Birth to Two Early Childhood Special Education

Welcome to the West Central Education District’s Birth to Two Early Childhood Special Education program. Birth to Two Early Childhood Special Education is unique, in that we focus on the overall development of the child as well as the family. The Birth to Two department at the West Central Education District prides itself on the close, respectful working relationships that we build with the families we serve. It is our desire to provide services that are valuable and meaningful to families. It is our pleasure to work with such wonderful children and families.2006-07 Characteristics of Students: Students in ECSE programs are ages birth to six years. Students in ECSE programs have a wide range of disability designations including Early Childhood Special Education (Developmental Delay), Speech/Language Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Physical Impairment or Visual Impairment.

What is Early Childhood Special Education?

According to Federal and State laws, all children have a right to learn, regardless of abilities or age. The West Central Education District provides services to children, birth through twenty-one years of age. Early Childhood Special Education is broken down into two categories: Part C, which covers birth through age two years, eleven months of age and Part B, which covers age three through six years, eleven months of age. The West Central Education District’s Birth to Two Program provides Part C services for the following school districts: Albany/Avon, Melrose, Paynesville, and Sauk Centre. These services are provided, at no cost, to infants and toddlers who meet state and federal eligibility guidelines.

What is the referral process?

Children are referred to the West Central Education District’s Birth to Two program due to concerns with developmental skills. These referrals come from a variety of sources including parents, local physicians, hospitals, Public Health, Human Services, and Early Childhood Family Education. The first step after receiving a referral is to contact the family and set up an intake meeting. The intake meeting involves collecting data such as birth history and developmental milestones, as well as concerns the family may be having. This intake meeting has traditionally been held at the family’s home. From the information gathered, the team may decide that simply providing a family with suggestions for working with their child is the most appropriate course of action. Other times, a developmental screener or evaluation is necessary, and the team decides who will be involved in either process. The team members for an evaluation may include an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Educational Speech/Language Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Audiologist, Psychologist, Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Vision Specialist. Other members that may not actively evaluate but provide information include Public Health Nurses, Social Workers, and Early Childhood Family Educators.

What happens next?

In order to receive Early Childhood Special Education services, a child must have a medical diagnosis such as Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Hearing Impairment, or other medically diagnosed condition OR a qualifying score on a standardized assessment. For Part C services, a child must be demonstrating skills that are at least -1.5 standard deviations away from where you would typically be seeing same-age children perform, in one area of development (cognition, communication, motor, social, or self-help skills). For Part B services, a child must be at least -1.5 standard deviations below in two or more areas of development. If a child meets eligibility guidelines and is in need of Early Childhood Special Education services, an educational plan is then written according to the child’s needs.

What is an Educational Plan?

An educational plan is a written document that describes the child’s current skill level and needs. Specific goals and objectives are written based upon those needs in order to help the child bring their skills to a more age-appropriate level. There are two plans typically used by Early Childhood Special Education. These plans are an Individual Interagency Intervention Plan (III-P) and Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

How are services provided?

Once a child is in the Birth to Two Early Childhood Special Education program, services are conducted in their home or sometimes their daycare. Length and number of home visits are determined by the needs of the individual child. Services times and schedules are based upon family schedules. A multi-disciplinary approach may be used to address the specific needs of the child (i.e., Early Childhood Special Education Teacher and Occupational Therapist providing services together).

**If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s development, please call:

Maura O’Connor

Special Education Coordinator

320-352-6120 ext. 27