ECI (Early Childhood Intervention)
ECI is Texas’s early intervention program for babies and toddlers up to 36 months. You can call ECI yourself, without a doctor’s referral.
Is your child talking less than other kids their age?
In Corpus Christi, you can get a free speech evaluation. ECI helps if your child is under 3, and your public school district helps from age 3. Below you’ll find who to call, what happens next and simple ways to practice at home while you wait.

If something on this list worries you, you don’t need to wait and see. You can ask for a free evaluation right away.
An evaluation is a check of how your child talks and understands words. It usually happens through play, often with a speech therapist.
ECI is Texas’s early intervention program for babies and toddlers up to 36 months. You can call ECI yourself, without a doctor’s referral.
Your public school district evaluates children from age 3 for free, even before they start school. If you live in Corpus Christi ISD, send a short written request to its special education office.
Driscoll Children’s offers speech therapy for children at Corpus Christi locations on South Alameda Street and Airline Road. Call to ask about fees and wait times.
These services are run independently of Speech Blubs.
Watch and respond together.Getting an appointment can take time. Speech Blubs gives you short activities to do together: your child watches other kids say words and make sounds, then tries too.
Pick a topic your child loves, like animals or snacks.
Watch together and pause. Give your child time to look, point or say a word.
Use the word later, at snack time or in a book.
If your child sees a therapist, ask which activities fit.
The app content is available in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Czech, Swedish, Polish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Lithuanian and Romanian. You can switch the language in the app menu. Read the language FAQ.
Use a walk, a book, or a snack as a reason to talk together. Follow what interests your child.

A central Corpus Christi park with a pavilion. Blow bubbles, say “pop” and wait for your child to ask for “more.” 1354 Airport Road.
Name something your child notices with a short phrase, such as “big tree.” Pause for their response.

A library at 4044 Greenwood Drive with an early literacy play area. Name each toy your child picks up, then borrow one picture book.
Choose a picture your child likes and talk about it together. Connect it to a toy at home.

Offer two familiar toys or foods and name each one. Give your child time to respond. Follow a look, gesture, sound, or word.
Opening hours change, so check the website before you go.
Short answers about free help, costs and the app.
The evaluation is free: through ECI under age 3, or through your public school district from age 3. School speech services are free if your child qualifies. ECI therapy costs depend on family size and income, and no family is turned away because they can’t pay. Find free help.
Texas Medicaid covers speech therapy for children when it’s medically necessary. Private plans differ, so call the number on your insurance card and ask about pediatric speech therapy. Find free help.
Not for ECI or the school district: you can contact them yourself. The school district must answer a written request for an evaluation in writing within 15 school days. Texas Medicaid and many insurance plans need a referral from your child’s doctor. Find free help.
Many 2-year-olds put two words together, like “more milk.” If your child doesn’t yet, it’s a good time to ask ECI for a free evaluation. You don’t need to wait and see. Find free help.
No. It gives you short activities to practice together at home. A speech therapist evaluates your child and plans the therapy. See how the app works.
Speech Blubs is available in English and Spanish, plus 11 more languages. You can switch the language in the app menu. See how the app works.
Speech Blubs is a subscription. You’ll see the current price and any trial in the quiz before you pay. Choose your child’s age.

Start with the quiz to learn about the app for your child.
In Molina, help with your child’s speech starts with a free evaluation through ECI or your school district. Ben F. McDonald Library on Greenwood Drive and Salinas Park are good places for books and play.
Children under 3 can get a free evaluation through ECI, Texas’s early intervention program. Parents can call directly, with no doctor’s note. If therapy follows, the cost depends on your family’s size and income. From age 3, your public school district evaluates for free. Your district may not be Corpus Christi ISD, so look it up by address on the Texas Education Agency website. Texas Medicaid covers speech therapy for children when it’s medically necessary. Driscoll Children’s offers speech therapy on South Alameda Street and Airline Road. Before you call, write down a few words your child says.
Manuel Q. Salinas Park is on Airport Road, with a pavilion. Bring bubbles. Blow a few and say “pop” as your child pops them. Then hold the wand and wait. When they look, reach or say “more,” blow again. If your child says “bubble” or “pop,” say it back and add a word, like “big bubble.”
Ben F. McDonald Library is at 4044 Greenwood Drive. It has an early literacy play area for young children. Play there for a few minutes and name what your child picks up. Then choose one picture book to take home. Read it again tomorrow and let your child turn the pages. Reading a favorite book many times is fine.
We last checked these details in October 2026.
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