We are committed to ensuring that every child, regardless of their abilities or challenges, receives the support and resources they need to thrive in our school system.
Our Child Find program is designed to identify and serve children from birth to age 21 who reside in Prince William County or attend a Prince William County daycare or private school and may require special education services.
Note: The Child Find process is initiated when a disability is suspected that may have an adverse educational impact on a student's ability to access the general education curriculum. Parents who do not suspect their child has a disability but believe their child needs additional support in the classroom should contact their child's school and ask for a Student Support Team meeting to discuss the concern and determine appropriate interventions.
The Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Child Find process is designed to help identify and support children who may have special educational needs. Here are the steps explained in simple terms:
The first step is to identify children where a disability is suspected. This can happen in several ways. For example, teachers and parents may notice that a child is struggling in school and that research-based interventions have been unsuccessful, or the child's doctor has noticed that the child has not reached certain developmental milestones within a period of time and that these delays may have an educational impact.
Once a child is identified, a referral may be made in written, electronic, or oral form to the school administrator of the school the child attends, or, if enrolling, the zoned school according to the parent’s address. This means that someone officially asks for help for the child, like a teacher or a parent, because a disability is suspected. The Child Find team shall meet within 10 business days following the receipt of the referral to the administrator.
During the Child Find team meeting, the team will discuss the referral concerns and determine whether additional data needs to be collected. If so, the team will discuss those areas of evaluation and parent consent is needed to proceed. If consent is given, the child will be evaluated by a team of experts based on the referral concern. These experts may include teachers, psychologists, and other professionals. They will assess the child's strengths and weaknesses to understand their specific needs. The deadline for completion of the evaluations is 60 business days.
Based on the evaluation, the Child Find team will decide if the child is eligible for special education services according to criteria determined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and aligned with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulatory guidelines. Special education services are personalized support and teaching methods to help children with different needs.
If the child is found eligible, a meeting will be held within 30 calendar days with the parents, teachers, and other professionals to create an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP is a plan that outlines the specific support and services the child will receive to help them succeed in school.
Once the IEP is created and the parent has given consent, the child will start receiving the support outlined in the plan. This specialized instruction may include extra help in certain subjects, specific accommodations, or related services support.
If you have concerns about a child’s development or need to request an evaluation, refer to the following age groups to determine who to contact.
For infants and toddlers under 3 years old, visit the Early Intervention - Infant & Toddler Connection of Greater Prince William website or call 703-792-7879 to learn more.
For children 2 years old (by September 30) to 5 years old, who are not eligible for kindergarten, visit the Child Find Evaluation Center at Woodbine webpage or call 703-791-8857 to learn more.
For children ages 5–21 who are eligible for kindergarten, contact the PWCS zoned school.
This includes children attending a PWCS school, those enrolled in private schools, those who are homeschooled, and five-year-old children whose parents choose to keep them out of kindergarten.
Estamos comprometidos a garantizar que todos los niños/as, independientemente de sus capacidades o dificultades, reciban el apoyo y los recursos que necesitan para prosperar en nuestro sistema escolar.
Nuestro programa Child Find está diseñado para identificar y atender a niños/as desde el nacimiento hasta los 21 años que residen en el condado de Prince William o asisten a una guardería o escuela privada del condado de Prince William y que pueden requerir servicios de educación especial.
Nota: El proceso de Child Find inicia cuando se sospecha una discapacidad que puede tener un impacto educativo adverso en la capacidad de un estudiante para acceder al plan de estudios de educación general. Los padres que no sospechan que su hijo/a tiene una discapacidad, pero creen que su hijo/a necesita apoyo adicional en el aula, se comunican con la escuela de su hijo/a y piden una reunión con el Equipo de Apoyo Estudiantil (SST, por sus siglas en inglés) para hablar sobre su preocupación y determinar las intervenciones apropiadas.
El proceso de Child Find de PWCS está diseñado para ayudar a identificar y apoyar a los niños/as que pueden tener necesidades educativas especiales. A continuación, se explican los pasos de forma sencilla:
Conexión para bebés y niños pequeños de Prince William/Programa de Intervención Temprana 703-792-7879
El Centro de Evaluación Child Find de Woodbine
703-791-8857
Póngase en contacto con la escuela base del condado de Prince William de acuerdo a su dirección
Esto incluye: