the district then has 14 school days to decide whether to proceed and, once you consent in writing, up to 60 school days to complete the evaluation and eligibility meeting.

• Joliet Township High School District — Executive Director of Special Services 815-727-6984, Special Services Office 815-727-6986; district has 14 school days after a written request to determine whether an evaluation is warranted
• Joliet Public Schools District 86 — elementary district covering most of the city; Equity & Student Services department handles special education referrals

IEP or 504 · If you disagree with the school

Evaluation and diagnosis pathways in Joliet

We have not yet verified a hospital or university evaluation program with public intake information in Joliet. That is a gap in our research, not a sign there is nothing here — and it does not stand between you and an evaluation. The school district evaluation above is free, and early intervention under 3 does not need a private diagnosis first.

How assessment works · What to do while you wait

Disability services and waivers: IDHS Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)

Long-term disability supports in Illinois are funded through Medicaid waivers, reached by joining PUNS, a statewide waitlist, rather than through a Will County agency. An Independent Service Coordination agency handles eligibility and the PUNS interview, and a child can be entered starting at age 2.5. Adults sitting in the 'Seeking Services' category are, under the state's Ligas Consent Decree commitment, meant to be selected for waiver funding within five years of enrolling.

• IDHS Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
• Phone: 1-888-DD-PLANS (1-888-337-5267) · 1-866-376-8446 (TTY)

Local organizations that help Joliet families

• Family Resource Center on Disabilities (FRCD) — special-education parent training and IEP support across Will and seven other counties covering the Joliet area; 312-939-3513
• The Arc of Illinois — Family Support Network — statewide help with PUNS enrollment and waiver navigation; 708-331-7370
• Equip for Equality — Illinois' Protection & Advocacy agency; statewide helpline 800-537-2632

Documented waits and access notes

Wait times change. Each note below links to the public source it came from — confirm current status directly with the program.

• Joliet's Child and Family Connections office, run by Service Inc. of Illinois, has to finish a family's evaluation and convene the first IFSP meeting inside 45 days of the referral, under statewide Early Intervention rules. (source)
• A Joliet parent whose health plan is self-funded should know Illinois' $36,000 annual autism-coverage cap under state law simply doesn't apply to that kind of plan. (source)