Child Find refers to locating, identifying, and evaluating children and youth who may be eligible for special education services designed to meet their educational needs at no cost to families. If you are concerned about your child, or if your doctor has shared information regarding developmental delays, and your child is between birth and 22 years of age, please contact your local school district for assistance. School teams can evaluate a child to determine whether a disability impacts their access to education. There are many different types of disabilities. A disability may affect how a child learns, communicates, or takes care of themselves. Anyone can start the Child Find process, such as a parent/guardian, teacher, doctor, relative, or friend of a child. This process begins with contacting your local school and sharing your concerns regarding your child's developmental, learning, communication, or self-help delays.  A school may request a meeting with the family and current teacher to understand the areas of concern. 

 

The El Dorado County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) seeks to identify, locate, and evaluate children suspected of having a disability who may be eligible for special education services designed to meet their educational needs at no cost to families. This includes highly mobile children, migrant children, children experiencing homelessness, children who are wards of the state  ,  and children attending private schools located within EDCOE boundaries, regardless of where they reside. All other children must live in the EDCOE attendance area. Every Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) and school district must have procedures to help locate students who may need special education services. Each public school site within the SELPA has information on initiating a referral for special education services. If your child is not in a special education program and you suspect they may have a disability, please contact your child's teacher or principal to discuss your concerns. A student may be referred by parents, teachers, and other school staff members, doctors, agency staff, or others. 

 

If you have a concern about your child's development and your child is younger than 2 years, ten months of age, please contact the Infant Development Program at

(530) 622-7130, x2551 for IDP/PAT.

 

If your child is school-age (TK and up) and you are concerned about your child’s progress in school, please contact your child’s teacher to discuss your concerns. As appropriate, your child may be referred to the Student Success Team (SST) to discuss concern(s), identify potential areas of need, and propose interventions based on student needs. The SST includes representatives from general education and may consist of special education representatives who review student progress and suggest interventions and strategies to assist students within the general education program. The SST will develop an action plan to support your child’s educational progress. It is highly recommended that an SST meeting be held to review a student's progress before developing an assessment plan for suspected disabilities. If you have additional questions, please contact the El Dorado Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) office at (530) 295-2476 to obtain further information.

 

Through the Child Find process, the districts within El Dorado County are committed to locating, identifying, and evaluating students with disabilities (ages 5-22) who are parentally placed in a private school. If you suspect your child or a student in your program has a disability, you may discuss the evaluation process with a District representative. Please contact your child's school of residence for assistance.

 

For school-age children and youth enrolled in a charter school, contact the child’s charter school of attendance with your concerns.