The South County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) ensures that all individuals with disabilities 0 - 21 years of age who reside in the member districts, regardless of the severity of their disability, shall be identified, located, and assessed. This is accomplished through the use of a continuous child find system procedure that addresses the relationships among identification, screening, referral, assessment, planning, implementation, review, and the triennial assessment.
The continuous child find system encompasses all children regardless of their disabilities, including those who may be homeless or are wards of the state; children with disabilities attending private, including religious elementary and secondary schools; highly mobile children, including migrant children; and children who are suspected of being a child with a disability though they are advancing from grade to grade.
The South County SELPA Child Find system incorporates these components:
• Infants and toddlers (birth to three years): The HOPE Infant Family Support Program provides coordinated services for infants and toddlers with disabilities or at risk for developmental delays and their families as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) - Part C and the California Early Intervention Services Act. The HOPE program is part of California Early Start, an interagency system of coordinated services administered by the CA Department of Developmental Services (DDS) in collaboration with the CA Department of Education and is operated by the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE). At this time, HOPE works in collaboration with the Exceptional Family Resource Center (EFRC) and San Diego Regional Center to ensure that quality early intervention services, including initial referral and evaluation, are made available at no cost to families. The EFRC serves as a "Point of Entry” for CA Early Start Services and processes referrals to the Regional Center. Information about referrals for Early Start Services is available to the public from the EFRC (800-281-8252) and the DDS Early Start Central Directory at www.dds.ca.gov/earlystart. A description of additional child find activities conducted by South County SELPA districts for infants and toddlers can be found in the Local Interagency Agreement for California’s Early Start Program between San Diego Regional Center, San Diego Special Education Local Plan Areas, and other participating agencies.
• Preschoolers (3 years to kindergarten age): Infants and toddlers receiving early education services from HOPE and/or San Diego Regional Center through an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) will participate in transition activities identified in the SELPA Local Plan. These students will directly transition, as eligible, from services under IDEA - Part C to services provided by their district of residence under IDEA - Part B. All parents and/or guardians receive information regarding the special education referral process and the continuum of preschool services available within the districts of the South County SELPA from the family’s district of residence to continue efforts to identify children who have disabilities and have not previously been identified.
• School Age Children: Local schools within the SELPA use systematic methods of utilizing referrals for special education from teachers, parents and other adults. Staff are trained on the requirements for providing assistance to parents/guardians and teachers who wish to make such a referral. Designated staff, who may include special education specialists, school psychologists, program specialists or district administrators, are responsible for providing information about special education to parents when parents have a concern and/or it is suspected that a child may have a disability, and for accepting referrals and tracking timelines. When a student is experiencing academic and/or social/emotional difficulties, school site Student Study Team processes are utilized at school sites. Pertinent student information is collected to develop student action plans. These plans specify and monitor the student's progress while he/she is receiving general education research-based interventions in areas of concern. Nonetheless, all requested referrals for special education evaluation are processed according to legal mandates.
If you believe your child may have special education needs, please contact your local school of attendance, or the special education department in your school district office. If you need additional support, you can also call the South County SELPA Office for assistance (619) 470-5252.
