Child Find refers to the policies and procedures in each state that ensure that all children with disabilities, birth through age 21, who live in South Carolina and are in need of special education and related services or early intervention services are identified and evaluated. Child Find is an effort coordinated by local education agencies (LEAs) to identify, locate, and evaluate all children and youth with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services. A free appropriate public education is the right of every child with a disability, age 3 through 21. If you have concerns about your child, please contact your local school district.
Early intervention services are available for children aged birth through two years of age through BabyNet which is a division of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Local school districts are responsible for children within their jurisdiction suspected of having disabilities including:
- Preschool children, ages 3 through 5, including those in private preschools or childcare programs.
- Children enrolled in public schools within the district, including public charter schools. (Public charter schools that are their own school system are responsible for child find for children enrolled in the charter school.)
- Children who are home-schooled or placed in private schools within the district. (In South Carolina, home-schooled children are treated as private school children in regard to special education and must be considered for proportionate share of federal funds for private school children.)
- Highly mobile children, including migrant, homeless and children who are wards of the state.
- Children who are incarcerated in facilities operated by local municipalities or in state juvenile (Department of Juvenile Justice, DJJ) or correctional (Department of Corrections, DOC) facilities.
Anyone, including parents, teachers, and others, can make a referral if it is suspected that a child has a disability at any time. Making a referral, regardless of the source, does not ensure the child will be evaluated, but does require the student assistance team to discuss the concerns and determine the next steps.