Child Find

• At the appointment, a Child Find staff member(s) will interact with your child to obtain information regarding play, communication, movement, social, and cognitive development. They will begin first in a screening format and if needed, move into a deeper evaluation for areas of concern.
• At the end of the evaluation, the team will provide general information about what they observed and describe any specific concerns about your child's learning and development. The team will also determine next steps, which may include a follow up meeting to discuss eligibility. 

Our Child Find Teams include a school social worker, speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, early childhood special educator, and school psychologist. One or more of these team members may be involved with your child's case. The Child Find team may invite a physical therapist and/or a nurse if they deem one is necessary. The parent or guardian will remain in the same room with your child throughout the assessment as well.

We have four locations in which our Child Find evaluations and community screens take place. Please see the locations tab. We do not provide in-home evaluations or come to your school to evaluate your child. Occasionally, a second appointment or classroom observation may be scheduled if, at the end of the evaluation, the team feels that they do not have enough information to determine eligibility for special education services.

The waiting time for a Child Find evaluation can vary based on several factors. The typical waiting time is around 2 - 3 months if all appointment steps are completed in a timely manner. Child Find appointments do not occur during school breaks such as Fall, Winter, and Spring Break which can extend the waiting time.

Families requesting services for their children under 2 years 10 months old will go directly to Early Intervention Colorado. Visit the Early Intervention Colorado website to learn more and request an appointment.

If your child qualifies for special education services, the Child Find team will work with you to schedule an Eligibility Meeting to review and consent to the IEP. After this meeting, you will be directed to our preschool enrollment team to enroll in one of our public preschool classrooms. Services will start following enrollment.

Special education services are paired with general preschool education with half-day programming based on your child's age. You can learn more about our preschool curriculum here. Child Find specialists, such as a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist, early childhood special educator and/or psychologist will work with your child in the classroom on the goals set in their IEP.

Children who are kindergarten-age-eligible, even if they are currently attending a private school, will want to contact their homeschool for evaluations. Once they are age-eligible for kindergarten, the elementary school which is the homeschool based on your address, is the appropriate place for the assessment. If you are unsure what your Douglas County School District homeschool is, please reach out to or Child Find information line at 720-433-0020 for assistance.

If your child currently has an IEP and/or you are moving to the Douglas County School District with a child who has an IEP, please reach out to our preschool enrollment team at 720-433-1177. Your child does not need a Child Find evaluation if they already have an active IEP.

• A Child Find community screen is a free and quick developmental screening that does not lead into educational based services or an IEP. You can expect a community screen to be around 45 minutes. We have in-person and virtual options available. Please reach out to our Child Find information line to discuss available community screen appointments. 
• A Child Find community screen is with two childhood development specialists who will professionally observe your child in a screening format with standardized testing. If your child does not pass this screen, the community screen team will work with you to schedule a full evaluation for your child.

• A Child Find evaluation can last up to two hours with a Child Find team. If your child qualifies for services, they will receive an IEP and extra support in one of our public preschool classrooms.