Child Find
Free Developmental Screening
Children ages 3-5 years old not enrolled in the public school system
Complete the Online Referral or call (863) 535-6486
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If your child is enrolled in public school, please contact the School Counselor for assistance with screening/evaluation.
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If your child is birth to 2 years and 10 months old, please contact USF Early Steps for assistance with screening/evaluation at (813) 289-8700
FDLRS Child Find, in coordination with the school districts, locates children who are potentially eligible for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and links them with needed services.
Child Find services help to promote general public awareness of programs and services available for young children who have or are at risk of developing disabilities. Service coordination for diagnostic screening, placement, training, and support is also provided.
To obtain a screening appointment, call the Child Find staff at (863) 535-6486.
- They will gather information about the child from the caller (name, birth date, address, parental information, how to contact the family, and developmental concerns).
- If the referral does not come directly from the parent or guardian, the appropriate individual will be contacted to complete the referral.
- A screening appointment—date, time, and location—will be assigned as soon as the information is complete.
A Sampling of Services offered by Child Find
- Appropriate Practices
- Child Development Milestones
- Child Find Awareness and Outreach
- Child Find Service Coordination
- CHRIS Database Management
- Early Childhood Developmental Screenings, Coordination, and Resources
- Interagency Collaboration
Child Find assists in identifying children with special needs who are currently not enrolled in school. We provide vision, hearing, speech and developmental screenings for children from 3-5 years of age who are suspected of having a disability.
We are searching for children with special needs who are not in school. Our search effort is to locate children in two different age groups:
- Preschool children from 3 to 5 years of age who may need special help when they attend school.
- School-age children five (5) through twenty-one (21) years of age, who have never attended school due to special needs.
Child Find screens preschoolers who may have special needs so that schools can better plan for future educational programs. We can screen your child’s vision, hearing, speech, and developmental skills.
Contact Child Find if you think your child might need special help. Call our office at (863) 535-6486.
For children under 3 years of age, please call USF Early Steps Program at (866) 549-1740. Early Steps serves Florida’s infants and toddlers from birth to 36 months who have developmental delays or a condition that places them at risk for developmental delays.
Child Find Contacts
Meggan Burgess
Child Find Specialist
(863) 535-6486, ext. 455
meggan.burgess@polk-fl.net
Deborah Quaintance
Child Find Specialist
(863) 535-6486, ext. 459
deborah.quaintance@polk-fl.net