| What is Child Find? |
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Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that requires states to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities, between the ages of birth to 21, who are in need of early intervention or special education services. Child Find is a continuous process of public awareness activities, screening and evaluation designed to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of Early Intervention Program (Part C) or Preschool Special Education (Part B/619) services. How Children Are Located Most children will be located through the Developmental Screening process and through advertisement of our free screenings. Flyers were developed by the Child Find team and EPIC staff (see Developmental Screening Flyer and PIE Flyer) and distributed to the areas listed below.
Child Find in District 60 = Birth to Five Within the Waukegan Public Schools, our Child Find team consists of a coordinator, specialized services specialist, psychologist, social worker, speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, nurse, and a language liaison. We conduct the assessments for: 1) any child birth-to-three who may need early intervention services (PIE), all children who go through the EPIC developmental screenings and who need a full case study evaluation or speech/language evaluation, and any child who attends a private/parochial school within the district’s boundaries who may need a speech/language evaluation. A school age child who attends a private/parochial school and may need an evaluation will be served by their resident school’s individual problem solving team. The referral process for specific age levels is outlined below. Children Under Age 3 Referrals for children birth to three are handled through our Prevention Initiative program, at our Parent Infant Education (PIE) site. Free developmental screenings are offered for Waukegan residents by appointment (please see flyer). Many of our referrals come through Child and Family Connections and are children receiving early intervention services, or are in need of early intervention services. Our team conducts their comprehensive evaluations before their third birthday in order to provide them with a seamless transition from early intervention into our early childhood program. Children Ages 3-5 Children ages 3 to 5 years old must go through the Developmental Screening as the first point of entry. This is to ensure a consistent universal screening for all children, as well as to streamline the registration process and manage referrals for diagnostic testing. The Child Find Team will evaluate all 3 to 5 year old (preschool) children who are not currently enrolled in our school district. Evaluations may include a Full Case Study or Speech/Language only evaluation. Additionally, Child Find will handle the Speech/Language only evaluations for any child attending a private/parochial school, including the subsequent IEP meeting. The team will then hold an IEP meeting to discuss the findings of the evaluation with the parent and explain any services for which the child may qualify. If it is determined that the child qualifies for specialized services the parent can then register the student for school. Children who are in kindergarten through age 21 years old will be referred to their home school, if applicable, where the school psychologist will channel the referral through the Individual Problem Solving team at the building level. Developmental Screening Components
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