January 20 / / 2017
What is Child Find?
Child Find is a continuous process of public awareness activities, child screening and evaluation processes designed to locate, identify, and refer as early as possible all young children with disabilities and their families who are in need of preschool special education (Part B/619) services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) To receive special preschool services in North Carolina, a child’s development must be assessed and determined eligible according to a set of criteria for a disability established by the state and federal governments ( (
IDEA requires all states to have a "comprehensive Child Find system" to assure that all children who are in need of early intervention or special education services are located, identified, and referred. The lead agency Part B/619 IDEA in each state is responsible for planning and implementing a comprehensive child find system. In North Carolina, the lead agency for Part B/619 preschool is the Department of Public Instruction. A comprehensive Child Find system includes at least seven major elements:
- Definition of target population
- Public awareness
- Referral and intake
- Screening and identification of young children who may be eligible for idea services
- Eligibility determination
- Tracking
- Interagency coordination.
Definition of Target Population
The population to be identified must be defined and described. To identify children who may have health or developmental issues as early as possible, it is important to think broadly about needed programs and services and conduct child find activities accordingly. For example, needs may range from an eye exam for a child having minor vision difficulties to a full evaluation for a child in need of more comprehensive or ongoing early intervention services. Multiple state programs have a responsibility to identify children in need of these services. Programs that are responsible for serving identified children include: preschool special education, NC Pre-K, Head Start, Title I PreK, programs for children with special health care needs, and state Medicaid and SCHIP initiatives.The Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) targets all children with disabilities aged birth through 21 who reside in the state.
Public Awareness
PreK special education programs must include a public awareness effort that focuses on the early identification of children who are eligible for services. Information about services and how to access them may be disseminated through the mass media and other communication mechanisms, and throughout the state, on a regular basis to parents, physicians and others who may make referrals. One vehicle for providing public awareness is through your Local Interagency Coordinating Council.
Notification and Referral
A mechanism must exist for a broad range of notification sources to be informed about eligibility, identification of children who may be eligible, and about how to make appropriate referrals to public agencies. Once the public agency receives a referral, a services coordinator needs to be appointed as soon as possible.
Screening and Identification
Each statewide system should include procedures for screening of health and development as one component of a comprehensive child find system. The purpose of developmental screening is to identify children at risk who need further observation and evaluation based on concerns related to their progress in one or more domains of development: health and physical, emotional and social, language and communication, cognitive. Screening programs and processes may differ based on if a child remains in the home the majority of the time, attends a state or federal Pre-K program, child care, or is referred by a physician or outside agency. Screening is mandated under EPSDT (Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment) and is required of pediatric healthcare providers who deliver routine health supervision services. This is why we developed the Physician to Preschool Program Notification Process.
Eligibility Determination
Each state has eligibility criteria for preschool special education that needs to be consistent with federal regulations. For North Carolina’s criteria for eligibility go to
Services must be available for conducting diagnostic assessment and for identifying the intervention services needed. (Note: Part B of IDEA regulations address this issue, but not under Child Find).
Tracking
States need to have a tracking system to determine which children are receiving services and ensure follow-up once children are referred In North Carolina this is accomplished through state monitoring procedures for timely evaluations as reported on Indicator 11 on the State Performance Plan (SPP), and timely services for children transitioning from the Infant-Toddler Program as reported on Indicator 12 on the SPP. North Carolina also provides a case management and data analysis system to Local Education Authorities (LEAs) through the Comprehensive Exceptional Children Accountability System (CECAS). This system is a means to manage and analyze exceptional student records.
Interagency Coordination
Child Find activities need to be coordinated across state and local agencies to ensure efficient use of resources. Information about Child Find procedures and activities must be available to all individuals and agencies serving infants and children. In North Carolina, the Infant-Toddler and Preschool Exceptional Children Programs collaborate on facilitating Child Find programs through the North Carolina Interagency Coordinating Council. The state council then directs the work of the Local Coordinating Councils (LICC) in facilitating Child Find activities in the local communities. LICCs are asked to direct their Child Find efforts around informing local hospitals, physicians, health departments, and others on the referral, assessment and eligibility determination process.
1