Q2: As a child care owner, how does your center identify children for more in-depth assessment to determine if they qualify for specialized services? Please describe what a typical process looks like and who is involved in the process. 

<Veda Crandall>

Every child is unique in their own way and they have their own strengths and weaknesses. It’s not wise to compare children to their peers because children learn on different levels. But after you’ve worked with children for so many years, you can tell in the back of your mind if there are some possible delays after observing and assessing. If children show some problems or difficulties in some developmental areas, we then refer them for professional assessment. Our first step is to have a conference with the family to see if they have noticed or have any concerns about their child. If so, they are able to voice their concerns and we can share what we have observed also. During this meeting, we share and get permission to have an outside agency come in and do their own screening. Currently we are working closely with CDSA of Wake County. After the screening the agency will return and share their findings. If they see there are any delays, another conference is set up with the agency, the teacher and the child’s family. Goals are written with the teacher and family members and a therapist is scheduled to come in and work with the child one on one or during center time depending on the goals written. In some cases children are placed in half or full day programs that can better serve them.