Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council (LEICC) Meetings

Next Council meeting is scheduled for:

  • Friday 11/3/2023 at 11:00 AM

Children With Special Needs Programs

All children develop at different rates. To see what your child should be doing at their age, visit the CDC Developmental Milestones chart.

For Information and to make a referral to the Child Find or Early Intervention Program:
Please call (845) 364-2032.

Rockland County Child Find Program: Child find is part of the Early Intervention Program. It is a voluntary program designed to identify and monitor children at risk for developmental delays, but who may not qualify for Early Intervention Program (EI). The focus of Child Find is to ensure that children are engaged in primary health care where they will receive developmental surveillance and screenings, and referral to EI as appropriate.

Referrals can be made by calling (845) 364-2032. A child's parent, pediatrician, hospital, or any other designated person can make the referral. Infants should be referred if they:

  • Were born after a pregnancy of less than 33 weeks
  • Weigh less than 3 pounds 3 ounces (1500 grams) at birth
  • Spend 10 days or more in the NICU
  • Have a diagnosed medical problem at birth or shortly there after
  • Have high lead levels

After referral, a Child Find Coordinator will contact the family and explain the program. The coordinator may monitor development or do a screening in person. Information and suggestions may be given on ways to improve your child's developmental skills and assist you in locating appropriate community resources. Your child may be monitored through the program or if appropriate, a referral to EI may be made.

Early Intervention Program (EI): is a statewide voluntary program offering therapeutic and support services for children with developmental delays. The Rockland County EI Program is subject to NYS regulations  The EI program assists families by identifying and evaluating infants and toddlers whose development may be delayed, and by providing appropriate intervention to assist the family in improving the child's development. The program offers services to children up to three years of age and their families. Early Intervention services are provided at no cost to families. Insurance information is required to be provided.

For more information visit the NYS EI Program  

The Early Intervention guidebook explains the program and parent's rights is available to download and is provided in many languages.

The steps in the EI process are outlined:

Referral - The first step is to contact the Early Intervention office at 845-364-2032 requesting your child to be evaluated. A child's parent, doctor, baby sitter, or other designated person can make a referral. An Initial Service Coordinator will be assigned and will contact the family to make an appointment to do an intake. An intake can be over the phone or in-person to; explain the program, obtain information about concerns, medical and birth history, developmental milestones, choose an evaluating agency and obtain insurance information.

Evaluation - Once the child has been referred, the parent will choose an evaluator from a list of approved agencies. The evaluation includes at least two disciplines; one being the family's area of concern, and a generalist who can address all domains. The 5 domains being assessed are, Motor Development, Cognitive, Communication, Social Emotional, and Adaptive. The evaluations are to determine if a child is eligible for the program. To be eligible, a child must have a 33% delay in one developmental domain or a 25% delay in two domains. If the child's communication is the only concern, then 2 standard deviations below the mean or other criteria as indicated in the NYS regulations are needed for eligibility.

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) - After evaluations are completed, and the child is found eligible, an IFSP meeting is convened. This meeting is with the parent, evaluator and Initial Service Coordinator. The meeting is to review the evaluation results, assist the family in identifying the family's desired outcomes and arrange for the services needed to address those outcomes (such as speech, occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), special instruction (SI). If a child is eligible for services an Ongoing Service Coordinator (OSC) agency provider is then chosen by the parent. The OSC is responsible for monitoring service delivery, plan reviews, and to assist the family with CPSE transition out of EI. Services are usually provided in the most natural setting. For babies/toddlers this would be in their home or child care provider. Some toddlers may be recommended to attend an EI Group Developmental Model (GDM), which is a toddler program classroom.

Transportation - For children attending an GDM, door to door busing is provided. Or parents can be reimbursed at the IRS mileage rate for self-transport to and from the GDM only. For children getting services at a EI provider office, parents can be reimbursed.

