Child Find Basics

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) (20 U.S.C. § 1400 et. seq) and California Education Code §56301 require every local educational agency (LEA) to identify, locate, and evaluate students enrolled with known or suspected disabilities to determine whether a need for special education and related services exists. LEAs/Districts are obligated to develop and implement a plan to locate all IDEA-eligible students, including but not limited to students who are homeless or wards of the state. The process an LEA/district develops to locate and identify students with disabilities is known as Child Find. To fulfill their Child Find obligation, each LEA/district conducts what are known as Child Find activities. Such activities may include the following:

  • The use of a child find letter (i.e. “Child Find Sample Letter” in Spanish and English, located in the SEIS Document Library under Child Find) to parents1 or the responsible party of a child who may need special education or related services, in their primary language. 
  • Inclusion of targeted questions regarding areas of need and/or previous Special Education services in enrollment packets. 
  • Carefully screening files and enrollment documentation of all students transferring into the LEA/district to identify students who may have been receiving special services in their prior LEA/district. 
  • Complete a California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) record search for all students transferring into the LEA/district, looking for reported Special Education data to identify students who may be eligible for special education. Please refer to the Monitoring 16.7 and 16.8 Overview guidance documents (located in the SEIS Document Library under Child Find) for further detail on this process. 
  • Providing information in languages spoken in the community to parents that explains the LEA’s/district’s special services and whom to contact if they suspect their student may have a disability. 
  • Utilizing a clear referral system (i.e. Student Study Team process. Please refer to the EDCOE Charter SELPA's Student Study Teams (SST) Handbook for more information). 
  • Providing annual in-service activities to assist all staff in making appropriate referrals and on the Child Find process and obligation. Consider using the “Referral for Special Education and Related Services” form located in the SEIS Document Library under Child Find. 
  • Screening all students entering kindergarten to identify students with suspected disabilities. 
  • Review of files for all students with a health plan to screen for suspected disabilities. 
  • Publication of a child find notice in the LEA/district newsletter or website. This notice may also be included in the enrollment packet and sent home annually to parents. 
  • Creation of a poster or other document for display in the main office (and other prominent areas) which includes whom to contact if there is a student suspected to be eligible under IDEA. 

Failing to meet Child Find requirements is a matter of serious concern that can deny a Free and Appropriate Education (FAPE) to a student whom an LEA/district should have identified. This failure may entitle a student to compensatory education or educationally related reimbursement accruing from the time the LEA/district first should have suspected the disability (Department of Education State of Hawaii. v. Cari Rae S., 2001). Additionally, an LEA/district may be violating its Child Find duty by repeatedly referring a student for interventions rather than evaluating the student’s need for special education and related services (see the Office of Special Education (OSEP) Memorandum to State Directors of Special Education, January 2011).  

1 The term “parent” refers to a natural parent, adopted parent, or legal guardian (EDC §49061). Any rights afforded to the parent are transferred to the adult student when they reach the age of majority (age 18), except in cases when a student with a disability has been deemed unable to make their own educational decisions under California Law.  

Useful Links:

SST Handbook: https://charterselpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/SST_Handbook_Charter_2018-06-28.pdf