The problem nobody talks about out loud
Early intervention in New York City is complicated. There are dozens of agencies, wildly different pay rates, billing systems that range from streamlined to chaotic, and almost no transparent way to compare them. New therapists join the field and figure it out the hard way, usually after getting burned.
Maria saw this play out over and over. A colleague would start with an agency, not get paid for two months because of a billing dispute nobody warned her about. A new CF grad would sign with the first agency that responded to her email, not realizing there were three better options in her borough. Experienced therapists would stay with agencies paying $12 below market simply because they didn't know what else was out there.
"I was spending thirty minutes a week answering the same question: which agency should I work with? I realized the answer shouldn't live in my head, it should be a system."
- Maria Santos, FounderSo Maria started a shared spreadsheet. Then a group chat. Then a more structured survey she sent to colleagues. By the time she had 40 therapists responding, she realized this wasn't a side project anymore.
Why a phone call
Early intervention therapists are busy. They're in homes and clinics all day, often without reliable time to sit at a computer and fill out a form. When Maria was testing early versions of EI Match, the highest-converting thing she tried wasn't an app, a website, or a form, it was a phone call with someone who knew the landscape and could ask the right questions.
Avery is that call, available 24 hours a day. She asks seven questions, listens carefully, and in five minutes can give a therapist more useful agency guidance than they'd get from a week of Googling. The personal link that follows, with the therapist's matches, their profile, and a direct path to apply, is designed to make the whole process feel like it was built specifically for them. Because it is.
What we actually do
EI Match is not an agency. We don't employ therapists or place them in families' homes. What we do is sit in the middle of a matching problem that has existed in NYC early intervention for decades, and solve it with data, honest ratings, and a system that works in the therapist's interest, not the agency's.
Agencies pay to be featured prominently in our directory. But our matching algorithm doesn't favor paying agencies, it favors fit. A therapist who needs fast pay and minimal admin gets Bloomer Health at the top. A therapist who wants W-2 stability and multi-state flexibility gets TheraCare. The match is based on the therapist's answers, not the agency's check.
We verify NPIs through the CMS National Provider Registry to protect both therapists and agencies from fraudulent applications. We handle the application submission so the therapist doesn't have to track down agency contacts or navigate intake forms during a session break.
Our values
Where we're headed
Right now EI Match serves NYC. Early intervention as a system has the same problems in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston, fragmented agency landscapes, no transparent pay data, and therapists figuring it out alone. We're building the foundation in New York because that's where Maria knows the landscape cold, and we want to get this right before we grow.
If you work for an EI agency and want to be part of what we're building, or if you're a therapist with feedback on what Avery should ask, which agencies we're missing, or what would make your personal link more useful, Maria reads every email at hello@eimatch.com.
Call any time. Matches texted to your phone in about five minutes.