You are here

Child Find and Early Childhood Special Education

News

New information about preschool special education services and universal preschool (UPK)

Submit an application for UPK Colorado at the CDEC website for the 2023-2024 school year - this link will be taking you away from the CDE webpages.

Preschool special education logo

Child Find for Children ages 3 through 5 years old

Every school district or Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) has professionals trained to evaluate young children’s development including cognitive functioning, motor skills, hearing and vision, speech and language and social emotional development. This service is referred to as Child Find.

The purpose of the child find process in preschool is to determine whether a child has a need for special education services.

Learn more about Child Find for children age 3 through 5 years old

Child Find Directory for children age 3 through 5 years old

Early Childhood Special Education

Early childhood special education is a state and federal mandated program for three- and four-year-old children who meet state eligibility criteria for special education and are experiencing challenges in their learning and development. A child is eligible if they have a significant delay in one or more areas of development, such as learning, speaking or playing.

Eligible children are entitled to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. This means that the required preschool services are to be provided in an inclusive setting at no cost to parents.

Learn more about Early Childhood Special Education Services


Having trouble with this webpage?

Email

If you have problems with broken links or accessing the content on this page, please contact the Exceptional Student Services Unit at ESSU@cde.state.co.us. Please copy the URL link for this page into the email when referencing the problem you are experiencing.