Rockland County EI Forms

Insurance Required: 
Insurance Form 1
Insurance Form 2
Medical Form

IFSP Forms (Only if found eligible):
IFSP Consent
Consent To Obtain/Release Information
Email Consent Form 
Make up Policy 
Social Security Information

CPSE Forms (for children over 2 year-old)
Written Notification Timeline
Transition Conference Consent
Transition Referral
Consent for Transmittal of Information
Parent Information

 

Committee on Preschool Special Education (CPSE): is a statewide program that provides services to classified preschool children. If a 3-5-year-old child is delayed in the area(s) of speech / language, motor, learning or behavior / social development, he/she may be eligible to receive services through the CPSE. The program is administered by the child's local school district and services are provided at no cost to the family. See the NYSED CPSE Parent Right Booklet For more information visit NYSED


Registration and Referral – If a child is already in EI, the OSC will send a notification to the district. Then first step in the process is to make a referral asking that the child be evaluated to determine if he/she needs special education services. A referral can be made by the child's parent, doctor, teacher, or other designated person. Referrals are made to the Chairperson of the Committee on Preschool Special Education in the child's local school district.

Registration - To be evaluated by the CPSE the child must be registered at the child's local school district's administration offices. A parent or guardian must provide 2 proof of address (mortgage or lease statement and utility bill), original birth certificate and proof of immunizations. If you have an issue with providing the required proofs of address please contact the registrar for assistance.

School District Information:


Evaluation - Once the child has been referred to the committee, the parent chooses an approved evaluator from a list of evaluation sites. The parent must give written consent for evaluations. The evaluations will provide information about the child's strengths and weaknesses.

They will include:
• Pediatrician medical form and immunizations
• A social history
• An observation of the child in his or her current preschool/daycare setting or home
• A psychological evaluation
• Other tests or assessments that are appropriate for the child (such as speech and language) and recommended by the chair person based upon parental concern

Services - To be eligible, a child must have a developmental delay that affects his or her ability to learn. A developmental delay is defined as 2 standards below the mean in one area of development or 1.5 standards below the mean in two areas. If eligible, the child will be identified as a "preschool child with a disability".

The committee delivers services in the least restrictive environment. They will first consider providing Related Services, and or Special Education Itinerant Teacher services. These services may be delivered at the child's daycare, regular education setting, or at the provider's office. If these services are not appropriate to meet the child's needs, then a half-day or full-day special education preschool program will be considered. Transportation is provided or a parent can request reimbursement for transporting the child.

Local Early Intervention Coordinating Council (LEICC): advises and assists the Rockland County Department of Health, Early Intervention Program with its responsibilities as the lead agency for the Early Intervention Program. If you are interested in joining the Council, please contact Christina Aherne at (845) 364-3397. For the next LEICC meeting, view information box at the top of the main page.

The Children with Special Health Care Needs Program (CYSHCN) is an effort to positively impact the lives of children and youth with special health care needs and their families by providing resources needed to access appropriate services. Through the coordination and delivery of medical, educational, and related services identified needs of the child and family are met, thus enhancing the child's quality of life.

CYSHCN assists families with children from birth to twenty-one (21) years of age that have a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional condition and require health and related services beyond that generally required by children. The program assists the family through information and referral to various community resources that are child and family specific.

Rockland County Department of Health staff can connect your family to support networks that understand the challenges of caring for children and youth with special needs. For more information contact: Nancy Haggerty 845-364-3394

Resources

EI Families
Autism
Autism Speaks
Office for People with Developmental Disabilities
Westchester Institute for Human Development
Parent to Parent Network
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Zero to Three
Health Insurance Information
Preschool Employment Opportunities in Rockland

Local Resources

Rockland County Website
Child Care Resources of Rockland
Mental Health Association of Rockland
Center for Safety and Change
Breastfeeding Promotion and Support
Lead Poisoning Prevention
Library Information
Volunteer Counseling Services
Rockland Jewish Family Service

Community Resources and Activities

Mommies of Miracles
Places To Go For Special Needs Toddlers & Preschoolers
Camp Kipanga