Child Find
Child Find is a component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that requires districts to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities, age 2 years, 9 months through age 21, who are in need of special education services.
Child Find applies to children who are:
- Suspected of having a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade
- Highly mobile, such as migrant and homeless families
- Wards of the State
- Private school students
- Home school students
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its implementing regulations require that all children with disabilities who are in need of special education and related services, regardless of the severity of their disability, are identified, located, and evaluated. [20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(3); 34 C.F.R. § 300.111(a)]
The regulations that implement the IDEA require each State to have policies and procedures to ensure that “all children with disabilities . . . including children with disabilities who are homeless children or are wards of the State, and children with disabilities attending private schools, regardless of the severity of their disability, and who are in need of special education and related services, are identified, located and evaluated.” [34 C.F.R. § 300.111(a)(i)]
In Arizona, each public education agency must have written procedures for the identification and referral of all children with disabilities within its boundaries of responsibility, including children with disabilities attending private schools and those who are home schooled. [A.A.C. R7-2-401(D)(1)]
Should you suspect your child has a disability, please call:
Glendale Preschool Department at 623-237-7249 (2 years, 9 months-5 years old)
Glendale Special Education Department at 623-237-7148 (5 years and older)
The special education team (of which parents are members) are responsible for determining the most appropriate educational supports and services, for each child with a disability.