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Preschool Special Education helps children with developmental delays and disabilities achieve the best outcomes later in life. The services are available for children ages three to five.
Preschool Special Education services help children grow across the four main areas of development. These areas are motor (physical), communication and language, social and emotional, and cognitive.
Your child may need Preschool Special Education services if he/she has a developmental delay. Children may be eligible if they are not able to learn, speak or play like other children who are the same age. An evaluation is the best way to know if your child needs Preschool Special Education services. During an evaluation, qualified professionals observe and interact with your child. Evaluations are offered at no cost, and must happen within 30 schools days after receiving parent/guardian written permission to evaluate.
If you have a concern about your child’s development, talk to your child’s healthcare provider and refer your child through Help Me Grow. If your child is eligible for services, you will work with school staff to create a personalized service plan for your child. This is an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and defines the services your child receives. Typically, services are delivered in their child care setting or local preschool program.
Common reasons that parents, caregivers and professionals refer a child through Help Me Grow include:
· Concern about a child’s developmental progress or delays in meeting developmental milestones.
· Any loss of skills at any age.
· Hearing or vision problems.
· Not answering simple questions such as “what,” “when” or “who” by three years of age.
· Not showing enjoyment in playing with other children of the same age by three years of age.
Here is one family’s experience with early intervention: “Our little cutie is officially an early intervention success story. Diagnosed with developmental delays at 2yrs 2mos, she ‘graduated’ from services at four years, eight months of age. Thank you for giving us the tools to help her! She's thriving in kindergarten!” - Metro Parent
The resource below provides more information about Preschool Special Education and how it can help a child experiencing challenges in learning and development:
· Minnesota Department of Education: education.state.mn.us
If you have concerns about a child's development and think a child might need extra help to learn and grow, don't hesitate to refer a child.
The family will be contacted by the local school district to arrange for a screening or evaluation to determine if their child is eligible for Infant and Toddler Intervention or Preschool Special Education services in Minnesota.
Services are free!
Regardless of:
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