The Early Childhood Special Education Office provides oversight to a wide range of special education programs and services for children birth to five who have identified special education needs.
The Infant Program provides early intervention services for children birth to three years of age who have been identified with a hearing loss, visual impairment, or severe orthopedic impairment. The infant services focus on supporting the overall development of the child and providing resources and education to family members and other caregivers. The services are delivered in the natural environment for the child and in the context of the family. Families and staff work together to develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) that guides the service delivery for each child and family. The Preschool Program provides special education services for children three to five years of age who have been identified with one of the federal and state defined special education eligibility. The programs are designed to promote a partnership between professionals and families to help meet the child's individual needs and increase future school success. Children are served in the least restrictive environment in a wide variety of early childhood settings. Emphasis is placed on the development of language, social-emotional, motor and pre-academic skills through activities and materials that are concrete and relevant to their lives. Families and staff work together to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that guides the service delivery for each child.
School Nurse’s Role As invaluable members of the Early Childhood Special Education team, the Infant and Preschool Nurses perform health assessments in an AVH (Audio Visual Health) clinic setting working with the School Audiometrist. During the AVH clinic, hearing and vision screening including health assessments are performed in order to identify the student's special education needs. In the process, if the child needs Specialized Physical Healthcare Services (SPHCS) during school hours, School Nurses facilitate the completion of the SPHCS authorizations from the licensed healthcare provider and parent/s. Upon completion of the health assessments, the Infant and Preschool Nurses endorse the information including the SPHCS authorizations and information to the Preschool Transition Nurses who will ensure that the student's health needs during will be met by addressing the needs in the IEP document and providing the training to the District Assigned Qualified Provider (DAQP) who will be assigned to provide the SPHCS during school hours.
