Participation rate and economic cost of ProjectECHO^® at an urban academic medical center

This paper describes costs associated with establishing and delivering Early Childhood ECHO^® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) program to train community-based early care providers working in Chicago’s West Side communities in identifying and addressing the most common developmental, behavioral, and social-emotional concerns in young children. Results suggest that it costs $33,120 to train 12 providers within a societal perspective and $29,584 within the funder perspective; however, the cost of program delivery decreases as additional cohorts of providers are trained. This program holds promise as a relatively affordable approach to reducing long-term costs associated with behavioral health and developmental problems and improving outcomes for children and youth.