Child find includes all children with disabilities residing in the state. This includes the following children:
Children who are suspected of being a child with a disability even though they are advancing from grade to grade
Children Attending Private School
If a child is parentally placed in a private school, the local education agency (LEA) where the private school is located is responsible for conducting child find. The child find activities and the evaluation process for parentally-placed private school children must be similar to activities undertaken for child find for children in public schools. Additionally, the child find process must be completed by the LEA in a time period comparable to that for other students attending public schools. This means that LEAs may not delay conducting child find for parentally-placed private school children until after child find for public school children.
State of Connecticut Contact
Bureau of Special Education Telephone: 860-713-6910
165 Capitol Ave, Hartford, CT 06106
Children Who Are Homeless
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act ensures access to a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) for children experiencing homelessness. The Act also ensures that children and youth who have disabilities will have their complex and unique needs identified and met.
Each school district has a local homeless education liaison that is the point of contact for families and unaccompanied youths experiencing homelessness. The liaison is responsible for identifying children and youths who may be covered by the McKinney-Vento Act and ensuring that these children receive services related to educational, health or basic needs.
The following organizations offer information on the education of children who are homeless:
National Center for Homeless Education
800-308-2145
homeless@serve.org
www.serve.org/nche
Connecticut State Department of Education
Homeless Education Web Page: www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2678&q=320796
You may also want to read - An Overview of the Special Education Process: Tips for Families and Shelters
State of Connecticut Contact - Louis Tallarita, CT State Coordinator
Connecticut State Department of Education
Bureau of Health and Nutrition Services and Child/Family/School Partnerships
25 Industrial Park Road Telephone: (860) 807-2058
Middletown, CT 06457 Email:
Louis.Tallarita@ct.gov
Highly Mobile Children and Migrant Children
The McKinney-Vento Act also applies to migrant children who are not in the custody of a parent or guardian. Many migrant children may also fit into the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness due to their family’s transitory lifestyle. Coverage by the McKinney-Vento Act helps immediate enrollment by eliminating barriers related to records required at the time of enrollment.
In addition, the Migrant Education Program (MEP) provides formula grants to State educational agencies (SEAs) to establish or improve education programs for migrant children.
Detailed information about the education of migrant children can be found in No Child Left Behind. You can read an article at Title I, Part C Education of Migratory Children. Information about how the McKinney-Vento Act applies to migrant children can be found at the National Center for Homeless Education website Migrant Children and Youths Experiencing Homelessness.
State of Connecticut Contact - Reinaldo Matos
Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction Telephone: (860) 713-6747
165 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT 06106 Email: reinaldo.matos@ct.gov
Children Who Are Wards of the State
The term ‘Ward of the State’ means a child who, as determined by the State where the child lives, is a foster child, is a ward of the State, or is in the custody of a public child welfare agency. ‘Ward of the State’ does not include a foster child who has a foster parent who meets the definition of parent.
The term parent is defined as any of the following:
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A natural, adoptive, or foster parent of a child (unless a foster parent is prohibited by State law from serving as a parent),
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A guardian (but not the State if the child is a ward of the state)
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An individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent (including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative) with whom the child lives, or an individual who is legally responsible for the child’s welfare
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An individual assigned to be a surrogate parent
For information on adopting a child, contact CARA (Child Adoption Resource Association, Inc) at: 860-444-0553 or email at: director@adoptacarakid.org. Visit CARA online at www.adoptacarakid.org.
State of Connecticut Contact - Ann
Kammerer
Bureau of Special Education Telephone: (860) 713-6916
165 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT 06106 Email: ann.kammerer@ct.gov
